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Thursday Morning Plenary
Thursday Afternoon Supervision
Thursday Afternoon Workshops (March 24, Virtual)
Thursday Evening Supervision
Thursday Evening Workshops (March 24, Virtual)
Friday & Saturday Intensive (March 25 - 26, Virtual)
Friday Master Classes (April 8, Virtual)
Friday Morning Master Classes
Session Full
Friday Afternoon Master Classes
7:00pm EST - Friday Evening Panel
Friday Evening Workshops (March 25, Virtual)
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Saturday & Sunday Intensive
Saturday Morning Master Classes
Peggy Kolodny, MA, ATR-BC, LCPAT Developmental trauma affects children impacted by chronic and complex traumatic events. This didactic and art/play 4-hour master class will describe and demonstrate how neurodevelopmental approaches to trauma such as Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT) can be integrated into stages of art development leading to appropriate art and play therapy interventions for each stage. A brief overview of how trauma impacts neurodevelopment and results in trauma responses in children will be presented. The Expressive Therapies Continuum (ETC) and the benefits of bilateral drawing will be considered. Art/play therapy experientials will highlight the Neurosequential Model to deepen understanding and provide art and play therapists with effective and creative therapeutic interventions in trauma–informed treatment for clients of all ages. Participants will be engaged in joint neurosequential art activities from bilateral scribbling leading to The Squiggle Story and the Clay Squiggle techniques. These highly playful creative directives that can be used in play therapy, art therapy, and counseling settings, promote the organization of chaotic trauma experiences by offering structured meaning, attunement, containment, and affect regulation, while following the tenets of the Neurosequential Model.Eligible for 4 Credit/Clock Hours: NBCC, ATCB; MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT, NY-LMHC; APT****Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
Saturday Afternoon Master Classes
6:30pm EST - Saturday Evening Event
Sunday Morning Master Classes
Session Full — Wait List Initiated
Dana Wyss, PhD, LMFT, ATRPamela C. Robertson, PsyD, LMFTPlay therapists know that aggression towards self and others usually serves to gain, regain, or maintain control by the young client. Thus, a trauma-responsive play therapy approach with aggressive children is key when working to de-escalate this behavior. Recent studies regarding adverse experiences in childhood have demonstrated the impact of early trauma not only on clients, but also on their families in later years. Unfortunately, many mental health professionals, including play therapists, as well as parents and teachers, have come to rely on reactive methods of behavioral management that often perpetuate aggression rather than ameliorate it. This unproductive cycle can further impact attachment and the capacity for self-regulation. This 4-hour skill-building master class for play therapists, arts therapists, and other child therapists, will begin with a brief review of the concepts of fight, flight, freeze, and fawning. Next, play therapists and other participants will be taught ways to help their young clients learn better self-control through integrative play and creative arts techniques, demonstrating the difference between responding and reacting. Finally, play and creative art activities that support symptom management and de-escalation of aggression in response to common symptoms like depression, frustration, fear, and anxiety will be discussed, demonstrated, and explored through hands-on activity. Play therapists and other session participants will learn a number of effective art-based approaches that can be used in the play therapy office and playroom with individuals and groups to explore how to establish sustainability, comfort, and safety while doing this work. Sufficient time will be allotted for questions as well as case and group discussion.Eligible for 4 Credit/Clock Hours: NBCC, ATCB; MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT, NY-LMHC; APT****Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
Heather McTaggart Bryan, LPC, RPT
Many children are referred for play therapy to help them adjust to divorce, which can leave them feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and vulnerable. Ongoing post-divorce conflict can make children feel as if they are caught in a bad game of tug of war. Up to a third of divorcing couples report high degrees of hostility and conflict over daily care of their children, even many years following their separations. High-conflict divorces can have a significant impact on children’s development and negatively impact their overall growth. Providing play therapy for children whose parents are experiencing a high conflict divorce or custody battle can be very challenging for play therapists and other mental health professionals. It is important to understand the impact that high conflict divorce has on children at different developmental phases. Similarly, it is also important that play therapists facilitate proper play therapy skills, policies, and protocols in order to avoid common mistakes and to prioritize children’s needs and their families' health. This 4-hour master class will provide play therapists and other clinicians with a foundation of practical knowledge, guidance, and hands-on play therapy interventions to help them work more effectively with children who are experiencing the stress of a divorce, particularly one that is high conflict.Eligible for 4 Credit/Clock Hours: NBCC, ATCB; MFT, Nursing; SWNYS, LCAT, NY-LMHC; APT****Play therapy credit will not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
Sunday Afternoon Workshops (April 10, Virtual)