Go to:

Course Schedule for For Children's Sake of Virginia

Fundamentals of Play Therapy
Date: January 26, 2008
Beginners will gain an understanding of play therapy and learn how it differs from regular play. History and theory of play therapy will be presented as well as how to implement the play therapy process from beginning to end. Participants will learn how to set up the therapy room identify themes therapeutic responses and specific interventions during the various stages of play therapy.
Objectives
  1. Define play therapy.
  2. Describe relevant historical perspectives of play therapy.
  3. Identify the stages of play and specific interventions.
Play Therapy Skills Lab I
Date: February 9, 2008
One of the goals of the Play Therapy Institute is to provide participants with not only play therapy theory and techniques but also to ensure a level of clinical competency. During this session participants will discuss authentic case studies and devise treatment plans with appropriate play based interventions. Additionally participants are required to bring at least one 20 minute videotaped DVD R or VCR play therapy session with a real client child aged 3-14 for group supervision. Also participants are required to summarize their play therapy session in a standardized format titled Play Therapy Session Summary and make a brief oral presentation to the group on the client s background purpose of the session play therapy technique s utilized theoretical foundation and outcome s of session. Please contact the administrator of the program for a copy of the play therapy session summary sheet at least 1 2 months in advance of the workshop date. A pre requisite to this session is prior play therapy training in history theory and techniques or special permission from the instructor.
Objectives
  1. Analyze authentic play therapy cases from a developmentally sound clinical perspective
  2. Demonstrate application of theory and techniques to cases presented
  3. Evaluate effectiveness of therapeutic interventions
Child Centered Play Therapy
Date: March 14, 2008
During this 12 hour session you will be introduced to the entire play therapy process from start to finish including learning how to make skilled responses identifying therapeutic themes and issues tracking progress and making decisions surrounding termination of sessions. You will also examine how to select toys for the playroom and work with parents effectively. This workshop will provide a framework for conducting play therapy in order for you to begin conducting this work immediately. Day 1 will include didactic information and videotape presentation. Day 2 will provide you with role play and hands on practice. If you are serious about play therapy this workshop is a MUST!
Objectives
  1. Describe the stages of play and the issues themes present
  2. Demonstrate how to utilize empathic responses tracking responses and how to respond to questions requests and commands by the child
  3. Identify methods to constructively engage and maintain a working relationship with parents
  4. Describe nuances of a piece artwork using a variety of graphic factors.
  5. State when to refer or request further consultation.
Psychodynamic Play Therapy
Date: March 28, 2008
This 12 hour training will review relevant contributions of the giants in the field to child psychotherapy. A rich discussion about the unconscious mind and primary process thinking psychosexual stages transference counter transference projection and resistance will be included. Participants will come away with a deeper understanding of play as a tool to express unconscious feelings and conflicts in a symbolic manner. You will learn how to use clarification confrontation and make interpretations. This training is the cornerstone to understanding the depth of play therapy work and will deepen your awareness and understanding as a clinician. This is a very intense training and is essential to all child play therapists psychotherapists.
Objectives
  1. Discuss the role of theories such as Freud Klein and Winnicott in understanding the meaning of children's symptoms.
  2. Demonstrate the therapeutic value of psychodynamic play by describing four common themes in play.
  3. Discuss the process of remaining in the metaphor of play when making interpretations judging the impact of interpretations and working with resistance.
Gestalt Play Therapy for Children Adolescents
Date: April 25, 2008
This training presents an approach to working with children and adolescents that involve a variety of creative expressive projective techniques with Gestalt Therapy philosophy theory and practice as the underlying framework. Gestalt Therapy is a non analytical non interpretative form of therapy that is concerned with the whole person body feelings and intellect as well as with experience awareness and self acceptance as prelude to growth and change. An overview of the Oaklander Model s unique therapeutic process will be presented. If you are serious about play therapy this workshop is a MUST!
Objectives
  1. Describe theoretical framework underlying the Oaklander Method for working with children adolescents
  2. Demonstrate the use of art and experiential drawings
  3. Demonstrate use of projective techniques using hands on activities
Guidelines & Techniques of Art Therapy Treatment with Traumatized Children in Play Therapy
Date: May 2, 2008
This workshop will focus on ethical and clinical guidelines of art therapy assessment and treatment as used by the play therapist. Focus will be on sexually traumatized children but other populations will be presented. Appropriate art therapy techniques will be demonstrated in both PowerPoint and experiential formats. Case histories and patient set work will be presented. This workshop provides an outstanding foundation for the clinical application of art therapy in play therapy modalities.
