Workshop Descriptions

Workshop Descriptions

All presentations will be hosted in Denton, TX.

Bundle registration opens March 26, 2024 at 10:00am CT
Registration closes June 10, 2024 at 5:00pm CT or when capacity is filled

Click here to register for the bundle!

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Monday, June 24, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM CT

Introduction to TraumaPlay™
Paris Goodyear-Brown, MSSW, LCSW, RPT-S

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Learn how to use this playful, components-based, evidence-informed treatment with traumatized children and teens. Paris will share her attachment grounded, flexibly sequential model, identifying specific treatment goals with corresponding interventions. She will differentiate between trauma treatment goals that are can be accomplished through non-directive methods and goals that are best served by integrating parents as partners, utilizing somatic grounding techniques, cognitive-behavioral play therapy interventions, expressive therapy techniques, dyadic work, and playful ways to complete trauma narrative work. Participants will leave with an expanded toolkit of interventions and a revived sense of excitement about the process. Come prepared to play! 

Learning Objectives:

1) List the core components of TraumaPlay™. 
2) List the three roles play therapists work to embody in TraumaPlay™. 
3) Define the continuum of disclosure. 
4) List three play therapy processes that can be used in play-based gradual exposure. 
5) Identify four extra-linguistic play therapy mediums for augmenting trauma narrative work. 
6) Describe at least one play therapy intervention that can be used in pursuit of each treatment goal. 

CE Hours: 

6 hours of Play Therapy Skills and Methods 

Meet the Speaker

Paris Goodyear-Brown, MSSW, LCSW, RPT-STM

Paris Goodyear-Brown, LCSW, RPT-S, is the creator of the TraumaPlay™ model, the founder and Clinical Director of Nurture House, and the Executive Director of the TraumaPlay® Institute. She is an internationally renowned speaker, a prolific author and a master clinician. While she has spent the past 25 years specializing in treating trauma (sexual abuse, physical abuse, maltreatment and neglect) and attachment disturbances, as well as anxiety disorders. She often provides help for angry, dysregulated and depressed children and teens. She is an Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatric Mental Health at Vanderbilt University, guest lecturer for several universities in middle Tennessee, and travels around the world helping clinicians, parents, and teachers better serve children from hard places. She particularly enjoys integrating trauma-informed approaches and is an EMDRIA Certified EMDR therapist. She also finds great joy in helping other clinicians create safe spaces for children and families. She is a child development expert and frequently provides parent consultation, dyadic assessment and parent coaching to help parents manage and resolve their children’s behavior problems. With trainings in Morocco, Russia, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Sweden, Istanbul, South Africa, Nepal, Turkey, Malaysia, China and South Korea, as well as frequent domestic presentations, she is best known for developing clinically sound, played-based interventions that integrate the neurobiology of trauma, the neurobiology of play, and the power of one to heal the other. She has received the APT award for Play Therapy Promotion and Education, serves on the Board of the Tennessee Association for Play Therapy, and served as the Executive Director of the Lipscomb Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Center. She provides play therapy and licensure supervision and consults with various school districts, agencies, and mental health organizations to help develop play therapy programs and create more developmentally sensitive programming. Some of her most recent books includes Big Behaviors in Small Containers, Parents as Partners in Child Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide, Trauma and Play Therapy, Tackling Touchy Subjects, Play Therapy with Traumatized Children: A Prescriptive Approach and The Worry Wars: An Anxiety Workbook for Kids and their Helpful Adults. She delights in her husband, her three children, shifting paradigms, and holding hard stories for families in need. 

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Tuesday, June 25, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM CT

Family Ties: Using Family Play Therapy to Loosen Binds and Strengthen Bonds
Nick Cornett, PhD, LPC, LMFT, RPTTM 

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It is imperative that clinicians seek to assess and to strengthen family relationships, particularly when working with children. Research reinforces the critical relationship between childhood family functioning and individual wellbeing throughout the lifespan (Bastiaansen et al., 2005; Felitti et al., 1998; Kessler et al., 2010; Paradis et al., 2011). However, clinicians who encounter families with young children frequently report discomfort and a lack of training in how to work conjointly with this population in ways that are developmentally appropriate and inclusive of the entire family (Doherty & Simmons, 1996; Haslam & Harris, 2011; Hines, 1996; Kranz, Kottman, & Lund, 1998; Johnson & Thomas, 1999; Phillips & Landreth, 1998; Ryan, Gomory, & Lacasse, 2002; Sori & Sprenkle, 2004; Tsai & Ray, 2011). As a result, clinicians tend to work with family members in isolation from one another, missing the potential therapeutic value of working with the entire family unit. 

