The Baffling Behavior Show {Parenting after Trauma}

Ep. 50: Theraplay: Strengthening the Foundation of the Brain

14 snips

Sep 7, 2021

Mandy Jones, the Program Director of The Theraplay Institute in Chicago, is a dedicated therapist who specializes in enhancing parent-child relationships. In this discussion, she dives into Theraplay, a unique approach that focuses on healing through connection. Mandy highlights the vital dimensions of structure, engagement, nurture, and challenge in fostering strong bonds. She also addresses the significance of attunement in understanding children's cues and shares insights on nurturing behaviors that support child development and resilience.

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ADVICE

Importance of Structure

Structure helps children feel safe and secure.
Establish routines and predictable environments to reduce anxiety.

INSIGHT

Attunement in Theraplay

Theraplay is therapist-led but highly client-centered, focusing on attunement.
Therapists intently observe children's nonverbal cues to understand their needs.

INSIGHT

Nurture in Theraplay

Nurture involves providing physical and emotional care, like hugs and band-aids.
Touch and acknowledgment are crucial for children's well-being and development.

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Theraplay is a dyadic (parent/child) treatment modality for supporting children and families that focuses on harnessing the power of the relationship between the child and their caregiver as path toward change and healing.

Theraplay places a priority on strengthening the parent/child relationship as the way to create change for a child or within a family- even in diagnoses or symptoms that don’t seem obviously related to the parent/child relationship, such as ADHD or Autism. Theraplay believes that strengthening the parent/child relationship will always contribute positively to a child’s mental health, regardless of the specific symptoms or mental health diagnosis.

My guest today on today’s podcast episode is Mandy Jones, Program Director of The Theraplay Institute in Chicago, IL. Mandy is a Theraplay trainer, practitioner, and supervisor, a Registered Play Therapist, and an attorney. In addition to her administrative and training responsibilities at The Theraplay Institute, Mandy also provides therapy to children and families.

To learn more about the services at The Theraplay Institute, check out their website at https://theraplay.org/

Their online store has so many resources, including the books Parenting with Theraplay and the activity book Parenting the Theraplay Way. https://theraplay.org/store/

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