Catalina Grez Valdés

Catalina is originally from Chile, where she completed her Masters in Clinical Psychology, Pontifical Catholic University in 2015, and works since then as a child clinical psychologist.
She is Certified Theraplay Practitioner, Trainer-in-Training, and Supervisor.
Catalina has worked as a child therapist since 2015 at schools, with vulnerable populations, parents and family interventions as a Theraplay Therapist, and programs for adoption and foster families.

Since 2014 she has been working with Nicole Charney, first assistant training Level 1, 2, and groups, and then as co-trainer developing Theraplay in Chile. Catalina has provided several courses and workshops for teachers, parents, and different professionals that work with children. She can be reached at [email protected].


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Amy-Lee Seward

B.Psych, Hons

Amy-Lee Seward is a registered Psychologist with 8 years’ experience working in the childhood trauma field, Out-of-Home-Care sector (OOHC), disabilities sector, and private practice. Amy-Lee is a Certified Theraplay® Practitioner, Trainer, and Supervisor-in-Training. 

Amy-Lee works from a trauma-informed and attachment-based framework and is passionate about strengthening the attachment relationship between a child and their parent. She has experience using Theraplay® with children and adolescents who have experienced complex trauma, are in foster care, or who have been adopted, to support them to develop and strengthen relationships with their parents/caregivers. Additionally, Amy-Lee has extensive experience using Theraplay® to support children on the autism spectrum connect with their families and peers. 

Amy-Lee is also passionate about extending the Theraplay® community in Australia through training and being a part of The Theraplay® Australia Advisory Board.  Amy-Lee can be contacted by email at [email protected]


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Park Seon Joo

Park Seon Joo is certified Theraplay therapist from Aug. 2011 and also one of the first Theraplay Therapists in Korea who were accredited by the SunShine Circle Leaders.   

She has been working at the Child Care Center for last 20 years and applied Sunshine Circle Theraplay theory and skills in the field and also experienced efficacy of Sunshine Circle and Theraplay. 

She opened her own Theraplay and Children Counseling Center in Nov. 2014 and is now mainly focused on Theraplay for Autistic Child.  


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Sarah Lewis

NMC

Sarah qualified as a mental health nurse in Northern Ireland in 1993. She is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and a member of both the Royal College of Nursing and the Association of Family Therapy. She has worked with Children and Adolescents and their families since 2002.  Sarah has a diploma in Systemic Practice and is an Certified Theraplay Practitioner. She uses a range of therapeutic models when working with children and young people, including Theraplay, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Sensory Attachment Intervention. She has experience in offering bereavement support to adults, children and young people. She is currently employed as Therapeutic LAC Nurse for Looked After Children in a Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland.

Sarah has experience of providing a range of mental health training to health and social care staff, volunteers and foster carers. She is on the Theraplay Supervision practicum.


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Marike Obdam

MA in Psychology, certified Theraplay Practitioner, certified Nurture and Play Practioner and trained to be a supervisor and trainer in Theraplay. She works  in her own practice and at a mental health care institution in The Netherlands. She is working with kids and their families and specializes in attachment issues and trauma. Marike can be reached at [email protected]


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Melita Bond

Is a Group Theraplay ® Trainer. Since completing a Bachelor of Social Work in 2003, Melita has provided direct support and supervision in leading teams to assist individuals, families, educators and children within the Early Years, Family Services and community sectors.  Through her work in the early years at BCYF in regional Victoria, Melita was first trained in Sunshine Circles ® and Level 1 Theraplay & MIM in 2017/2018 and has since passionately integrated and embedded this knowledge and practice into her work with children and families, continuously inspired by the strong outcomes that are achieved.  Melita also works alongside Early Childhood Educators supporting the integration of Sunshine Circles group work into kindergarten settings.

Melita is a Certified Group Theraplay Practitioner and Trainer. 


