Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

Send us Fan Mail Is this just a flower… or a window into healing using play therapy? How do you know if your client is ‘just playing’ or doing deep therapeutic work in play therapy sessions? Ever stared at a child’s drawing of a flower and thought:   “Is this meaningful… or are we just passing time?” You’re not alone. As play therapists, we’re trained to honor the child’s process—but let’s be real...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever thought to yourself - I have no idea how play therapy actually helps my traumatized client heal? Then I’ve got good news for you! ✨ This week’s livestream episode is focused on the hidden healing power of play therapy for traumatized children. What if a pile of toys, a safe room, and a listening heart could help rewire a child’s nervous system? In this week’s free l...

Send us Fan Mail There is no such thing as the best approach for play therapy with traumatized kids. What????!!!!  😱 Searching for the ONE approach that will heal ALL your traumatized clients and is BETTER THAN all the play therapy models existing today is an exercise in frustration, overwhelm, and exhaustion.   I know what you’re thinking 👇 If that’s the case, then how do you help your traumati...

Send us Fan Mail Ever felt like your playroom is bursting with supplies…  You’ve got the latest toy, fidget, slime, sand tray miniature, art supplies … But you still leave sessions wondering what to do next? Or maybe you've bought that activity you saw on Instagram… only to realize it doesn't really fit how you work? (Been there … done that) You’re not alone. Today we’re breaking down th...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever felt like your client doesn’t seem to be making progress and you’ve tried everything to get back on track? You looked through all your play therapy activity books and resources to find an activity that will work. You looked on Pinterest and scoured the internet for ideas. You tried implementing ideas from the recent training you attended with limited success. You tri...

Send us Fan Mail We’re diving into a question that lives rent-free in the minds of even the most seasoned play therapists: “Is this actually working?” If you’ve ever left a session wondering if you’re making a difference… or if your client just built a Lego spaceship and peace’d out… you’re so not alone. This week we’re going to explore the real signs that play therapy is working—even when you can...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever had the sinking feeling after a session and thought you blew it bad? If that’s ever been you… welcome to the club.  And guess what?  You’re in exactly the right place. This week we’re diving into something that might make you wince and exhale a huge sigh of relief at the same time. We’re talking about the honest, human, messy mistakes play therapists make—and what we...

Send us Fan Mail When I first heard the term “wounded healer” I wasn’t sure it was a good thing. I pictured in my head some of the people I’ve come across in the mental health community who caused me to be concerned about their ability to be stable and support clients effectively. To be honest, even saying that outside my head (and written down here) sounds really judgy.  🙄 Afterall, I’ve overcom...

Send us Fan Mail We often hear the notion of the play therapy process and the need to hold a sacred space for healing in play therapy. But, what the heck does that mean? Can play therapists provide a space for healing with a lens of spirituality?  Are we allowed to talk about it? The notion of spirituality and religion are often considered the same thing, but I don’t think they are.   I think spir...

Send us Fan Mail Recognizing themes in play therapy sessions is an important part of being a play therapist because it influences how you make sense of what your client is communicating and what you do in sessions. I remember when I was learning how to use play therapy early in my career and hearing about the importance of recognizing themes in play therapy sessions. It felt like an impossible tas...

Send us Fan Mail Let’s get creative!  Play therapy activity ideas to help traumatized children and teens heal If you’re a play therapist or child/adolescent therapist, then you’re probably always thinking about play therapy activities to use with your clients. I’ve never met a play therapist who didn’t love learning new play therapy activities. We’re like moths drawn to light when it comes to find...

Send us Fan Mail Learning more play therapy activities isn’t enough to help children heal. If you talk to the experts in the field of any mental health discipline, you’ll likely get very different answers about what is the most effective way to help clients heal from trauma. This is true in play therapy as well. There are a few things that are true across most play therapy models when working with...

Send us Fan Mail What’s the best approach to using play therapy with traumatized children and teens? If you’re a play therapist or child/adolescent mental health professional, then you probably have clients on your caseload who have experienced trauma. The thing about experiencing trauma is that it’s unique to each child and adolescent. While there are definitely similar issues to address at the h...

Send us Fan Mail Is there a connection between suicide ideation in adolescence for children who have experienced trauma? We know from the research that trauma has a significant negative impact on children that can contribute to mental health issues into adolescence and adulthood. So, it would make sense that trauma would have a profound impact on adolescents if left unhealed.   To get a little tec...

Send us Fan Mail The last several years of neuroscience research has shown mental health professionals how to better understand the role of autonomic nervous system and interpersonal neurobiology. It’s provided a wealth of information to understand the importance of creating a safe healing space for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. Children cannot establish a connection with p...

Send us Fan Mail Have you ever had a client present to your office and you were kind of stumped about what to do? Me too.  I’ve totally been there. The thing that helped me to make sure I was doing my best to help my client was having a good network of colleagues and mentors to share their knowledge and resources. That’s exactly why I’m soooooooooo excited about my guest this week - Leah Evans, LP...

Send us Fan Mail I’ve heard it said by mental health professionals and play therapists that case conceptualization doesn’t really matter when you’re working with clients. When I dig a little deeper about their reasons, the response that I get is that play therapy and counseling is intuitive and it’s about building a strong relationship with clients. When I challenge them a little, most of the time...

Send us Fan Mail Boost Parental Involvement in Play Therapy with Attachment & Neuroscience Strategies If you’re a play therapist or child/adolescent therapist, then you know children exist within the context of a family and parental involvement in the treatment process is important. But do you view parents as the therapeutic agents of change for their child? As the therapeutic agent of change...

Send us Fan Mail As play therapists, we are often the ones who sit with stories of pain, loss, and struggle—walking alongside our clients during their toughest moments. But let’s face it: hearing these stories day after day can take its toll on even the most seasoned therapists. How do we keep our hearts open and our spirits strong while "holding hard things"? ✨ One of my favorite conce...

Send us Fan Mail Are you part of a play therapy community? Are you the only play therapist in your agency? One of the things I hear ALL the time from members of my Play Therapy Academy program is how much they LOVE our community of support and amazing play therapists. (I love it too!) When someone is having a rough week and feeling like a big failure or just super frustrated with a hard case, the...

Send us Fan Mail How good are you at identifying the role of culture in the problems your clients are experiencing? Have you considered the resiliency factors of your clients’ culture and how that can influence better play therapy outcomes? Play therapists work with children and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds. Using cultural competence with case conceptualization is essential to...

Send us Fan Mail What does clinical case conceptualization in play therapy mean and does it really matter? 🙄 Case conceptualization is your ability to ask all the necessary questions that get to the roots of the issue so you know what to focus on in play therapy to help your clients and their parents. Skipping the initial diagnostic session to gather all the important details of the problem is no...

Send us Fan Mail What’s your least favorite part about providing play therapy services to your clients? Let me tune into my mind reading skills to read your mind  💭- documentation, right?  Over the last 30 years in the child and adolescent mental health field, I’ve never met a therapist who says they love writing progress notes, treatment plans, and psychosocial assessments as much as or more tha...

Send us Fan Mail Most therapists I talk with, including play therapists, want to get straight to helping their clients during the very first session so they skip the detailed information gathering needed for a thorough assessment. I get it.  You want to make a difference and help your clients without wasting time. But is the information gathering process really a waste of time? No, it’s not.   In...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean to be a play therapist and what skills are needed to provide play therapy? Understanding fundamental principles for play therapy ensures child and adolescent therapists recognize the difference between using games in therapy versus play therapy. There are specialized skills child and adolescent therapists need to develop to ethically and effectively provide play...