Lessons from the Playroom

Join Lisa Dion for a really important and special conversation about a topic that has never been discussed in this entire podcast series … It's about supervision. And not just any type of supervision, but reflective-relational kinds of supervision. Some of you may likely be engaged in your own supervision and some of you may be supervisors ... you're encouraged to listen to this conversation in whatever way you feel is most meaningful for you. To have this conversation, Lisa has three very important people in her life - Polly Douglass, Kim Buller, and Khris Rolfe are three extraordinary play therapists and supervisors and some of the top supervisors at the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. They've been trained not only in Synergetic Play Therapy, but in multiple other modalities, and have a beautiful perspective about how to do this thing we call supervision in a way that is incredibly reflective and relational. In this episode, you'll learn: What it means to be reflective and relational in supervision; How to cultivate a reflective and relational supervisor-supervisee relationship; What it means to be the external regulator for a supervisee; How to support a supervisee in becoming more embodied in their work as a play therapist; and How to offer an empowering supervision experience for a supervisee that ultimately develops their trust within themselves as a therapist. Listen to this conversation that weaves together a beautiful tapestry of reflection and relationship within the supervisor-supervisee experience, and one that allows for the play therapist to "feel" about their client instead of just "think" about their client. Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Lisa Dion's next guest has made quite the name for herself in the world of EMDR Therapy (although this is not a conversation about EMDR Therapy, if you work with the population that we're talking about today, you might want to consider some EMDR training 😉). Join Ann Beckley-Forest and Lisa in an inspiring conversation … one that is also quite near and dear to Ann's heart … that will help you conceptualize how to work with children and families when adoption, foster care, or some kind of placement experience is part of the child's life story. Ann is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), Certified in EMDR Therapy and an approved provider for EMDRIA, faculty member of the Child Trauma Institute, and co-founder of Playful EMDR LLC Training and Consulting. Ann, with Annie Monaco, also wrote a fabulous book called "EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room: An Integrated Approach" - it's truly a foundational book if you use EMDR Therapy and work with children. Here's what you'll learn: What attachment trauma or attachment wounding is (... as Shirley Jean Schmidt says, the idea of "the important good things that didn't happen"); How a movement powered by adoptees has helped us take a look at language, stance and attitudes around adoption, as well as how to honor all the parts of the "adoption triad"; The impact to the collective adoptive family nervous system and how adoptive/foster parents inherently vicariously acquire the child's trauma history; One of the major reasons for unprocessed trauma in childhood and how we can address it in sessions; and Different reparative treatment approaches when working with children with attachment trauma or attachment wounding (hint: it's not about cognitive processes, but ultimately attuned experiences). We hope that you'll find a lot of value in this conversation and that you'll continue to learn and study about this topic … because the odds of you, as a play therapist, having a child walk through your door that has an adoption or foster care or some kind of placement experience in their history is, well, let's just say, quite high. You're invited to start/continue your learning journey on this topic with Ann and Lisa today! Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: July 17, 2019 Medical trauma can be prevalent for many children who have undergone medical procedures or experienced chronic and acute conditions. And it can show up in the playroom in a variety of ways, including in ways that can lead the therapist to jump to conclusions. Listen in to explore how to not only help children who have experienced this type of trauma but how to minimize future trauma as well. "One of the best ways to reduce medical trauma is by making the unknown known. Children need information and lots of it." - Lisa Dion Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: December 21, 2021 This has been one of the most requested topics – Working With Childhood Sexual Abuse Lisa Dion is joined by Sueann Kenney-Noziska whose work with sexually abused children and adolescents is absolutely remarkable. In addition to maintaining a full-time private practice, she is internationally recognized as an esteemed author, guest lecturer, and professional speaker (… a phenomenal speaker!). Sueann has been educating therapists, courts, and community partners for years regarding the impact of trauma, dynamics of sexual abuse, delayed disclosure, and other matters pertaining to childhood abuse and trauma. This episode is packed with so much information, you might want a paper and pen to take notes. And join them in a conversation to explore: Challenges (and rewards) of working with this population Common dynamics that occur during sexual abuse The disclosure process and why it's so hard for children/teenagers to disclose Ways to support parents in building relationships with their children for future open dialogue/disclosure How the trauma narrative can look differently for these children and in a play therapy process Ways to navigate this work while taking care of yourself to prevent vicarious trauma/compassion fatigue Listen to this episode and let Sueann's wisdom give you insight and clarity on working with this very special population through the play therapy process. Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

This next episode is so unbelievably important (maybe even critical) for you as a therapist to hear … Join Lisa for a conversation about this not so widely discussed topic - the impact of trauma exposure on therapists (or really for anyone in a helping role). As a therapist (or helper of any kind), we've chosen a profession that puts us directly on the frontline. We are required to be right there in the midst of trauma exposure, day-in and day-out, session after session. We're asked to listen, witness, play through the trauma, and experience the trauma alongside our clients. The old adage that the therapist stays an objective observer when facilitating someone else is, well, impossible. Ultimately, we can't avoid being impacted by exposure to another's trauma/crisis/challenge and, as a result, we're susceptible to compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or secondary traumatization. In this episode, you'll learn: How we always experience a secondary impact when working with clients who have/are experiencing trauma, crisis or challenge; What happens when we are impacted by the same trauma, crisis or challenge that our clients are experiencing; What happens when our own unresolved trauma comes into the playroom (guaranteed it happens more frequently than we give ourselves permission to be aware of); and How to reconnect back to ourselves both outside the playroom and during those moments of activation in the therapy session. Listen and take a moment to connect/reconnect with yourself. Find some time to reflect on this extraordinary profession that you're part of and the sacrifices you're making; hear ways to help mitigate the impact (hint: it starts with learning how to be with ourselves through the impact); and then start to create a lifestyle that supports this career we've chosen. You are extraordinary! Much love on the journey 💕 Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity