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Jeremy Johnson

AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Certified Theraplay Practitioner, TBRI Practitioner

Jeremy Johnson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Tennessee with over 25 years of experience working with adults, children, and families. Jeremy is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner, a Theraplay Supervisor-in-Training, and a Theraplay Trainer. Jeremy is passionate about using Theraplay strategies in his work with children and their families in his private practice in Hendersonville, Tennessee. His areas of interest and expertise include working with families and children with attachment issues, anxiety and depression issues, impulse control and behavior issues, self-esteem issues, and children from divorced homes. Jeremy also specializes in working with adoptive and foster families, and he brings a unique perspective to this work as he and his wife, Kelli, are adoptive parents. 

Jeremy is a Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) Practitioner and has extensive training in Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). He is also a Certified Brainspotting Practitioner.

Jeremy serves as a faculty supervisor for the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and he is an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Jeremy completed his Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Jeremy can be reached at [email protected] or via his website at www.theconnectionplace.org.


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Leanne Dijkstra-de Neijs

I’m Leanne Dijkstra-de Neijs from the Netherlands. That is where I got my down to earth work ethos. But I’m also Indonesian, which is where I got my strong family orientated bonds. Originally I schooled to be a nurse. During my last nursing internships at a children’s home I learned that there was so much I did not know yet, so I decided to continue my studies at the Radboud University Nijmegen to become a child psychologist. After working with children for several years it dawned on me how strangely it was to be mostly talking to them and through that expecting that things would get better. When knowing that play is children’s natural language. So, I went back to the University to learn about playtherapy. This was an immediate fit for me and my view at therapy for children. A few years later I was given the opportunity to transfer to an expertise center for autism within my company. Here I learned so much more on systemic working and parent-child relation/interaction problems due to underlying classifications. Soon, individual playtherapy was not enough to my experience within this environment. That’s when I got introduced to Theraplay. And although Theraplay is not specifically indicated for families with ASD, it originated from it in its early days. Practice based we saw huge positive changes between children with ASD and their parents. Seeing and hearing each other better, connecting in a more nurturing way and enjoying each others company again instead of just surviving through the days. We were so enthusiastic about these results and wanted to share our findings with others. But to do so, they needed to be reliable. That’s where my ongoing PhD trajectory originated. As can be read, I love to learn, but I also love learning as an activity on itself. This is why I became a Theraplay trainer and supervisor. Through the above, I hope to contribute in a small way to a warm and engaged world which, in my opinion starts in every individual familie.


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Ritamaria Laird

LCPC, NCC, RPT

is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Certified Theraplay Therapist. Ritamaria completed her graduate training at Roosevelt University and has spent her professional career as a pediatric therapist, clinical supervisor, and as the clinical director of a child and family private practice, Individual and Family Connection, located in Chicago, Il and River Forest, Il.

Ritamaria’s areas of expertise and passion include building healthy attachments and bonds between children and their caretaker. She has experience working with children who have had relational trauma, abuse, neglect, loss, “BiG T” traumas, and medical trauma. Ritamaria is also focused in supporting parents by helping them understand the meaning behind their child’s behavior. Ritamaria uses a strengths-based approach and in addition to Theraplay, Ritamaria is trained in Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and EMDR.

Ritamaria has a warm, supportive presence. Her clients and supervisees share they feel at ease when they meet Ritamaria for the first time. Ritamaria is able to connect with some of the most ‘hard to reach’ clients by validating their struggles and taking the time to understand the unique way they experience the world. She is often quick to identify her client’s strengths (even when they can’t find them for themselves) and is able to help them utilize these strengths to reach their personal goals. Ritamaria views therapy and supervision as a collaborative effort to create positive change and strengthen family systems and relationships.

Ritamaria Laird may be reached at ​[email protected]


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Kirsten Rieck

MSW, LCSW

Kirsten is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Theraplay Practitioner. She earned her Master of Social Work with a mental health concentration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. There, she also earned a certificate in Integrated Behavioral Health with children and adolescents. Kirsten has received additional training in Attachment, Regulation, and Competency (ARC), Trust Based Relational Interventions (TBRI), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), and adoption related mental health.

Kirsten uses a strengths-based approach to promote secure attachments, foster healthy relationships between family members, and promote mutual enjoyment of each other. She has worked with youth in care, the refugee community, and youth and families who have adopted or have guardianship through DCFS. She has experience working with these communities on issues of trauma, grief, loss, displacement, identity, and other related issues. Kirsten can be reached at [email protected].


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