Lessons from the Playroom

"The more we try to avoid conflict, the more it shows up in our life." - Lisa Dion Why is conflict so hard to deal with when it arises and something we want to avoid? Listen as Lisa shares what to do when conflict shows up, why it's actually a necessary part of growth, and how to cultivate a relationship within ourselves when it comes up in relationships both in and out of 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.

"When a child comes into play therapy, we are not working with their chronological age, but their emotional age." - Lisa Dion When our clients come to session it is easy to get caught up in thinking that they are their age, when in fact, they are not their age. At least not their chronological age. This episode is dedicated to helping you begin to understand the difference between emotional age and chronological age, a few clues to help you spot emotional age and regression, and how to work with these younger states in both your clients and yourself when they arise in the play room. 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.

"The body never lies. The body is always revealing the truth relative to the individual's perception in any given moment." - Lisa Dion Learning how to attune to body language, our own and the child's is an essential component for co-regulation in play therapy. Staying in our own window of tolerance to helping the child move towards their own discomfort depends on it. Tune in as we learn how the body never lies and how we can become more adept at listening to its wisdom. 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.

"Let's ask parents, not how they are doing, but what they need and what it is like in their boat." - Clair Mellenthin From the uncertainty, having to homeschool, working from home, navigating family dynamics, and all the other challenges that parents are being confronted with, it is no wonder that so many are feeling burned out, questioning themselves, and needing extra support. Join Lisa and special guest, Clair Mellenthin, as they talk about how attachment, the many challenges of parenting during the pandemic, and most importantly, how best to support parents in ways where they know they are not alone. 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.

"To overcome systems of oppression that want institutional racism to be invisible, we need to name it! ... And make it explicit!" - Nora Alwah What is social justice? What is oppression? What is intersectionality? Join Lisa Dion and as she invites Nora Alwah, social justice educator and therapist, to explore these questions and offer guidance to therapists on how they can support children and families in ways that create connection, attunement and empowerment. Nora Alwah is a queer cis-woman of color, and an immigrant from Denmark and Comoros. Nora is passionate about fiercely challenging systemic oppression and empowering people to reclaim their unapologetic truth and innate power. She is a somatic psychotherapist, a social justice educator and adjunct faculty at Naropa University. In her private practice, Nora specializes in working with marginalized populations, including people of color, bilingual individuals, immigrants, queer people, and transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. Visit her website: www.noraalwah.com 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.

"All symptoms and behaviors a child displays while anxious are attempts at regulation." - Lisa Dion When life and situations become unpredictable, children have to orient to the unfamiliar just like adults do. The difference is that their brains are a little further behind in their capacity to regulate through it often leading to high levels of anxiety and other symptoms. Tune is as we explore how to support children through their anxiety and find a sense of security when the unknown arises. 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.

"To the degree you link what's happening in the playroom to the goal, you increase the probability of parent involvement and buy-in." - Lisa Dion Talking with parents is an important part of the play therapy process, but what do we say? How do we help them understand what their child is working on? How do we communicate in a way that keep them engaged? Tune in as we explore how to check in with our clients' most important people. 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.

"The word compassion means 'to suffer with' or merge with. This is different than empathy." - Lisa Dion Vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue are far more common experiences for play therapists than we realize, especially during times of crisis. And how are they further impacted when play therapists are going through the same crisis, such as the COVID19 pandemic? Tune in to this very important conversation that is essential for all play therapists to hear. 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.

"It's normal that you're going through waves of dysregulation right now. All 4 threats to the brain are being activated.- Lisa Dion During a crisis, such as the current pandemic, waves of dysregulation can often feel like a daily experience and even the norm. Why? Because our brains are not just perceiving one threat, but four! Tune in as we revisit the 4 threats to the brain and learn the impact they may be having on our nervous system, as well as the key to regulating and coming back to yourself in the midst of all the intensity and chaos. 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.

"At the end of the day, teletherapy is about relationship. It's about the experience of connection." - Lisa Dion Working with children and families virtually can surprisingly cause fatigue for the play therapist. From a difference in non-verbal cues to the way we sit to the lighting in the room, from hydration to whether or not we're wearing shoes, all sorts of things play a role. Tune in to learn how to make online play therapy synergize with your nervous system. 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.