Lessons From The Playroom

In this episode, we’re talking about a topic that we’ve never discussed, but is such an important topic to our work as play therapists. And that is dissociation. To have this discussion, Lisa has with her the fabulous Annie Monaco. Annie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist, and faculty member of the Child Trauma Institute. With over 20 years of experience, Annie is a global trainer and has a specialty in EMDR Therapy with children and teens, and advanced training in attachment and dissociation in children especially with aggressive and hostile parts of self - she’s the perfect person to learn more about this topic! Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:  A usable definition of dissociation beyond the textbook to really get a sense for how it shows up in our client sessions; How dissociation reflects the child’s inside personal struggles and what it looks like; Understanding dissociation connected to complex or developmental trauma; How to help a child, parent, and even us as th

Original Air Date: Jan 20, 2021 As a play therapist have you ever experienced this or felt stressed thinking ... *"OMG, I don't have enough toys in the playroom" ... *" I don't have the right kind of toys"...  *"I need a certain kind of toy because I work with children who have these issues"... *"I live in a part of the world that doesn't have access to toys"... *Or, "I'm a play therapist, I'm supposed to have toys" In this episode, Lisa asks the question - Are toys really necessary in play therapy? ....  Join Lisa for this important conversation and dig a little deeper to explore:  What really is at the root of play therapy What is the purpose of the toy How to facilitate a child's process even if toys in the traditional sense are not available, and What really is the most essential toy in the playroom This episode is dedicated to therapists around the world who may have limited access to toys

We’re so excited for today’s topic (...it’s definitely a hot topic) and the amazing guest that is joining Lisa. Stacy Jagger is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), as well as an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. A native of Nashville, Stacy is the founder and clinical director of Music City Family Therapy. She is the author of 30 Day Blackout, as well as the children's book, A Letter from Emma. She’s also a regular guest on the local NBC affiliate show “Today in Nashville” and has frequently been featured as a child expert for the local morning and evening news.  In this episode, Stacy will talk about how, for many families, the way screens (computers, phones, tvs, etc.) are used, can become a distraction from connection or dealing with deeper issues in families, as well as a cause for much of the dysregulation that we see in kids’ nervous systems. She’ll also share ways that we can help families start to manage their screen time use and return to a new “

This episode aired on Oct 5, 2020. To her thousands of listeners around the world, Lisa expresses in gratitude, "Thank you for providing me with a sense of home."  It's time to turn the tables! For several years, Lisa has shared play therapy knowledge and insights, interviewed special guests and helped create discussion and new learning for clinicians all over the world. But who is this person behind the microphone? In this episode, Lisa is the one in the hot seat as she is interviewed by Katherine Eastlake, Certified Synergetic Play Therapist and Supervisor. Katherine takes Lisa all the way back to her very first play therapy session, the play therapy influences in her life, why she created the Lessons from the Playroom podcast, how the podcast helps her connect to a global feeling of home, and so much more. Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey  Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological A

Synergetic Play Therapy is celebrating 15 years

Original Air Date: Aug 30, 2022 Lisa is joined by an incredibly important person in her life - an individual that she is excited to introduce you to (...someone outside the field of play therapy that you may not have heard of) - Jayson Gaddis is an author, podcaster, speaker, “personal trainer for relationships”, and is a global leader on interpersonal conflict and connection. In this episode, Lisa & Jayson explore conflict and how it shows up in all our relationships - the relationships we have with our clients, their parents/caregivers, and in our personal relationships. Plus you'll learn ... 2 reasons why conflict is so hard to talk about; A new view/understanding of conflict that you've likely not considered before; Why being overly-careful in relationships is a disservice, even in your therapeutic relationships; How to lean into the uncomfortable experience of conflict and embrace conflict in all relationships); How to recognize and start to work with your own activation (transference/countertransfe

Join Lisa to talk about attunement and how it is such an important part of the therapeutic relationship. But why is it that important you might ask … In our play therapy sessions, we can follow the script, say the right words, go down the therapeutic checklist, but if we are not attuned to our clients (or ourselves), our clients will walk away likely feeling not seen, not felt, and not met by us. So attunement is really the heart of the therapeutic exchange between us and our clients! (...by the way, the same is true in the parent-child dynamic) Join Lisa in a conversation and …  Expand your understanding of what attunement is and what it is not; Find out what gets in the way of us being attuned to our clients; Learn how to develop attunement at a deeper level for your clients (...to create an experience for your client where they feel energetically and emotionally met by us); and How to “explain” the felt-sense experience of attunement with a parent or caregiver Lisa shares a really beautiful experience sh

