Lessons from the Playroom

Original Air Date: October 25, 2022 The one-and-only  Bonnie Badenoch * joins Lisa for this beautiful conversation about non-judgmental presence and how this is so critical in our role as therapists.  In this episode, you'll hear: How, as a profession, we've become concretized into the left hemisphere (e.g., in a movement toward protocols, interventions, and evidence-based therapies) and how this...

Join Lisa Dion for a discussion on a topic that has been requested more than once since the beginning of this podcast, and it's something we all experience (Yes … therapists, parents, children … all human beings on this planet!) …. We're diving into the intriguing topic of negative self-talk and why we actually can't get rid of it (... no matter how many positive self-affirmations we say to oursel...

Original Air Date: March 1, 2021 Countertransference is not something we can avoid, get out of, check at the door, or even separate from ourselves ... In this episode, Lisa discusses how transference and countertransference is really the therapeutic landscape from which to support our clients in a process of deep integration and healing. Using a lens of Synergetic Play Therapy®, Lisa offers an und...

In this engaging episode, Lisa Dion brings together three guests that are near-and-dear to her heart: Michelle Wayman, Mili Shoemaker, and Lisa Walton. All three are either Certified Synergetic Play Therapists or Certified Synergetic Play Providers and are joining her from diverse corners of the world - Argentina, Australia and the United States. Together, they embark on a profound exploration of...

Original Air Date: April 13, 2021 How do we know when we are grumpy, tired, overheated, or overwhelmed? ... Lisa talks about this 8th sense called Interoception or the "How do we know" sense, which is absolutely critical to enhancing a child's regulatory capacity ... Why? Because what we see in the playroom is actually not behavioral issues, but really the child's inability to stay connected and r...

In this episode, Lisa Dion is joined by the fantabulous and oh-so-knowledgeable Heather Fairlee Denbrough, a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist/Supervisor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Together, they tackle one of the most requested and also one of the most scariest topics for therapists … providing support to children dealing with suicidal ideation a...

Original Air Date: July 5, 2022 We're resharing this fabulous conversation between Lisa and Carmen Jimenez-Pride to talk about Internal Family Systems (IFS) and how to incorporate it in the playroom! In this episode, Carmen, a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and an Internal Family Systems therapist herself, shares how the Internal Family Systems framework  offers a really cool way to hold the...

In this episode, Lisa and Robyn Gobbel talk about a topic never discussed before on this podcast and super important for us as clinicians working with kids ... They're talking about the brain (...Robyn loves to talk about the brain), and more specifically how to teach kids about the brain.  But first, we're so excited to announce Robyn's new book coming out this month, Raising Kids with Big Baffli...

Original Air Date: February 1, 2022 OMG! - the synergy between Lisa and this guest is … well, let's just say, it's like getting an opportunity to eavesdrop on a beautiful conversation between two brilliant minds! (... and we just couldn't help share this podcast episode again :) Kim Barthel is an award winning Occupational Therapist, teacher, and best-selling author who has successfully merged pla...

Often, when we think about boundaries, we imagine a list of rules and restrictions like: you can't do this , you can do this , and if you don't do this, this is going to happen . But this isn't actually the essence of a boundary and it's not what the boundary is designed for.  Setting boundaries is actually a courageous act that requires self-awareness and self-love. It's about prioritizing your o...

Original Air Date: April 26, 2022 In this Lessons from the Playroom podcast from August 2022, Lisa clarifies one of the biggest misconceptions out there right now for parents and therapists - that regulation means being CALM. ...You've likely heard the idea that a child needs a calm adult in order to regulate - that in order to regulate, the adult needs to be and stay calm - or that an adult's "ca...

To say that we're excited for this conversation is an understatement because today's topic is in the top three of the most requested topics since this podcast's inception. We've been waiting for the perfect person to educate us on this topic, and there is no one better than Dr. Jodi Mullen to help us explore, understand, and make sense of a child's sexualized play.  Dr. Jodi Ann Mullen , PhD LMHC...

