Lisa is joined by another very very special guest, Gabriel (Gabe) Lomas, to cover a topic that has never been addressed on this podcast (...and very rarely at a play therapy conference) …  Understanding and working with deaf children in the playroom. 

Gabe is a professor and Program Director of Counseling Programs at Gallaudet University in Washington, DC. He’s been an RPT-S for many years and is the immediate past president of the New York branch of the Association for Play Therapy. Gabriel has performed assessment and treatment in over 2000 child welfare cases, including hundreds involving deaf children or deaf parents. He is the co-editor of the book “Deaf People in the Criminal Justice System: Selected Topics on Advocacy, Incarceration and Social Justice.” As well as many journal articles and book chapters in the field of counseling and psychology. He is a popular expert witness in courts across the nation where he consults on issues related to assessment and deaf people.

Amazing! Here’s what you can expect in this podcast episode: 

• What we need to understand about children who are deaf and how these children can be easily misunderstood;
• Some of the challenges that arise for children as a result of being deaf including impact in the parent-child relationship and on emotional development;
• How deaf children deserve to be spoke to in a language that makes sense to them;
• How play therapy can build a bridge for greater understanding of children who are deaf including understanding perceptions of themselves and their world; 
• How to join the world of a deaf child in a play therapy session and offer the child a felt sense of being understood and seen; and
• What we can be aware of in terms of advocating for children who are deaf to be heard and get the support and services that they need. 

Listen to this beautiful episode that will give a sense of what the world is like for a child who is deaf and how we can more fully support and advocate in our role as therapists, parents, educators, etc.; hear several case examples from Gabriel’s own life experiences working as a play therapist and in child welfare; and stay tuned to the end to find out what Gabriel thinks are the superpowers of children who are deaf. 💖

* For a video recording with subtitles, please visit our website: https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/152-gabriel-lomas-working-with-deaf-children-in-the-playroom/ 

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

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