Original Air Date: Aug 2, 2022 Join Lisa in exploring a topic that is relevant to every single person on the planet and particularly inspired by a conversation Lisa had with her daughter who is now almost 17 years old.  In this episode, you're invited to think about self-esteem in a new or different way so you can support your clients at a deeper level when self-esteem is the thing they are struggling with. Learn …. A new reframe on understanding self-worth and how it translates to our work with clients; Why everyone has both low and high self-esteem (and the purpose of it); The correlation between self-worth and nervous system activation; How to support clients who feel they are struggling with low self-esteem/self-worth; and How to support parents/caregivers when they are the ones struggling with feeling not good enough and like an inadequate parent/caregiver.  Plus, you’ll hear a 17-year-old's amazing definition of what "high self-esteem" can look like and feel like and what "low self-esteem" can look li

In this next Lessons from the Playroom episode, we’re going in a totally different direction. Lisa Dion has a very special guest to talk about perspective - a topic we often don’t talk about enough (... or in some cases, at all!) and the significance of it in our work as therapists and as beings walking through the world.  Lisa’s special guest is the lovely Dr. Rachel Altvater (Psy.D., RPT-S™). Rachel is an award-winning, pioneering expert, leader, researcher, international trainer, author, and supervisor in the field of play therapy. Her book, “Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities" was just recently published (...and is the main topic of discussion for this episode). She has also published her research in the International Journal of Play Therapy on technology use in play therapy, and is a contributing author in numerous scholarly texts on implementing digital technologies in play therapy practice. Join Rachel and Lisa in this highly thought provoking and human normalizing conversatio

  Original Air Date: August 31, 2021 What does it really mean to be culturally competent?... To help us kick off the next 100 episodes, Lisa is joined by a truly amazing individual who is a leader in our play therapy field - Dr. Eliana Gil. Likely you have heard of her

Join Lisa Dion for a really important and special conversation about a topic that has never been discussed in this entire podcast series … It's about supervision. And not just any type of supervision, but reflective-relational kinds of supervision. Some of you may likely be engaged in your own supervision and some of you may be supervisors ... you're encouraged to listen to this conversation in whatever way you feel is most meaningful for you.  To have this conversation, Lisa has three very important people in her life - Polly Douglass, Kim Buller, and Khris Rolfe are three extraordinary play therapists and supervisors and some of the top supervisors at the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. They've been trained not only in Synergetic Play Therapy, but in multiple other modalities, and have a beautiful perspective about how to do this thing we call supervision in a way that is incredibly reflective and relational.  In this episode, you'll learn: What it means to be reflective and relational in supervision; H

Lisa Dion’s next guest has made quite the name for herself in the world of EMDR Therapy (although this is not a conversation about EMDR Therapy, if you work with the population that we’re talking about today, you might want to consider some EMDR training

Original Air Date: July 17, 2019 Medical trauma can be prevalent for many children who have undergone medical procedures or experienced chronic and acute conditions. And it can show up in the playroom in a variety of ways, including in ways that can lead the therapist to jump to conclusions. Listen in to explore how to not only help children who have experienced this type of trauma but how to minimize future trauma as well. "One of the best ways to reduce medical trauma is by making the unknown known. Children need information and lots of it." - Lisa Dion Podcast Resources:  Synergetic Play Therapy Institute Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey  Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: December 21, 2021 This has been one of the most requested topics – Working With Childhood Sexual Abuse  Lisa Dion is joined by Sueann Kenney-Noziska whose work with sexually abused children and adolescents is absolutely remarkable. In addition to maintaining a full-time private practice, she is internationally recognized as an esteemed author, guest lecturer, and professional speaker (… a phenomenal speaker!). Sueann has been educating therapists, courts, and community partners for years regarding the impact of trauma, dynamics of sexual abuse, delayed disclosure, and other matters pertaining to childhood abuse and trauma.  This episode is packed with so much information, you might want a paper and pen to take notes. And join them in a conversation to explore:  Challenges (and rewards) of working with this population Common dynamics that occur during sexual abuse The disclosure process and why it’s so hard for children/teenagers to disclose Ways to support parents in building relationships