Objectives
  1. Discuss foundation of art therapy history and theory
  2. Identify clinical guidelines of art therapy applied to the play therapy practice
  3. Identify the basic use of art materials needed in therapy as well as the developmental stages of art..
  4. Demonstrate skills needed with specific Art therapy techniques and interventions for the traumatized child in play therapy.
  5. Describe appropriate art assessment tools for the play therapist.
Grief & Loss Issues in Play Therapy
Date: June 7, 2008
This workshop will bring into focus grief and bereavement as children and adolescents generally experience it. Together we will explore play interventions that nurture the youngster s ability to experience their pain and heal as they face the many losses including death and divorce which may enter their lives.
Objectives
  1. Describe four tasks for grief and four ways in which children s grief differs from adults.
  2. Discuss four basic development constructs necessary for children to process grief.
  3. Demonstrate at least two play therapy interventions specifically useful for the grieving child.
Jungian Analytical Play Therapy Activating the Child's Self Healing Archetype (Advanced Level)
Date: July 8, 2008
Participants will explore a brief overview of the theoretical underpinnings of Jungian Analytical Play Therapy JAPT and an exposition of the metaphysical tenets that directionalize it. Participants will be introduced to the Jungian therapist s understanding of the child s psyche during trauma the analytical attitude involved in play the salience of the therapeutic relationship including the impact of the therapist s unconscious on the therapeutic relationship and the developmental stages in the play therapy process with traumatized children. The presenter will utilize a variety of pedagogical modalities in an effort to concretize JAPT including interactive lectures a live video taped session of a traumatized child during the Jungian psychotherapy process and experiential JAPT activities to bridge the theoretical to the practical. The depth of the therapeutic relationship and the client s position in the archetypal mythological underworld will be discussed as the centerpiece for therapeutic change and ego development. Participants will leave with the tools to begin the exploration of implementing Jungian based child psychotherapy in their practice with children and adolescents including activities such as House Tree Person The Rosebush The Hero s Quest Draw Your Mandala and Fairy Tales in the Sand. Pre requisite prior play therapy training
Objectives
  1. Describe the theoretical underpinnings of Jungian Analytical Play Therapy JAPT including a brief summation of the central tenets in Carl Jung's psychology
  2. Identify the meaning of play with a child and recognize the developmental stages involved in the play therapy process
  3. Demonstrate the process to guide children toward self healing by focusing on the therapeutic relationship and by participating in experiential JAPT activities
Ethics & Clinical Supervision for Play Therapists Child Psychotherapists
Date: July 9, 2008
This training meets the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners CEU requirements for ethics and clinical supervision. Get both all in one day! ETHICS Topics covered will include the most subtle but common ethical quandaries child therapist face in their practices on a day to day basis 1 how to maintain a child s confidentiality while still keeping parents well informed. 2 how to maintain professional boundaries while still being fully engaged with the child and 3 how to continually self monitor to keep personal values out of the playroom. SUPERVISION Clinical supervisors as mentors and educators need to develop strategies to help supervisees identify these same common but subtle ethical issues. Following a review of different models of supervision the focus will turn to techniques supervisors can use to help clinicians clarify and address the types of ethical issues discussed earlier in the day.
Objectives
  1. Identify three ethical quandaries child therapists face in their practice on a day to day basis
  2. Describe the role of the supervisor as a mentor and educator
  3. State three effective strategies supervisors can use to help supervisees identify and resolve ethical dilemmas.
Use of Therapeutic Stories in Play Therapy
Date: July 10, 2008
Storytelling to teach and heal is a non intrusive effective technique that has been used with children since the beginning of human history. This workshop explains the use of therapeutic storytelling with children and adolescents as part of play therapy. Learn the necessary components to write your own therapeutic stories.
Objectives
  1. Define therapeutic stories and describe specific characteristics
  2. Describe methods for selecting the appropriate story to match the child s therapeutic issues
  3. Demonstrate the effective use of therapeutic stories by applying various case studies
Filial Family Therapy
Date: July 11, 2008
This 12 hour workshop will introduce participants to the history and methods of the Filial Family Therapy FFT model of involving parents in play therapy with their own children. The workshop will help participants learn the necessary skills for structuring sessions and teaching parents play therapy skills to be used in the home. Focus will also be on teaching individuals couples although reference to using FFT with groups of parents will be discussed. Pre requisite to attending this workshop is Child Centered Play.
