Upcoming Workshops and Workshop Descriptions

Date	Conference Title City, State
July 25th an 26th, 2008	Evidence Informed Play Therapy for Treating Traumatized Children Missouri APT
August 8th, 2008	"You Are My Speedbump"-Attachment Repair in Action Luncheon for Nashville Psychotherapy Institute Nashville, TN
October 27th , 2008	Introduction to Play Therapy Vanderbilt Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program Nashville, TN
January 31st, 2009	Oklahoma APT
February 20th and 21st, 2009	Play Therapy for Anxiety Disorders Play Therapy for Attachment Disorders: Science, Art and Innovation Arizona APT
February 27th, 2009	Michigan Association for Play Therapy MI
March 10th, 2009	How to Help Your Kids When Bad Things Happen Overbrook School Nashville, TN
March 27th, 2009	Eastern Conference on Child Sexual Abuse Treatment Arlington, VA
April 3rd and 4th, 2009	Texas APT Dallas, TX
April 25th, 2009	New Mexico Association for Play Therapy New Mexico
July 10th & 11, 2009	Wyoming Association for Play Therapy

Prescriptive Techniques for Strengthening the Attachment Bond: Blending Science and Technique
This workshop will combine cutting edge research on neuroscience and attachment literature with innovative techniques for strengthening the parent child bond. Treatment goals will be broken down into sequential steps with several fun, nurturing techniques illustrated for each step.

Learning objectives: Following the workshop, participants should be able to:

1) articulate functional and dysfunctional patterns of attachment
2) describe how the attachment relationship impacts brain development
3) translate aspects of the client’s neurological development into practical treatment goals
4) list ten directive play therapy interventions that that will assist clients in re-patterning their attachment scripts

Treating Sexually Abused Children: Unique Uses of Play Therapy Techniques
Packed full of empirically informed interventions, this workshop is for anyone working with sexually abused children. Strategies aimed at inviting disclosure and restructuring cognitions will join those aimed at containment and manipulation of perpetrator symbols. Techniques are practical and fun.

Learning objectives: Following the workshop, participants should be able to:

1) Articulate the therapeutic goal behind containment of the perpetrator
2) List three examples of ways that perpetrators can be contained during treatment
3) Explain five play therapy techniques that empower the client through manipulation of the perpetrator
4) Articulate three strategies for restructuring faulty cognitions

Increase Your Repertoire: Over 35 Group Play Therapy Techniques Explained and Experienced
A great opportunity for anyone who does group treatment! Group Play Therapy techniques are broken down by problem areas, including low self-esteem, attentional difficulties, poor impulse control, anger outbursts/destructive behaviors, irrational beliefs, poor social skills, anxiety and much more. The workshop will also help clinicians to place various interventions along the group process continuum, matching various techniques to different stages of group work. Learning will be hands-on, so come prepared to play. Video clips and case examples will be used to augment experiential learning.

Learning Objectives: Participants should be able to:

1) Describe the therapeutic factors inherent in group treatment;
2) immediately use many of the group play therapy techniques in their own practice;
3) place various techniques on a timeline, according to the overall group process;
4) generate at least one additional technique as an adaptation to their unique population.

Up the Spout Again: Helping Children Play Their Way Through Trauma
Practitioners will leave this workshop with a tool box full of new techniques for helping children work through many forms of trauma (abuse, domestic violence, death and divorce). Child symptomatology related to trauma will be discussed. New play therapy interventions will demonstrated and tied to specific treatment goals. Videotape segments, examples of children’s art and sandtrays as well as case vignettes will augment the experiential, prop-based activities. Clinicians will be able to make immediate applications of these techniques to their work with clients! Goody bags are included, so come prepared to play!

 

Learning Objectives: Following the workshop, participants should be able to: 1) explain some of the ways that trauma affects children; 2) develop treatment goals for children experiencing various symptoms as a response to trauma; 3) match interventions to treatment goals and trauma type; 4) apply many new play therapy techniques to the treatment of traumatized children.

The Many Uses of Puppets in the Playroom
Participants will leave this workshop equipped to use puppets in the following ways: 1) to create therapeutic stories and convey healing metaphors to child clients, 2) to teach skills (social skills, anger management skills, problem solving skills, anxiety reduction skills, etc.) and practice these skills, 3) to process traumatic events and help the child gain mastery over them, 4) to overcome resistance to treatment, 5) to help children assess therapeutic progress and reflect on the work that has been accomplished during treatment and 6) to assess the child’s perceptions of family dynamics and salient events in their lives. Participants will create one puppet during the course of the day to take home to their playrooms. Videotape segments of puppet work in actual client sessions will be presented. Participants will see clients process everything from divorce to sexual abuse to adoption through puppets. This workshop will be experiential, so bring your favorite puppets (and the presenter will bring hers), and come prepared to play!!

Advanced Sandplay Approaches
This workshop will review traditional sandtray approaches while presenting innovative and more directive uses of sand in the playroom. Directive processing of sandtrays will be modeled. Examples will be given, through video clips and overheads, of ways in which the therapist can assist clients in tying the unconscious content often tapped through the sandtray to their everyday lives. The movement of the unconscious material into the conscious mind allows for increased awareness and ultimately allows for change in problem behaviors. Participants will see videotape examples of clients creating sandtrays that depict everything from their parent’s divorces, to their worst fears and safest places . Participants will also learn a variety of new games that are cognitive-behavioral in nature. In these games, the sandtray serves as the central playing space. Lastly, various uses of sand outside of the sandtray will be discussed, including sand art. Participants are welcome to bring a container of sand and some miniatures. The workshop is experiential, so everyone will get a chance to practice the new techniques!

Absolutely Positively!!
A new workshop for teachers and school counselors. Usually provided in a 6 hour format, this workshop focuses on classroom environment, classroom management and verbal de-escalation. Many practical strategies for how to set up the classroom as well as positive classroom discipline will be discussed.