This next episode is so unbelievably important (maybe even critical) for you as a therapist to hear … Join Lisa for a conversation about this not so widely discussed topic - the impact of trauma exposure on therapists (or really for anyone in a helping role). As a therapist (or helper of any kind), we've chosen a profession that puts us directly on the frontline. We are required to be right there in the midst of trauma exposure, day-in and day-out, session after session. We’re asked to listen, witness, play through the trauma, and experience the trauma alongside our clients. The old adage that the therapist stays an objective observer when facilitating someone else is, well, impossible.  Ultimately, we can’t avoid being impacted by exposure to another’s trauma/crisis/challenge and, as a result, we’re susceptible to compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or secondary traumatization.  In this episode, you’ll learn: How we always experience a secondary impact when working with clients who have/are experiencing t

Original Air Date: August 2, 2021 Join Lisa Dion as she demystifies working with pre-teens and teens and shares how to apply your play therapy skill set to this population (hint: you actually don't need to change much of what you're already doing

Another pioneer in the field of play therapy joins Lisa for this next episode. Lisa is super excited to be joined by Dr. Risë VanFleet (learn about her amazing background below*) for a conversation about Filial Therapy and how parents and caregivers can become a change agent for their child. Join Risë and Lisa in this insightful discussion that will enhance your child client’s therapy experience through their relationship with their parent/caregiver and deepen your commitment to the model. You’ll also hear how Risë entered the field of play therapy and learn … The history of Filial Therapy and the theoretical elements that make the model successful; How Filial Therapy is a psychoeducational model (vs. a medical model) The 7 key aspects that make up Filial Therapy and create the elegance of the model; How parents/caregivers become the primary change agent for their child; and How to combine Filial Therapy with other therapeutic interventions. *Dr. Risë VanFleet is a Licensed Psychologist (PA), Registered Pla

Original Air Date: March 30, 2021 Sometimes we think we're feeling when we're not ... Sometimes we think we're creating space for our clients to feel when we're not ... And sometimes we are encouraging avoidance when it's hard to stay in our window of tolerance. Join Lisa in this podcast that's all about reflecting on our own inner experience and understanding this lifelong journey we're all on of learning how to feel at deeper levels so we can help our clients do the same - It's an invitation to look at our relationship with our emotions and how that impacts our clients. As well as getting curious about the parents/caregivers' experience with their own emotional landscape and how to help them to really understand the importance of being with the child's emotions instead of trying to fix/change/make it better. Other podcastepisodes that might be helpful on your journey of becoming aware of the feelings that you try to numb, avoid, move away from or that tend to flood and make it difficult to stay in your wind

In this episode, Lisa revisits the topic of parents and caregivers and discusses one of the most commonly asked questions that she is asked - how to support and offer parents and caregivers templates so they can regulate themselves and ultimately regulate with their child when their child is dysregulated.  Imagine being able to offer parents in the therapeutic journey co-regulatory moments to help repattern their nervous system and that supports them in being their child’s external regulator - It’s really so powerful!! Here’s what you will learn in this episode:  How the parent/caregiver can show up in the therapy process in some form of dysregulation and what they need; How to use the Synergetic Play Therapy concept of “The Set Up” or “Offering” to understand the parent at a deeper level; Why it’s important to not dismiss the felt sense of what’s arising inside ourselves and how to connect with our own activation first before becoming the external regulator for the parent;  What it looks like to teac

Original Air Date: January 18, 2022 Lisa Dion’s next special guest is a Certified SPT therapist, coach, mom and yoga instructor. Lisa has known her for years – all the way back to when Lauren worked in Cape Town, South Africa.  Listen as Lauren Porter and Lisa talk about how to make Yoga a practice that can support you as a therapist and redefine and unpack yoga in a way that maybe you haven’t considered…  …And how getting to know yourself more and experiencing a widening of your window of tolerance for your emotional states can help your practice as a therapist tenfold.  Whether you’re experienced in yoga or not, deepen your understanding of the possibility of how yoga can support you in being with your clients in more embodied ways.  You’ll discover: What yoga is really about (hint: it’s not to help you feel better) How yoga gives understanding to both the conceptual world and the embodied YOU How to overcome the mental, emotional and physical blocks that prevent you (and all of us) from having a lived exp