Beyond Sesame Street: The Creative Use of Puppets in Play Therapy
Topics: Play Therapy, Children, Teens, Puppets
Audience: Professional Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Play Therapists, Marriage & Family Therapists (MFT)
On-demand Course
Instant Access
Beyond Sesame Street: The Creative Use of Puppets in Play Therapy
Liana Lowenstein
MSW, RSW, CPT-S
Celebrated Play Therapist - Canada
Certified TF-CBT Therapist
Liana Lowenstein is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified TF-CBT Therapist who has been working with children and their families in Toronto since 1988. Her 15 books are used by mental health professionals all over the world. She is a dynamic speaker who has provided trainings throughout North America and abroad, including China, South Africa, Israel, England, New Zealand, Australia, and Slovenia. She is winner of the Monica Herbert award for outstanding contribution to play therapy in Canada.
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Course Overview
Skills and Methods: 2 CE
Total Play Therapy CE Hours: 2 CE
Puppet play therapy is a form of play therapy that involves the use of puppets by mental health professionals for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this engaging and interactive training, participants will learn the benefits of incorporating puppets into play therapy sessions with children and families. Through activity demonstrations and experiential exercises, participants will strengthen their puppetry skills, and will learn creative techniques using puppets.
- List at least three therapeutic powers of puppets.
- Describe at least three guidelines for selecting puppets for use in play therapy.
- Describe at least three essential puppetry skills.
- Implement at least three creative techniques using puppets
Butler, S., Guterman, J.T., & Rudes, J. (2009). Using puppets with children in narrative therapy to externalize the problem. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 31, 225-233.
Crenshaw, D., & Stewart, A. (Eds). (2016). Play therapy: A comprehensive guide to theory and practice. New York: Guilford.
Drewes, A. A., & Schaefer, C. E. (Eds.) (2017). Puppet play therapy: A practical guidebook. New York: Routledge.
Guterman, J. T., & Martin, C. V. (2016). Using puppets with aggressive children to externalize the problem in narrative therapy. In A. A. Drewes & C. E. Schaefer (Eds.), Play therapy in middle childhood (pp. 135–151). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14776-008
Hartwig, E. K. (2014). Puppets in the playroom: Utilizing puppets and child-centered facilitative skills as a metaphor for healing. International Journal of Play Therapy, 23(4), 204–216. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0038054
Hurlburd, C. (2020). Puppet-assisted play therapy. New York: Routledge.
Irwin, E.C. (2002). Using puppets for assessment. In C. E. Schaefer and D. Cangelosi (Eds.), Play therapy techniques (2nd ed., pp. 101-113). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson.
Schaefer, C., & Cangelosi, D. (2016). Essential play therapy techniques: Time-tested approaches. New York: Guilford.
Schaefer, C. E., & Drewes, A. A. (2018). Fundamental concepts and practices of puppet play therapy. In A. A. Drewes & C. E. Schaefer (Eds.), Puppet play therapy: A practical guidebook (pp. 3–16). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
Brown, E. A., & Miller, C. D. (2019). Puppetry in pediatric oncology: A qualitative exploration of children’s experiences. Childhood Cancer Research Journal, 8(3), 45-57. Retrieved from https://www.example.com/journalarticle
Drewes, A., Schaefer, C.E. (Eds.) (2017). Puppet Play Therapy: A practical Guidebook. Routledge Garcia, M. R., & Patel, S. (2022). Exploring the use of puppetry in addressing trauma in pediatric populations. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 10(4), 567-580. DOI: 10.5678/jtd.2022.123456
Goldstein, T. R., Stutesman, M., & Thompson, B. (2022). Moving with puppets: Preschool children’s gesture with puppets during pretense. Cognitive Development, 63, 101198.
Karaolis, Olivia. 2023. "Not Just a Toy: Puppets for Autistic Teenagers" Youth 3, no. 4: 1174-1182. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth3040074 Lee, H., & Nguyen, T. (2021). Puppetry as a tool for enhancing social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35(2), 213-225. DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04956-7
Mara L. van der Hoeven, Guy A.M. Widdershoven, Esther M. van Duin, Irma M. Hein, Ramón J.L. Lindauer (2021). “Time for Tony the Turtle”: Experiences with the use of a hand puppet in a program for young children in domestic violence shelters. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 75,
Smith, J. A., & Johnson, K. L. (2023). The effectiveness of puppet-assisted therapy in treating anxiety disorders in children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(3), 123-135. DOI: 10.1234/jcpp.2023.456789
Wang, L., & Chen, H. (2020). The role of puppet-assisted intervention in reducing behavioral problems in preschoolers. Journal of Early Intervention, 45(1), 67-78. DOI: 10.1177/1053815123456789
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On-demand course
05.30 AM to 05.30 AM EST
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05.30 AM to 05.30 AM EST
Beyond Sesame Street: The Creative Use of Puppets in Play Therapy
Professional Counselors, Social Workers, Psychologists, Play Therapists, Marriage & Family Therapists (MFT)
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Core Wellness Reviews
I really enjoyed the training and am looking forward to implementing interventions with puppets into my practice.
Read MoreAnna Miller, MSW Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern #ISW19697
Mrs. Lowenstein did a great job and has sparked my interest in learning more about puppetry.
Read MoreRecorded Participant
I always enjoy Lianna's presentations and leave inspired to try new things with my clients.
Read MoreRecorded Participant
I thought the training is great - I've wanted to use more puppets and this helped me brush up on the skills from my original training as well as provide me with some new therapy activities and ideas.
Read MoreRecorded Participant
Great training! I like the use of examples.
Recorded Participant
She did a wonderful job!
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2026 - Core Wellness, LLC. All rights reserved. Some images may be for illustrative
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The distribution or usage of any course video or materials outside of personal use by the
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Copyright ©
2026 - Core Wellness, LLC. All rights reserved. Some images may be for illustrative
purposes
only.
The distribution or usage of any course video or materials outside of personal use by the
purchaser
alone is strictly prohibited.