Objectives
  1. State how FFT model is presented and recommended to parents
  2. Describe the stages of the FFT process and the necessary skills associated with each stage
  3. Identify specific problems and possible solutions in utilizing FFT
Play Therapy for Children with ADHD
Date: July 15, 2008
This workshop will review diagnostic criteria for ADHD review traditional forms of treatment to include psychostimulants and psychotropic medications as well as demonstrate how play therapy may be used to address the special needs of these children. The role of the therapist in working with the parents of these children will also be addressed. Cultural considerations relative to treatment will be included.
Objectives
  1. Identify the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD.
  2. Describe traditional forms of therapy to include the use of medications and specific play therapy techniques.
  3. Analyze different play therapy techniques for ADHD children at various developmental levels.
Family Play Therapy
Date: July 16, 2008
This workshop is designed to allow participants to apply play techniques to work with families. Engaging the family to participate will be addressed. Several models of family therapy will be presented with corresponding play interventions designed to implement the model. Family assessment will also be addressed through several activities. Participants will role play these techniques within a family setting. Ways to process the experience will be discussed.
Objectives
  1. Demonstrate engagement methods to set the stage for family play therapy
  2. Identify several family therapy models and what play activities can be used within the model
  3. Describe play therapy family tasks specific to the family and the goals of the session
  4. Discuss play both for assessment and clinical intervention within the family
  5. Demonstrate filial play instruction within the family.
Group Play Therapy for Children and Adolescents
Date: July 18, 2008
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss and experience the principles of play therapy in action. Participants will experiment with art media and other techniques and learn to adapt media to specific client needs in the group setting. Focus will be on techniques for groups of young children latency age and adolescents. Critical to the success of the group is structure and attention to the group dynamics. A unique approach to getting the group to stay on task will be demonstrated and practiced. Discussion on group dynamics will be included.
Objectives
  1. Identify principles of play therapy as applied to a group setting
  2. Demonstrate a variety of play based techniques to build self esteem deal with anger express feelings and other issues using art and other media
  3. Describe group dynamics and discuss how to intervene
Use of Art in Play Therapy for Understanding Child Development
Date: October 11, 2008
This workshop will link theories of child development with corresponding graphic development. Tools for assessing and interpreting children s art will be presented. Factors leading to identification of level of cognitive emotional social and other developmental issues will be explored. Examples will be presented. These interventions are immediately useful in practice. Knowledge of art therapy principles such as media qualities and art properties as well as graphic development is a prerequisite.
Objectives
  1. Discuss several models of art play assessment and implications for use
  2. Demonstrate use of several projective art assessments knowing what to observe and ask before during and after the activity
  3. Identify salient elements of the projective artwork including qualities content and process
  4. Identify levels of development styles of learning coping mechanisms and key issues
  5. Describe the information gathered in assessment for treatment and session planning
Use of Art to Understand Child Development
Date: October 11, 2008
This workshop will link theories of child development with corresponding graphic development. Tools for assessing and interpreting children s art will be presented. Factors leading to identification of level of cognitive emotional social and other development will be explored. Examples will be presented. These interventions are immediately useful in practice. Knowledge of art therapy principles such as media qualities and art properties as well as graphic development is a prerequisite.
Objectives
  1. Discuss several models of art play assessment and implications for use
  2. Demonstrate several projective art assessments knowing what to observe and ask before during and after the activity
  3. Identify salient elements of the projective artwork including qualities content and process
  4. Identify levels of development styles of learning coping mechanisms and key issues
  5. Describe information gathered in assessment for treatment and session planning
Play Therapy with Elementary School Age Children Affected by Trauma
Date: December 6, 2008
The workshop s focus is to facilitate the knowledge skills and dispositions required to counsel young children affected by life altering trauma. A combination of interactive discussions a video presentation of a play therapy session with a child affected by a natural disaster and engagement in experiential activities will provide the foundation for participants learning.
Objectives
  1. Examine the meaning of play and the developmental stages involved in the play therapy process with traumatized children.
  2. Discuss the impact of trauma in the following areas cognitive behavioral social and emotional.
  3. Demonstrate clinical techniques consistent with evidence based play interventions for children affected by severe trauma.