Original Air Date: August 2, 2021 Join Lisa Dion as she demystifies working with pre-teens and teens and shares how to apply your play therapy skill set to this population (hint: you actually don't need to change much of what you're already doing 😉). She'll also tell you the reason that you might feel awkward, not good enough, unsure, and confused as therapists when working with this age group, as well as give strategies and techniques to support the pre-teen and teen to discover their authentic self. Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Another pioneer in the field of play therapy joins Lisa for this next episode. Lisa is super excited to be joined by Dr. Risë VanFleet (learn about her amazing background below*) for a conversation about Filial Therapy and how parents and caregivers can become a change agent for their child. Join Risë and Lisa in this insightful discussion that will enhance your child client's therapy experience through their relationship with their parent/caregiver and deepen your commitment to the model. You'll also hear how Risë entered the field of play therapy and learn … The history of Filial Therapy and the theoretical elements that make the model successful; How Filial Therapy is a psychoeducational model (vs. a medical model) The 7 key aspects that make up Filial Therapy and create the elegance of the model; How parents/caregivers become the primary change agent for their child; and How to combine Filial Therapy with other therapeutic interventions. *Dr. Risë VanFleet is a Licensed Psychologist (PA), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and specializes in Animal Assisted Play Therapy™, Filial Therapy, play therapy, chronic medical illness in families, disaster mental health, complex trauma and attachment issues, as well as animal welfare and behavior. She's also the President of the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, Inc., in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, an organization specializing in the training and supervision of child, family, and play therapy professionals. She is the founder and president of the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy®. Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: March 30, 2021 Sometimes we think we're feeling when we're not ... Sometimes we think we're creating space for our clients to feel when we're not ... And sometimes we are encouraging avoidance when it's hard to stay in our window of tolerance. Join Lisa in this podcast that's all about reflecting on our own inner experience and understanding this lifelong journey we're all on of learning how to feel at deeper levels so we can help our clients do the same - It's an invitation to look at our relationship with our emotions and how that impacts our clients. As well as getting curious about the parents/caregivers' experience with their own emotional landscape and how to help them to really understand the importance of being with the child's emotions instead of trying to fix/change/make it better. Other podcastepisodes that might be helpful on your journey of becoming aware of the feelings that you try to numb, avoid, move away from or that tend to flood and make it difficult to stay in your window of tolerance are: Ep. 88 - Countertransference in Play Therapy Ep. 76 - Attuning to Body Language in Play Therapy Ep. 44 - Emotional Flooding: When You Find Yourself Outside Your Window of Tolerance Ep. 25 - Emotional Flooding in the Playroom Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

In this episode, Lisa revisits the topic of parents and caregivers and discusses one of the most commonly asked questions that she is asked - how to support and offer parents and caregivers templates so they can regulate themselves and ultimately regulate with their child when their child is dysregulated. Imagine being able to offer parents in the therapeutic journey co-regulatory moments to help repattern their nervous system and that supports them in being their child's external regulator - It's really so powerful!! Here's what you will learn in this episode: How the parent/caregiver can show up in the therapy process in some form of dysregulation and what they need; How to use the Synergetic Play Therapy concept of "The Set Up" or "Offering" to understand the parent at a deeper level; Why it's important to not dismiss the felt sense of what's arising inside ourselves and how to connect with our own activation first before becoming the external regulator for the parent; What it looks like to teach parents/caregivers to become external regulators including how to develop within them regulatory templates they can use when in relationship with their child; Key things to recognize when working with parents/caregivers to create new templates and templates they may not have for regulation; and Being able to support the parents/caregivers in shifting their perception of their child's behavior in a way that allows for spaciousness and connection. Join Lisa and consider this important question - Are we willing to do what we can to create new templates for parents and caregivers, and based on our therapeutic approach, how might we do that? Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: January 18, 2022 Lisa Dion's next special guest is a Certified SPT therapist, coach, mom and yoga instructor. Lisa has known her for years – all the way back to when Lauren worked in Cape Town, South Africa. Listen as Lauren Porter and Lisa talk about how to make Yoga a practice that can support you as a therapist and redefine and unpack yoga in a way that maybe you haven't considered… …And how getting to know yourself more and experiencing a widening of your window of tolerance for your emotional states can help your practice as a therapist tenfold. Whether you're experienced in yoga or not, deepen your understanding of the possibility of how yoga can support you in being with your clients in more embodied ways. You'll discover: What yoga is really about (hint: it's not to help you feel better) How yoga gives understanding to both the conceptual world and the embodied YOU How to overcome the mental, emotional and physical blocks that prevent you (and all of us) from having a lived experience How to use yoga as a practice for knowing yourself more and why it's so important to consider if you're a therapist How yoga can "hold you" in times of flooding or overwhelm The connection between yoga and [one of Lisa's favorite concepts) Interoception All the ways that a yoga practice can look (…the answer might surprise you) Listen to today's episode and expand your capacity for accessing the ventral vagal response so that you're able to stay connected to yourself with whatever is happening in you and around you (…playroom included). And before she goes, Lauren guides you through an exercise to unlock the diaphragm (…it's perfect for when someone says, "take a deep breath" and you can't – because this absolutely happens sometimes … or more times than we want to count). Podcast Resources: Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.