Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

Send us Fan Mail Do you find yourself replaying play therapy sessions on your drive home, wondering if you made the right clinical decision? You aren't alone. In this free weekly podcast episode, we’re diving into the 5 signs you’re second-guessing yourself as a play therapist and why clinical isolation might be your biggest hurdle.  Being the only play therapist in your building can be incre...

Send us Fan Mail Are you the only play therapist in your agency? Or perhaps you're in private practice and feel like you're navigating complex cases entirely on your own? Many play therapists accept isolation as "just the reality" of the field.  We push through, hoping that with enough time and experience, we’ll eventually "figure it out."  But here is the honest trut...

Send us Fan Mail If you're a play therapist — especially in your first few years — and you're the only one in your agency or you're in private practice figuring this out by yourself, this is for you. You went into this work because you genuinely believe in the power of play therapy to heal kids. You're passionate about this.  You're not here because it was easy — you'...

Send us Fan Mail What is Jungian Analytic Play Therapy, and how does it actually work in the playroom?  In this podcast, we dive deep into the symbolic world of Jungian theory with guest Jared Andes, LCSW, RPT-S.  We explore how Jungian Analytical Play Therapy uses archetypes and other concepts to facilitate healing, and we compare this model to other popular play therapy approaches. Join us for a...

Send us Fan Mail Are you tired of leaving your play therapy sessions wondering if you’re actually helping or just "playing"? You’ve invested in the play therapy training, you’ve gathered the strategies, and you have a playroom full of tools.  But if you’re like many play therapists, having more information has only led to more confusion.  When you’re in the middle of a play therapy sessi...

Send us Fan Mail Is trauma actually "stored" in our organs, or have we been looking at it all wrong? For years, play therapists have repeated the mantra that "trauma is stored in the body," but a groundbreaking 2026 peer-reviewed article is challenging this foundational belief. If you’ve ever felt like the "storage" explanation didn't quite click, this episode is...

Send us Fan Mail Helping children and teens identify and label their emotions is a core therapeutic goal in play therapy, but simply naming a feeling isn't enough.  In fact, an overfocus on "feeling good" can sometimes hinder the healing process. To build true resilience, we need to help clients move from basic affect to high emotional granularity. In this free weekly podcast, we di...

Send us Fan Mail Using play therapy with traumatized children and teens is complex, and many play therapists find themselves asking:  "Where do the parents fit in?" “What do I do if my client is in foster care?  How do I include parents?” Too often, parents or caregivers are left out of the process or integrated without a clear plan. This can lead to missed healing opportunities or accid...

Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever left a play therapy session thinking…  “I see the behaviors—but what’s actually driving them?” You’re not alone. And more importantly—you’re not supposed to stay stuck there. In this podcast episode, we break down how to use case conceptualization in play therapy through a neuroscience and attachment lens so you can finally understand what’s at the root of a child’s...

Send us Fan Mail Is Polyvagal Theory still valid? And what does the latest scientific debate mean for your play therapy practice? Polyvagal Theory (PVT), developed by Stephen Porges, has become one of the most widely used frameworks in trauma-informed therapy. But recent critiques from neuroscientists and researchers are challenging key assumptions about the vagus nerve, autonomic nervous system h...

Send us Fan Mail You just know what your client’s sand tray means… but should you say it? In this episode, we dive into one of the biggest clinical dilemmas in play therapy:  👉 Do you share your interpretation of a child’s sand tray scene—or hold it? If you’ve ever felt that pull—the moment where everything clicks and you want to connect the dots for your client—this conversation is for you. Beca...

Send us Fan Mail Virtual play therapy isn’t the future anymore… it’s already here. But let’s be real for a second— Most platforms weren’t built for play therapists. They weren’t designed to engage children using play therapeutically.  For expressive play.  For the kind of symbolic, relational work you do every single day. So what happens when a platform is built with play therapists in mind? That’...

Send us Fan Mail How do you identify themes in sand tray therapy sessions? One of the most important skills for play therapists is learning how to recognize themes in play therapy, especially when working with sand tray therapy.  Themes reveal the deeper emotional experiences children are trying to process through symbolic play. In this week’s free weekly podcast episode, you’ll learn how to ident...

