CEs Available: 4      |     Prerequisite: Module 3     |     One Day Training      |     Virtual 

Theraplay® is a child and family modality of play therapy for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement. Theraplay involves the parents in play therapy an immediate and positive way.  The involvement gives them experiences of success and pride in their children so they can feel motivated to support them through the play therapy process. Through work with the parents, including helping them develop empathy for their child, conveying practitioner empathy for them, and building their confidence in their parenting capacities, practitioners can support long-term change in the family system.  This four-hour training is designed to teach participants the fundamentals of working with a wide range of parents and caregivers using the Theraplay model. For more information and learning objectives for Theraplay Module 4: Working with Parents in Theraplay Treatment visit this page.

Additional Information

Schedule

This one day training will take place May 3, 2022 from 9:00am-1:15pm Central Time. View this module’s detailed agenda.

Trainer

Dafna Lender, MSW, LCSW – Dafna is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapist. She is a Certified Theraplay Practitioner, Supervisor, and Trainer. Dafna’s area of expertise is helping children with serious psychological problems caused by histories of abuse, neglect, trauma and/or multiple placements. By focusing on developing a child’s secure attachment with his/her caregivers, Dafna helps resolve issues in the child’s traumatic history. Dafna’s other interests include working with siblings of children with special needs, adult attachment issues, teenagers, and the effect on couples of raising children with special needs.

Summary

• Using video, trainers demonstrate treatment of a real client families
• The training is interactive, intense and practical—trainees will leave with the knowledge and skills to begin work with parents using play therapy to address complex family system issues
• It features video of Theraplay treatment with many different clients in addition to the demonstration family
• The training includes interactive sessions to practice a variety of way to support parents in the therapeutic process.
• The training concludes role play as parents, as well as practitioners, to provide an embodied experience of the theoretical learning.
• Trainees will see how to adapt Theraplay for video therapy, focusing on the important role that parents play as the cofacilitator of the therapeutic process

Learning Objectives

1. Describe how to guide parents and caregivers to participate in a Theraplay, a modality of play therapy, in treatment sessions
2. Specify how to support parents and caregivers in the development of empathy, understanding, and mentalization/reflective capacity when interacting with their children
3. Demonstrate how to prepare parents and caregivers to use Theraplay play therapy techniques at home to further therapeutic goal
4. Examine what differentiates working with a complex parent from a more typical case and what this means for play therapy treatment

Who Should Attend?

People who work with children and families in many different capacities will benefit from training programs offered by The Theraplay Institute. Visit our Who Should Attend page for more information. This course’s Content Level is Intermediate.

Bibliography

View this module’s bibliography for books and other materials referenced in the development of the content for this program.

Notes

For information about our CE process, cancellation policy, and how to contact us with questions and concerns visit our FAQ page.

There is no conflict of interest or commercial support for this program.

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