Date: 7/21/25 @ 8:45am-1pm (EST) Cost: NA
Instructors: Sarah Moorhead, PsyM; Bethany Ling, MA; Isaac Gardner, MA
CE Credit Hours: 4
Training Description:
This interactive training is designed for clinicians seeking to deepen their understanding the role of play within therapy and expand their knowledge of therapeutic play interventions. Participants will learn about the purpose of incorporating play within therapy while working with children, adolescents, and individuals who may benefit from interactive activities, in-vivo learning, and non-verbal methods of expression of emotions and thoughts. This training will provide an overview of different play activities and how clinicians can adapt and utilize play activities to meet the direct needs and goals of their client’s treatment.
Special note: This training does not constitute continuing education in Play Therapy and should not be considered as training toward becoming a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or meeting Play Therapy credentialing requirements. Participants are encouraged to refer to the appropriate credentialing bodies for approved Play Therapy training programs.
Goals:
- To gain an understanding of the purpose and importance of utilizing play within therapy.
- Increase repertoire of therapeutic play interventions for clinicians to use in therapy.
Objectives:
- Participants will be able to differentiate between directive and nondirective play interventions.
- Participants will be able to identify various age-appropriate play activities to utilize within therapy.
- Participants will be able to determine which play activities best match the presentation and diagnosis of the client.
Workshop Outline:
- Introduction and overview (8:45am-9:15am) (Co-facilitated)
- Training team introductions and participant introductions
- What is play?
- Importance of play within therapy
- Trends of play in 2025
- History of play interventions (9:15am –10:00am) (Co-facilitated)
- Key thinkers of play interventions
- Stages of play
- Directive play interventions
- Nondirective play interventions
- Virtual Play (10:00am - 10:45am) (Isaac Gardner, MA)
- Incorporation of technology into therapy
- Shoulder-to-shoulder cooperative play (PvE/P)
- Face-to-face (PvP)
- In-game communication
- Documentation of virtual play
- Video games as socialization homework
- Breakout room/hands on activity/reflections (15min)
- 15-minute break (10:45-11:00am)
- Projective Play (11:00am- 11:45am) (Bethany Ling, MA)
- What is therapeutic projective play
- Importance of projective play
- Materials you may use in projective play
- How to facilitate projective play
- Documentation of projective play
- Breakout room/hands on activity/reflections (15min)
- Game play (11:45am-12:30pm; Sarah Moorhead, PsyM)
- Importance of directive play
- Materials needed or things to put in your therapeutic space
- Board games
- Therapeutic Jenga
- How to utilize effective directive play
- Documentation of game play
- Break out room/hands on activity/reflections (15min)
- Wrap Up
- Key takeaways
- Reflection Question: What intervention or technique might you try with your clients?
Level: Introductory-Intermediate
Mid-Ohio Psychological Services, Inc. has been approved as a CE provider by the Ohio Psychological Association (#311358292), the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board (RCS060502), and as a NBCC ACEPTM No. 7265.
