Send us a text If you’re a play therapist – either a newbie, got some experience under your belt, or full on seasoned play therapist – this is bound to happen more than once. To be honest I’ve had this happen so many times, I’ve lost count. You get frantic phone calls, emails, or texts between sessions telling you all the “bad” things your client is doing at home or school. You can hear the concern in their parents’ voices and you feel the pressure in your chest to fix it fast. ...
Send us a text How many of you have had this happen with play therapy clients (raise your virtual hand in the Comments) – You greet your client in the waiting room and your client looks at you with an eager face and asks, “Can my mom/dad come with us?” 🙄 Or … When you meet with parents for the first time and they ask you why you only meet with their child. Why don’t they get to join the sessions? They want to know what you’re doing with their child. 😬 Or … You kn...
Send us a text Have you ever had this happen with a play therapy client? You greet your young client in the lobby and your client asks – “Can my mom/dad come with us today?” Or maybe you’re talking with a parent who asks you what you do in their child’s play therapy sessions and why do you only work with their child? Why aren’t they (parents) allowed in the play therapy session? What do you say as you feel the lump in your throat growing and your voice stammers a little bit to fin...
Send us a text Raise your virtual hand and shout YES! if you never make mistakes and you are the perfect play therapist who does everything right all the time. Do you hear those crickets? 🦗🦗🦗 The sound of silent voices, well, except for the crickets. 😂 That’s because no one is perfect. The good news is that we don’t need to be perfect. If you have been doubting yourself and thinking about all the ways you messed up and probably made things worse, Then you are not a...
Send us a text What’s one of the biggest struggles play therapists say causes them to feel anxious, incompetent, frustrated, and generally overwhelmed on a regular basis? If you guessed working with parents – winner, winner, chicken dinner! It’s one of the most common challenges I hear from play therapists. Do any of these sound familiar? “I can’t get parents to schedule a parent only session with me.” “I’m getting lots of phone calls, texts, and emails from a parent telling me all ...
Send us a text When I talk with play therapists about reasons they avoid having difficult conversations with parents/caregivers, here's the most common worry they tell me 👇 “What if I say something and they pull their kid from play therapy?” It can feel awful when parents terminate play therapy before real change can happen. We feel like giant failures and then start listing all the ways we failed the child (and ourselves). So, this fear is real. Sometimes parents do pull their...
Send us a text How does being trained to use a specific play therapy model influence clinical decision-making vs clinical decision-making of child/adolescent therapists using play in therapy? Hmmmmm. What the heck does that question even mean? Essentially clinical decision-making involves our expertise and training in a play therapy model and how play therapists engage in the decision-making process to get excellent treatment results for their clients. Is the clinic...
Send us a text What do you do when you keep getting frantic phone calls from caregivers between play therapy sessions telling you all the things going wrong with their child? You feel the weight of these phone calls and the pressure to make everything better- quickly. You’ve tried many times to get these caregivers to schedule an appointment with you but there’s always a reason they can’t meet with you. So, you spend hours writing emails and responding to phone calls with little to no s...
Send us a text Have you ever thought to yourself when it’s just you and you’ve had a hard day - “I wish I had someone to help me process what just happened in that play therapy session.” If you’re like most play therapists that I’ve met, you’re probably the only one in your agency or group that works with kids and uses play therapy (or is aspiring to learn play therapy). Being a play therapist can feel lonely and challenging because you don’t have others who “get it” about the benefits of...
Send us a text If you’re a play therapist - Do you find yourself doing any of these? 👇 🙄 Constantly searching for new activities online 🙄 Have folders full of saved play therapy interventions 🙄 Still feeling uncertain about client progress 🙄 Wondering why 'perfect' activities aren't creating lasting change If you're like most play therapists I know, you probably have folders of saved play therapy activities, Pinterest boards full of ideas, and a bookshelf o...
Send us a text Is this just a flower… or a window into healing using play therapy? How do you know if your client is ‘just playing’ or doing deep therapeutic work in play therapy sessions? Ever stared at a child’s drawing of a flower and thought: “Is this meaningful… or are we just passing time?” You’re not alone. As play therapists, we’re trained to honor the child’s process—but let’s be real: There are times when it’s hard to tell the difference between meaningful play and…...
Send us a text Have you ever thought to yourself - I have no idea how play therapy actually helps my traumatized client heal? Then I’ve got good news for you! ✨ This week’s livestream episode is focused on the hidden healing power of play therapy for traumatized children. What if a pile of toys, a safe room, and a listening heart could help rewire a child’s nervous system? In this week’s free livestream episode, I’m peeling back the curtain on something profound—how play becomes the l...
Send us a text There is no such thing as the best approach for play therapy with traumatized kids. What????!!!! 😱 Searching for the ONE approach that will heal ALL your traumatized clients and is BETTER THAN all the play therapy models existing today is an exercise in frustration, overwhelm, and exhaustion. I know what you’re thinking 👇 If that’s the case, then how do you help your traumatized clients heal using play therapy? There are a few things to consider when usin...
Send us a text Ever felt like your playroom is bursting with supplies… You’ve got the latest toy, fidget, slime, sand tray miniature, art supplies … But you still leave sessions wondering what to do next? Or maybe you've bought that activity you saw on Instagram… only to realize it doesn't really fit how you work? (Been there … done that) You’re not alone. Today we’re breaking down the secret to building a play therapy toolbox that’s not just full—but fully aligned with your theoretical...
Send us a text Have you ever felt like your client doesn’t seem to be making progress and you’ve tried everything to get back on track? You looked through all your play therapy activity books and resources to find an activity that will work. You looked on Pinterest and scoured the internet for ideas. You tried implementing ideas from the recent training you attended with limited success. You tried talking to your supervisor and colleagues to get ideas but nothing seemed to work beca...
Send us a text We’re diving into a question that lives rent-free in the minds of even the most seasoned play therapists: “Is this actually working?” If you’ve ever left a session wondering if you’re making a difference… or if your client just built a Lego spaceship and peace’d out… you’re so not alone. This week we’re going to explore the real signs that play therapy is working—even when you can’t always see the change yet. We live in a world that loves quick fixes and measurable results. B...
Send us a text Have you ever had the sinking feeling after a session and thought you blew it bad? If that’s ever been you… welcome to the club. And guess what? You’re in exactly the right place. This week we’re diving into something that might make you wince and exhale a huge sigh of relief at the same time. We’re talking about the honest, human, messy mistakes play therapists make—and what we can actually do about them. Because let’s be real: we’ve all had those moments where we ...
Send us a text When I first heard the term “wounded healer” I wasn’t sure it was a good thing. I pictured in my head some of the people I’ve come across in the mental health community who caused me to be concerned about their ability to be stable and support clients effectively. To be honest, even saying that outside my head (and written down here) sounds really judgy. 🙄 Afterall, I’ve overcome a lot of trauma and attachment wounds passed down through the generations in my family. ...
Send us a text We often hear the notion of the play therapy process and the need to hold a sacred space for healing in play therapy. But, what the heck does that mean? Can play therapists provide a space for healing with a lens of spirituality? Are we allowed to talk about it? The notion of spirituality and religion are often considered the same thing, but I don’t think they are. I think spirituality is much broader than religion, and they’re often connected - for better and for ...
Send us a text Recognizing themes in play therapy sessions is an important part of being a play therapist because it influences how you make sense of what your client is communicating and what you do in sessions. I remember when I was learning how to use play therapy early in my career and hearing about the importance of recognizing themes in play therapy sessions. It felt like an impossible task - trying to figure out if I was actually observing a “theme” in my clients’ sessions or if I ...