These workshops offer 12 Live Interactive Continuing Education Credits

A 12 Hour Workshop

February 3, 4, 10, & 11, 2025

10:00 AM - 1:00 PM EST

$199.99

This Certificate eligible workshop will require the securing of the training manual which can be obtained at the links listed below.  If you want the physical copy in time for the workshop start, the deadline for the purchasing deadline is January 15, 2025.  The digital copy can be secured at anytime.

Completion of this workshop is a prerequisite for application to NIRE’s Certification Program in Child-Centered Play Therapy For information, please click HERE.

If you have any difficulty registering, please contact us here.

Mental health and educational professionals who work with children can significantly benefit from training in play therapy. The most basic skills in play therapy; child-centric communication, reflective listening, and limit setting can improve rapport and subsequently relationships with children (professional AND personal).

In this workshop participants will learn basic play therapy skills to engage children (from infancy through the elementary grades) in play therapy from a phenomenological and humanistic perspective. Developmental and cultural issues relevant to this population will be addressed and practical and dynamic interventions will be demonstrated.

DAY 1

10:00am-1:00pm

10:00 

Introduction of presenter, topic

Breaks, no sugar coating, use of chat

POLL as participants sign in...

YES or NO response

I currently work with children

I use toys and games in therapy with children

I do play therapy when I am counseling children

This is my first formal training in play therapy

10:15

Lecture (with examples)

What is Play Therapy?

History/Theory of Play Therapy approaches

10:40

Small Group Activities & Debrief

Conceptualizing the child's perspective

Breakout rooms should be 3-4 people each and address: 

What is/has worked in your therapeutic connections to children and how do you know this (what's the proof)?

11:15

Potential Break :10

Open for questions through the chat

Address questions

Authentic learning activity & debrief

One Word about Children in Chat (I will read out and discuss)

Setting the stage for viewing childhood through a cultural lens.

12:00

Lecture:

Culture of Childhood

How viewing childhood as a culture makes us more thoughtful practitioners.

Video review & group discussion for authentic learning experiences

Assessing how viewing childhood as a culture impacts our way of understanding children's communication.

12:40

Checkout activity

Assessment of participant learning through day 1

"What's one thing you are taking away from today?" Have them put that in the chat and I will read those out

For tomorrow- little toys or art supplies

DAY 2

10:00

Start the day with questions about day one, I will again invite people to ask questions by putting them in the chat and having you read them out (that's good with you, correct?)

10:20

Lecture with activities, examples

Child-centered play therapy

Axline's 8 basic principles

The child-centered philosophy 

Show Video How do you know it is CCPT 

Volcani

Parker

11:40

10 minute break

Open for questions through the chat

Address questions

11:50

Breakout rooms 2 per room

1st introduce your child self

Applied learning

Practicing the 8 basic principles and basic skills

12:10

Return to large group

Debrief by having people raise hands

12:30

Lecture & authentic learning activities:Limit setting

The how and why of setting limits

Structuring limit setting through a developmental lens

How to individualize limit setting

12:55

Checkout activity

Assessment of participant learning through day 2

"One feeling word that describes where you are at the present moment?" Have them put that in the chat and I will read those out

DAY 3

Practice of play therapy skills- applied learning

Reflective listening with Children

Tracking responses

review of example session and debrief

Assess for fidelity to the child-centered model

Discussion of what worked and did not work in the session

Lecture & embedded small group activity:

Challenges to the CCPT approach

How your clinical knowledge informs and hinders your practice.

Play behavior that frequently challenges the play therapist and how to deal with that.

Q&A

Checkout activity

DAY 4

Applied learning activities

Application of limiting setting skills 

Contextual caveats to limits

Lecture; Play therapy skills review

Assessing skill level of participants

Filling in gaps in foundation of child-centered play therapy

Q&A

Checkout activity

About The Presenter:

Dr. Mullen is a professor at SUNY Oswego in the Counseling & Psychological Services Department, where she has been a counselor educator for nearly 30 years. She is the Director of Integrative Counseling Services, an international speaker, author, credentialed play therapist and play therapy supervisor. Dr. Mullen provides training, consultation, and supervision to professional helpers all over the world.

She has authored books on play therapy, counseling children and adolescents, grief counseling and parenting, including: CHILD-CENTERED PLAY THERAPY WORKBOOK, Counseling Children And Adolescents Through Grief And Loss, and Supervision Can Be Playful: Techniques for Child and Play Therapist Supervisors