Original Air Date: August 23, 2019 The brain is a high maintenance organ, one that wants a challenge! In order to stay passionate in our careers as play therapists, we must give the brain the growth it craves. But we must give ourselves permission too – the permission to be ourselves and pursue what inspires us. "We all have deep within us the desire to pursue something that inspires us. We have a...

Lisa is joined by another very very special guest, Gabriel (Gabe) Lomas, to cover a topic that has never been addressed on this podcast (...and very rarely at a play therapy conference) …  Understanding and working with deaf children in the playroom.  Gabe is a professor and Program Director of Counseling Programs at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. He's been an RPT-S for many years and is...

Original Air Date: October 1, 2017 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 reminder that it's time to grow. "Boredom in the playroom may be a messenger. This turns...

Lisa Dion has with her an extraordinary guest, Dr. Dee Ray to talk about an incredibly important topic for us as play therapists, Multiculturalism in Play Therapy (...  if you don't already have Dee's book, Multicultural Play Therapy , we hope you'll go buy it by the end of this podcast. It's a must-have for every therapist that works with kids!)  Dee Ray, Ph. D., LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S is Regents Prof...

Original Air Date: June 07, 2022 Lisa has a really special guest joining her for this episode and they're doing something different today … It's time to talk about business! - One of the most important topics we don't talk much about as therapists. And to help Lisa out with this conversation, she has  Jen Taylor  who's going to be interviewing her on her business journey.  If you've ever wondered...

The beautiful Marshall Lyles is again joining Lisa Dion for another Lessons from the Playroom episode, but this time to talk about understanding Ableism and Disablism in the Playroom.  Marshall Lyles, LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, has 20 years of practice in family play therapy. Drawing on lessons learned from working with attachment trauma in a variety of settings, Marshall re...

Original Air Date: August 13, 2020 When our clients come to session it is easy to get caught up in thinking that they are their age, when in fact, they are not their age. At least not their chronological age. This episode is dedicated to helping you begin to understand the difference between emotional age and chronological age, a few clues to help you spot emotional age and regression, and how to...

In this episode, we're talking about a topic that we've never discussed, but is such an important topic to our work as play therapists. And that is dissociation. To have this discussion, Lisa has with her the fabulous Annie Monaco . Annie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist, and faculty member of the Child Trauma Institute. With over 20 years of experience, Annie is a g...

Original Air Date: Jan 20, 2021 As a play therapist have you ever experienced this or felt stressed thinking ... *"OMG, I don't have enough toys in the playroom" ... *" I don't have the right kind of toys"...  *"I need a certain kind of toy because I work with children who have these issues"... *"I live in a part of the world that doesn't have access to toys"... *Or, "I'm a play therapist, I'm sup...

We're so excited for today's topic (...it's definitely a hot topic) and the amazing guest that is joining Lisa. Stacy Jagger is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), as well as an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. A native of Nashville, Stacy is the founder and clinical director of Music City Family Therapy. She is the author of 30 Day Blackout,...

This episode aired on Oct 5, 2020. To her thousands of listeners around the world, Lisa expresses in gratitude, "Thank you for providing me with a sense of home."  It's time to turn the tables! For several years, Lisa has shared play therapy knowledge and insights, interviewed special guests and helped create discussion and new learning for clinicians all over the world. But who is this person beh...

Synergetic Play Therapy is celebrating 15 years 🎉 (... and Lisa is also celebrating her birthday this week 🥳) … And it's a perfect time to reflect on this amazing field of play therapy that we're all a part of including where we started as a field and where we're headed (.... yes, there will be a bit of predicting the future happening 🚀✨). Join Lisa as she talks about the journey of the mental...

Original Air Date: Aug 30, 2022 Lisa is joined by an incredibly important person in her life - an individual that she is excited to introduce you to (... someone outside the field of play therapy that you may not have heard of ) - Jayson Gaddis is an author, podcaster, speaker, "personal trainer for relationships", and is a global leader on interpersonal conflict and connection. In this episode, L...