As a response to these concerns, this workshop will explore how family play therapy can be utilized to assess and to strengthen family relationships. In this workshop, participants will explore rationale for using family play therapy with children and their families. We will consider how to prepare for family play therapy and to how to process family play therapy sessions. Participants will be exposed to family play therapy techniques that can be utilized with children and their families, and case examples will be provided to demonstrate applications of family play therapy. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to define family play therapy. 
2. Participants will be able to describe rationale that supports the utilization of family play therapy with children and their families. 
3. Participants will be able to describe how to process family play therapy sessions with families. 
4. Participants will be able to articulate examples of family play therapy activities. 
5. Participants will be able to describe considerations for selecting appropriate family play therapy activities.  
6. Participants will be able to identify potential challenges in implementing family play therapy. 

CE Hours: 

6 hours of Play Therapy Special Topics 

Meet the Speaker

Nick Cornett, PhD, LPC, LMFT, RPTTM 

Dr. Nick Cornett is an Associate Professor in the Graduate Counseling Program at John Brown University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Arkansas and a Registered Play Therapist through the Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Cornett is a member of the American Counseling Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision, and the Association for Play Therapy. In addition to teaching, he works with children, adolescents, and families in private practice. Dr. Cornett is passionate about working with children and families through the integration of play therapy and family therapy. 

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Wednesday, June 26, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM CT

Generation Alpha and Beyond: Nervous System Regulation in the Playroom
Rebeca Chow, PhD, LPC, LCPC, RPT-STM

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As play therapists, it's now more important than ever to understand and support the emotional well-being of Generation Alpha and beyond. Our responses to cues of safety and threat are intricately linked to our nervous system, shaping our ability to foster connection and co-regulation through the therapeutic powers of play. In this session, participants will enhance their play therapy knowledge by exploring play therapy treatment through a neurobiological and generational lens. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify 3 Generations active in the play therapy process.  
2. Participants will explore the 6 primary Generation Alpha characteristics exhibited within the context of the play therapy relationship. 
3. Participants will identify 3 neurobiological processes specific to dysregulation during the play therapy session. 
4. Participants will be able to identify the functions of the 3 Autonomic Systems in play therapy through a generational lens. 
5. Participants will be able to identify the role of co-regulation in play therapy treatment planning through a generational lens.  
6. Participants will be able to identify 6 play therapy interventions to promote regulation. 

CE Hours: 

4 hours of Play Therapy Special Topics 
2 hours of Play Therapy Skills and Methods 

Meet the Speaker

Rebeca Chow, PhD, LPC, LCPC, RPT-STM

Dr. Rebeca Chow is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Supervisor in Missouri/Kansas and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Her counseling experience includes 25 years of clinical work in academic, for-impact, and for-profit settings. Dr. Chow’s specialty areas are diversity and inclusion, neurobiology of mental health, leadership, supervision, and generational research. Her passion for helping others achieve their potential and balanced mental health is now global as she presents at counseling and educational conferences. 

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Thursday Morning, June 27, 2024 | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT

Utilizing Expressive Arts and Play-based Interventions to Facilitate Child and Adolescent Career Development
Natalya Lindo, PhD, LPC

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Career Construction and Cultural Exploration for Children (C3E) is a play-based career counseling model designed for application in both mental health and school settings. This workshop will provide an overview of C3E’s group model and its use of expressive art media. Participants will be introduced to concepts that facilitate self-expression, identity development, cultural awareness, and career exploration for adolescents and children ages six through nine. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will identify developmentally appropriate avenues for facilitating career exploration in children and adolescents. 
2. Participants will explore the use of expressive art media in a play-based career counseling group intervention. 
3. Participants will identify multicultural dimensions of career development for children and adolescents. 

CE Hours: 

2 hours of Play Therapy Special Topics 
1 hour of Play Therapy Cultural and Social Diversity Topics 

Meet the Speaker

Natalya Lindo, PhD, LPC

Dr. Lindo, Professor and Chair at the University of North Texas, specializes in the development and implementation of play-based mental health initiatives for school and community counseling settings, with a focus on capacity building, parent consultation models, and professional development training for teachers. Consistent with a secondary passion for career-development across the lifespan, Dr. Lindo developed an expressive arts career counseling group intervention for children and adolescents. Woven throughout her research projects and collaborative scholarship is a commitment to serving systematically minoritized or marginalized communities and employing qualitative methodologies to centralize the voices of participants. 

