Lessons from the Playroom

"Play is just the boat... we must figure out what's going on in the ocean." - Lisa Dion Play therapists often focus on protocol, technique, and, of course, toys. But what's below all this? Engaging the right-brain and allowing yourself to feel are keys to helping your clients. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support y...

"Challenges and discomforts are necessities of growth." - Lisa Dion All of us have moments when we doubt ourselves. Moments when we shake our heads in frustration. Moments when we have no idea what we're doing. But challenges in the playroom are a necessity - they allow us to master new techniques and broaden our skills. Getting it wrong? It might just be right. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play...

"Regulating the client is the biggest challenge of teletherapy." - Lisa Dion Teletherapy allows us to reach clients regardless of distance. In play therapy, it requires modification and parental support. But the connection can be powerful and purposeful. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy...

"Working with mutism means working with the anxiety underneath the symptom." - Lisa Dion From the child who only talks to certain people to the child who doesn't talk at all, selective mutism has many faces. The playroom is a common place where it surfaces. But a silent child speaks without words, telling us to look below the surface at the nervous system underneath. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic...

"The fear of going towards something in the playroom is a reflection of a wound in us that hasn't healed." - Lisa Dion As play therapists, we're often taught to check ourselves at the door. But, when the child's challenges reflect our own, this is difficult for even the most seasoned clinician. What happens when we embrace the mirror and tap into our humanness? You just might experience some of th...

"We can't promise to keep kids safe from tragedy, but we can promise to have a plan." - Lisa Dion Tragedy is an inevitability of life, no matter how much we wish it wasn't. No one is immune, including kids. But heartbreak can bring about a myriad of emotions, inside and outside of the playroom. We can't always keep kids safe, but we can reduce their fear of the unknown. Podcast Resources:  Synerge...

"The intake session isn't about data collection; it's about creating a relationship." - Lisa Dion The intake session is a vital part of play therapy. But it's not all about educating parents about the process and their involvement, it's also about the nervous system - yours and mom and dad's. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resour...

"Sleep is the largest separation we go through everyday." - Jessica Schaffer, RPT, Infant Sleep Specialist From the refusal to go to sleep to an inability to stay asleep, a child's tossing and turning speak volumes. But why do some children want to ban the bed? And how does this look inside the playroom? A play therapist who also happens to be a sleep specialist helps us uncover the answers. Podca...

"When I think of being outside, I think of free-flowing." - Avery Dion, age 12 Play therapy often happens inside of four walls, but the world outside acts as a co-facilitator. Nature is a powerful force for adults as well as kids. Embracing everything from roots to rocks helps the healing process. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE R...

"Emotional flooding is a normal response; it's the shame applied to it that does the damage." - Lisa Dion Emotional flooding is often thought of as a bad thing, but this isn't necessarily true. There is knowledge in the nervous system and wisdom in the body's reaction. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on yo...

A child uses technology to fulfill a need. We must meet that need before turning off the TV. You can't take away someone's boat without giving them another one." -Lisa Dion Children scream for ice cream and screen time too. But is technology as harmful as many assume or is it a necessity? Does using it mean a child is zoning out or could it mean they're engaging? In this podcast, we discuss why sc...

"Sand doesn't just help regulate the child; it helps regulate the therapist too." - Lisa Dion There are so many ways to use sand in a play therapy session, but have you ever considered turning your sand tray into a regulation device? The key to this is the right tools. So, shift towards the sifter and explore the many ways sand helps tell us all about the state of the nervous system. Podcast Resou...

Whether we remember before the age of two or three is still misunderstood and even debated, so understanding the different types of memory helps us understand that memory does indeed exist at early ages. It helps us understand that even if the mind doesn't remember, the body does. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to suppo...

"Maybe the goal is not to calm. Maybe the goal is to connect." Lisa Dion Often, it's our natural inclination to ask children to calm down. This happens inside playrooms, classrooms, and on top of jungle gyms. But is this the best solution? Or should we focus less on the idea of calmness and more on the idea of connection? Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therap...

"It's not that 'I know better.' It's that 'I know different.'" - Dave Garrison Working with dads in the playroom isn't always the same as working with moms. It takes understanding the psychology of men, learning how to communicate in a way that is meaningful, and proving that you are a partner who doesn't know "better", you just know "different." Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institu...

"Rejection is one of the most challenging experiences we can have as humans. But behind rejection lies acceptance and growth." - Lisa Dion Rejection is something we look upon negatively, both in the playroom and in our personal lives. But, here's a secret: behind rejection is always, always acceptance. This is one of the many reasons rejection is a boost rather than a barrier. Podcast Resources: ...

"It's the child really feeling that you're with them that heals them most. Sometimes, that just doesn't require words." - Lisa Dion A child's refusal to speak inside the playroom can leave even the most seasoned therapist flustered. But connecting with clients involves much more than words. Silence can be golden when you know what it means and how to harness it. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play...

"The moment we believe we have figured it out is precisely the moment we stop growing" - Lisa Dion Play therapy is an evolving field with new ideas around every corner. And each theory - new and old - has something to offer. Seeking knowledge improves your practice and benefits your clients (and yourself). As play therapists, it is important to embrace the idea that growth really never ends. The m...

"The important message to our kids: 'All of you is welcome.'" - Lisa Dion Sexual identity and sexual orientation are not discussed often enough in the field of play therapy. But embracing these topics benefits our clients. So does refraining from black and white thinking. After all, children are colorful (and so are we). Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy...

"Boredom in the playroom may be a messenger. This turns it from something negative into your greatest friend." -Lisa Dion Boredom in the playroom is something most therapists experience  - from an unyielding yawn to counting the ticks of a slow-moving clock, we've all found ourselves less than enthused in one session or another. But boredom isn't always a negative thing. Sometimes, it's a gentle r...

"Congruence in the playroom is one of the most important elements in creating safety" - Lisa Dion From fear of the unknown to uncomfortable incongruence, the brain is a worry wart! It's forever on the lookout for external and internal threats. And there are certain things that bother it more than others. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website...

"Everything that happens in the playroom must be linked back to goals" - Lisa Dion From the boardroom to the playroom and everywhere else, setting goals is a vital part of success. But in therapy sessions, the best goals follow certain rules, rules that allow both parent and therapist to see the progress made. After all, it is seeing this progress that acts as a catalyst of encouragement, keeping...

"In play therapy, children need to know that they're in charge" - Lisa Dion A child wanting to end a session early can rattle even the most seasoned therapist. So how do you handle the situation? In this podcast, Lisa Dion discusses how to recognize flooding, return a child to their window of tolerance, and why ending a session doesn't need to end the relationship. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic P...

"Game act as metaphors, providing insight into a child's feelings" - Lisa Dion From Candyland's Gum Drop Mountain to the rungs of Chutes and Ladders, games in play therapy are more than a race to the finish line. They provide us with direct insight into the minds and nervous system states of our child clients. Learn some tips on how to make games in your play therapy sessions more than about just...

"We can work with parents to help them find a clear explanation that helps soothe their child's potential anxiety and helps minimize apprehension." Talking to kids about why they are going to play therapy isn't always easy. As play therapists, we can work with parents to help them find a clear explanation that helps soothe their child's potential anxiety and helps minimize apprehension. Not only d...