APT Primary Focus Area(s):
Skills and Methods: 3 CE
Total Play Therapy CE Hours: 3 CE

This three-part webinar series moderated by Liana Lowenstein will present a mix of theory and innovative child and play therapy techniques to address challenging clinical issues. Whether you are a beginning or seasoned child or play therapist, this training will better equip you to deal with some of the toughest clinical issues including dysregulation, problematic sexual behavior, encopresis, and enuresis.

Each three-hour webinar features interviews between Liana Lowenstein and leaders in the field. Liana offers commentary and weaves together the speaker’s key concepts. You will learn innovative approaches and creative child and play therapy techniques to work more effectively with children, teens, and families.

About the 3 Part Series
This course can be taken as a standalone or as part of the complete series (9 CE total)
Purchase Live Series: click here
Purchase Recorded Series: click here

Ann Meehan:
Awareness of one’s own bodily feelings and physiological responses is one of the most important steps for effective emotional regulation. One of the most common things heard from young people is “it just happened” or “I didn’t have control”. By understanding the warning signs of emotional dysregulation on a thinking, feeling, behaving, and physiological level, young people can become empowered over their choices and emotional regulation. These Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy activities are to help young people gain awareness, in a developmentally friendly way, of the neuroscience of emotional regulation so their prefrontal cortexes can remain engaged giving them access to reason, logic, and controlled choice. 

Lisa Dion:
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for therapists and parents to act as the child's external regulator during states of dysregulation. When activated, children need to borrow the therapist’s and the parent's regulatory capacity as they work through their challenging thoughts, feelings and sensations. Without the ability of the therapist or the parent to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises for the child, both the child and the adult are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their own nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist's and parent's ability to stay attuned and present to the child. In this discussion, from a Synergetic Play Therapy lense, Lisa will discuss what it means and what it takes to become a child's external regulator.

Tracy Turner-Bumberry:
Tracy will discuss emotion dysregulation and the effect it can have on children and teens. The Gross Model of Emotion Regulation will be highlighted as a valuable tool when determining the needs of dysregulated clients. Both antecedent focused and response focused activities will be demonstrated to show the need of prevention when working with emotion dysregulation. Directive Play Therapy concepts will be highlighted for use in home and school settings.