Send us Fan Mail You can have the most beautiful playroom… the best toys… even strong rapport… But if you’re not assessing what’s actually happening beneath the play, you might be missing the very thing your client needs most. In this episode of Next Level Play Therapy , we’re breaking down one of the most overlooked (and misunderstood) skills in play therapy: assessment—and why it directly impact...

Send us Fan Mail Are you feeling stuck in your play therapy sessions… unsure what to do next or why your play therapy interventions aren’t working? You might be missing the most important step in the entire play therapy treatment process: case conceptualization in play therapy. In this episode, you’ll learn what case conceptualization actually is (without the grad school confusion) and how it beco...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do after you’ve identified the symptoms in a struggling teen? Failing grades. Emotional withdrawal. “I don’t care.” High-conflict divorce. Estrangement from a parent. Identity confusion. It’s one thing to recognize the patterns. It’s another to know how to turn that understanding into a clear, effective plan to help your teen clients heal. In this week’s podcast episod...

Send us Fan Mail What do you do when a 16-year-old walks into your office, shrugs, and says, “I don’t care”? Low motivation. Failing grades. Emotional shutdown. Estrangement from a parent after divorce. On the surface, it can look like depression, defiance, or typical teen apathy. But what if those symptoms are telling a much more layered story? In this free livestream episode, I’m walking you thr...

Send us Fan Mail Can you really use sand tray therapy with adolescents? Absolutely—and when you understand how to adapt it developmentally, sand tray becomes one of the most powerful expressive arts tools to use with teens. In this podcast episode, I’m diving into how to use sand tray with teens in a way that respects their autonomy, supports emotional regulation, and deepens therapeutic insight. ...

Send us Fan Mail This week I’m sharing one of my favorite ways to help teens access the therapeutic powers of play using poetry. Yes - poetry! If you’re rolling your eyes and remembering your high school English class feeling tortured by reading poetry, then rest assured - this is not your high school English class version of poetry. Poetry is an expressive arts modality that allows clients to use...

Send us Fan Mail Play therapy isn’t for adolescents.  It’s just for little kids. There’s a misbelief in the mental health community that play therapy is only for little kids. Maybe you’ve wondered that yourself. Play therapy can be an amazing way to help adolescents engage in healing and in a way that meets their developmental needs. Rather than asking IF play therapy works for adolescents – Ask –...

Send us Fan Mail Ever sit across from a teen in session, clock ticking, silence screaming… and your nervous system quietly panicking? Yeah. This episode is for that moment. In this week’s podcast, we’re naming the thing no one warned you about in grad school: why play therapists feel stuck with teens—and why it’s not because you’re doing it wrong. Here’s the hard truth (said with love):  👉 Trying...

Send us Fan Mail Happy International Play Therapy Week! 🎉 What is play therapy—and how is it different from simply using games and activities in therapy sessions? This is a common and critical question for mental health professionals working with children. While games, art, and activities are often part of therapy, play therapy is a distinct, evidence-based clinical approach grounded in child dev...

Send us Fan Mail More Impact. Less Burnout. isn’t a cute slogan. It’s a line in the sand. Because here’s the truth most play therapists won’t say out loud: Burnout doesn’t come from caring too much. It comes from doing this work alone . In this week’s free livestream episode, we’re pulling back the curtain on why being part of a strategic play therapy community isn’t optional if you want sustainab...

Send us Fan Mail What if better results in play therapy didn’t come from more play therapy activities, more games, or more play therapy training — but from clearer thinking? In this week’s free livestream episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on the real secret sauce: case conceptualization. Because if you don’t know what’s driving the behavior, how do you decide what to do in play therapy session...

Send us Fan Mail If you’re a mental health professional, including play therapy, we’ve all heard this said and probably even said it ourselves: consultation is a clinical and ethical part of providing effective play therapy (and therapy in general). Truthfully – I have mixed feelings about this statement. From a clinical and ethical standpoint, consultation is an important part of providing qualit...