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Thursday Afternoon, June 27, 2024 | 1:30 - 4:30 PM CT

Culturally Inclusive Play Therapy Supervision: Exploring and Developing Cultural Humility
Natalya Lindo, PhD, LPC

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Culturally inclusive play therapy supervision incorporates culturally-attuned interventions, acknowledges cultural dimensions of each member of the supervision triad, and facilitates play therapy skill development. Participants will identify strategies for developing cultural humility, explore their dimensions of diversity, and examine the impact of intersecting identities on the supervision relationship and the play therapy process. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will explore their cultural dimensions and the potential impact of their salient identities on their play therapy supervisory relationship and therapeutic progress. 
2. Participants will explore the socio-emotional impact of policies and institutional practices on play therapy supervisees and clients with minoritized identities. 
3. Participants will identify specific strategies for developing cultural humility and engaging in culturally inclusive supervision for play therapists. 

CE Hours: 

2 hours of Play Therapy Cultural and Social Diversity Topics 
1 hour of Play Therapy Special Topics 

Meet the Speaker

Natalya Lindo, PhD, LPC

Dr. Lindo, Professor and Chair at the University of North Texas, specializes in the development and implementation of play-based mental health initiatives for school and community counseling settings, with a focus on capacity building, parent consultation models, and professional development training for teachers. Consistent with a secondary passion for career-development across the lifespan, Dr. Lindo developed an expressive arts career counseling group intervention for children and adolescents. Woven throughout her research projects and collaborative scholarship is a commitment to serving systematically minoritized or marginalized communities and employing qualitative methodologies to centralize the voices of participants. 

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Friday, June 28, 2024 | 9:00am - 4:30pm CT

Play Therapy and Autistic Children: Examining Affirming Therapeutic Processes
Robert Jason Grant, EdD, LPC, NCC, RPT-STM

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Play therapists are experiencing a significant and growing number of autistic children entering play therapy. This presentation will explore how play therapy can be implemented through a neurodiversity affirming lens to address client therapy goals. Concepts such as neurodiversity and implementing neurodiversity affirming practices in play therapy will be explained. An understanding of how to work with and affirm autistic clients will be presented along with how play therapy approaches, playrooms, and interventions can be affirming. Topics such as ableism, masking, the double empathy problem, behavior, communication, play preferences, and social navigation will be explained with implications for the play therapy process. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain common understandings of autistic children and typical play therapy goals. 
2. Identify the concepts of neurodiversity and neurodiversity affirming regarding play therapy work. 
3. Describe how play therapy theories/approaches can be neurodiversity affirming.    
4. Understand how ableism can exist in play therapy work.  
5. List ways to make an office and play therapy room affirming. 
6. Discuss research understandings and needs related to play therapy, autism, and affirming practices. 

CE Hours: 

3 hours of Play Therapy Seminal or Historically Significant Theories 
3 hours of Play Therapy Cultural and Social Diversity 

Meet the Speakers

Robert Jason Grant, EdD, LPC, NCC, RPT-STM

Robert Jason Grant received his Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership (with a research emphasis in leadership qualities of counseling center and clinic directors), his Master’s Degree in Counseling, and his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. He specializes in working with children, adolescents, families, and adults primarily serving neurodivergent individuals (autism, ADHD, sensory differences, learning disorders, and developmental disabilities). Dr. Grant is the creator of AutPlay® Therapy, an integrative family play therapy framework designed to help address the mental health needs of neurodivergent children and adolescents. He is also trauma informed and trained and utilizes EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). 

Dr. Grant is a supervisor, consultant, and life coach and utilizes several years of advanced training and his own lived neurodivergent experience to provide affirming services to children and their families. He has infused his experience and love for education and mental health care to create training programs for professionals and caregivers. He is an international trainer and keynote presenter having presented for the American Counseling Association, Association for Play Therapy, American Mental Health Counselors Association, and The World Autism Congress. He is also a multi-published author of several articles, book chapters, and books including the following titles: 

The AutPlay® Therapy Handbook: Integrative Family Play Therapy with Neurodivergent Children
Play Interventions for Neurodivergent Children and Adolescents: Promoting Growth, Empowerment, and Affirming Practices
Understanding Sensory Differences: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guidebook for Children and Teens
Understanding Autism: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guidebook for Children and Teens
Understanding ADHD: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guidebook for Children and Teens
Implementing Play Therapy with Groups: Contemporary Issues in Practice
Play Therapy Theories and Perspectives: Diversity of Thought in the Field

In 2015, Dr. Grant was awarded Play Therapist of the Year by the Missouri Association for Play Therapy. In 2017, He was presented with the APT Service Award by the National Association for Play Therapy. He is currently serving on the board of directors for the Association for Play Therapy, and he is a board member for the Digital Play Therapy program. Dr. Grant is also a part time instructor in the Play Therapy Certificate program at Mid America Nazarene University (MNU).

Due to the confidentiality and nature of topics presented, children (of any age) will not be permitted to any conference workshops.