Lessons from the Playroom

Original Air Date: January 18, 2022 Lisa Dion's next special guest is a Certified SPT therapist, coach, mom and yoga instructor. Lisa has known her for years – all the way back to when Lauren worked in Cape Town, South Africa.  Listen as  Lauren Porter  and Lisa talk about how to make Yoga a practice that can support you as a therapist and redefine and unpack yoga in a way that maybe you haven't c...

Dr. Robert Jason Grant, creator of AutPlay Therapy joins Lisa to discuss AutPlay Therapy as an integrative family play therapy approach designed to address the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and their families.  Robert Jason Grant is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Consultant, Trainer, and Neurodiversity Advocat...

Original Air Date: January 4, 2022 Lisa is jumping into another most requested topic – Translating the Play to Parents/Caregivers. In this episode you'll find out why this can be such a challenge for play therapists, but oh-so important! Learn 4 tips for how to translate the child's play to parents/ caregivers including how to: Set the stage early on in the process for parents about what they can...

Lisa has another amazing guest speaker joining her - Dr. Joyce Mills to talk about StoryPlay®, an Ericksonian, resiliency-based, indirective process of Play Therapy that draws upon the natural inner resources, skills, and strengths of each child, adolescent, adult or family member to effect transformational healing, growth, and change. Dr. Joyce C. Mills is a nationally and internationally recogni...

Original Air Date: November 9, 2021 This guest, from a young age, wanted to be both a philosopher and a pilot … while life took her down a different path, she has since translated the "mysteries" of EMDR Therapy when working with children for thousands of therapists worldwide … and taken many of her clients on a journey to places within themselves, giving them wings to soar!  Ana Gomez is the foun...

Lisa is joined by an incredibly important person in her life - Duey Freeman, a former professor at Naropa University (Lisa's alma mater) and founder of the Gestalt Institute of the Rockies and the Gestalt Equine Institute. Duey, a true "elder" ( as he is described by many ) and mentor in the field of attachment and human development, was Lisa's former graduate school professor and has been one the...

Original Air Date: February 7, 2020 In this episode, Lisa is joined by special guest Jen Taylor to talk about how to use cooperative games in play therapy and how in the playroom, they are used effectively with siblings and families, reminding each player that it's not about winning; it's about the experience. "The object of the game is not to win; the object of the game is to experience playing f...

Join Lisa for a discussion to explore three different types of relationships that come into play when working with parents/caregivers … What you're about to hear will transform your work with parents/caregivers to create a more conscious relationship that honors both you as the therapist and the parents you work with.  In this episode, you'll learn …. The three different types of relationships (.....

Original Air Date: January 15, 2021 Join Lisa Dion and guest Sonya Joyce as they discuss perhaps one of the most important topics in the play therapy process - touch! "Whether we like it or not, touch is a part of the play therapy experience." ... With this in mind, they explore ways to become more mindful and thoughtful about how to bring healing touch to children in the playroom, how to create a...

Lisa has another really special guest joining her … Dr. Cathy Malchiodi is the Founder & Director of the Trauma Informed Practices and Expressive Arts Therapy Institute. She has done countless presentations around the world and written some amazing books, one that she wrote several years ago is still one of Lisa's all time favorite books - Understanding Children's Drawings . Cathy is one of the pi...

Original Air Date: May 25, 2021 How do we let parents know, that we know, how important they are in their child's life? How can we stay grounded and connected to ourselves as play therapists when we find ourselves triggered or activated when working with overwhelmed parents? And how can we offer an "I see you" relational experience for parents that are experiencing complex trauma in their family s...

Have you ever wondered what intergenerational trauma can look like when it shows up in a play therapy session?  If so, you have also likely wondered what you can do to support both the child and the parent to integrate the trauma. In this episode, Lisa Dion is joined by Dr. Arielle Schwartz (you might know her from the amazing books she's published including "The Complex PTSD Workbook" or "The Pos...

Original Air Date: October 12, 2021 In this episode, Lisa is joined by special therapist - a gem 💖 in the play therapy field (and he's also a poet 😉) … Marshall Lyles joins Lisa in a discussion that brings new thought, new life, and new excitement to processes and things you may have heard about for years. Join Lisa and Marshall in conversation about … The use of Sandtray therapy in healing atta...

This time Lisa has again invited two very important people in her life to join her. Two Certified Synergetic Play Therapists both residing in Canada – Helen Ritchie and Kristina Dixon. Join them in this conversation about working through the challenges and dilemmas that we sometimes have as therapists when working with the parents/caregivers. Find out: Why working with parents and caregivers can b...

Original Air Date: November 13, 2017 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. Join Lisa and find out how supporting a child in their healing process doesn't have to require words.  "It's the child really feel...

In this episode the tables are turned and the lovely Jackie Flynn, host of the Play Therapy Community Podcast / Facebook group and the Neuroscience of Play Therapy Summits , interviews Lisa about how play therapy and being a play therapist has become a spiritual practice for her over the years.  Join Lisa and Jackie as they talk about: What spiritual practice means and how doing our own "work" as...

Original Air Date: March 27, 2017 Therapists are so good at identifying and working with the problem, but are we as trained to also recognize empowerment? In this podcast, Lisa addresses why it can be challenging to recognize when a child is moving into empowerment, and she shares multiple strategies to help you identify when your child clients are overcoming their challenges. "Part of play therap...

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 has pulled us more into the role of e...

Original Air Date: July 20, 2021 Lisa is joined by guest Lynn Louise Wonders. Lynn is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Professional Mentor and Supervisor, Career, Parenting and Relationship Coach at Wonders Counseling Services, LLC . She's an expert in navigating high conflict divorce and custody cases. Listen as Lisa and Lynn Louise discuss how to not get caught in the crossfire of high conflic...

Lisa's next guest has so many amazing contributions to the field of play therapy. Terry Kottman is the founder of Adlerian Play Therapy and the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists. She is an unbelievably fun and engaging presenter and author who teaches around the world and writes about so many different aspects of play therapy. In 2014, she was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award fr...

Original Air Date: October 30, 2017 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 moment we believe we have figured it out is precisely the moment...

Wondering what bibliotherapy is or how to incorporate it in your client sessions? Lisa has invited another special guest to talk about using bibliotherapy with kids. Althea T. Simpson is the founder of Brighter Day Therapeutic Solutions and Unicorn Life Training. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator, and host of t...

Original Air Date: May 31, 2018 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 the most powerful sessions when you see yourself in your client's struggle. "The fear of...

If you've ever studied with Lisa, you know she loves talking about the nervous system. And in this episode, she's going to talk about the collective nervous systems within families and how to help support the regulation of the family system. If you're just as excited about this topic as Lisa, you'll definitely want to take notes for this one …  Here's what you'll hear … How nervous system expressi...

Original Air Date: June 3, 2020 "To overcome systems of oppression that want institutional racism to be invisible, we need to name it! ... And make it explicit!" - Nora Alwah What is social justice?  What is oppression?  What is intersectionality?  Join Lisa Dion and as she invites Nora Alwah, social justice educator and therapist, to explore these questions and offer guidance to therapists on how...