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When I talk with play therapists about reasons they avoid having difficult conversations with parents/caregivers, here's the most common worry they tell me 👇

“What if I say something and they pull their kid from play therapy?”

It can feel awful when parents terminate play therapy before real change can happen.

We feel like giant failures and then start listing all the ways we failed the child (and ourselves).

So, this fear is real.  

Sometimes parents do pull their child from play therapy prematurely and it does feel awful.

Play therapists often avoid hard conversations—like naming the parent’s role in a child’s symptoms—because they don’t want to rupture the relationship or risk the parent pulling their child from play therapy.  

 If we look a little deeper into this fear, what’s really beneath the surface?

 It’s often rooted in people-pleasing, imposter syndrome, or fear of being seen as “too much” or “not helpful enough.”  (Ouch!)

So let’s talk about it.  Let’s dive right in and have a conversation so you can move beyond your fear and have those hard conversations so your clients can get real healing.

Join me for this week's podcast! I’ll share four tips to help you overcome your fear and take charge with compassion and kindness to have difficult conversations and reduce the likelihood parents will pull their child from play therapy.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

How does being trained to use a specific play therapy model influence clinical decision-making vs clinical decision-making of child/adolescent therapists using play in therapy?

Hmmmmm.  What the heck does that question even mean?

Essentially clinical decision-making involves our expertise and training in a play therapy model and how play therapists engage in the decision-making process to get excellent treatment results for their clients.

Is the clinical decision-making skill level of play therapists who are trained to use specific play therapy models better than child/adolescent therapists not trained who are using play in sessions?

A study by Baker-Ericzen, Jenkins, Park, and Garland (2015) explored the quality of clinical decision-making for child/adolescent therapists who were trained in an evidence-based treatment model (EBT) versus therapists who were not.

This study, Clinical Decision-Making in Community Children’s Mental Health: Using Innovative Methods to Compare Clinicians With and Without Training in Evidence-Based Treatment, 👇🏼

Had some interesting results.

Join me for this week's podcast episode, I’ll discuss the findings of their study and how it relates to play therapy. 

There are several play therapy models considered to be EBT models, so this study provides some interesting points for child and adolescent therapists to consider when working with children using play.

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Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

What do you do when you keep getting frantic phone calls from caregivers between play therapy sessions telling you all the things going wrong with their child?

You feel the weight of these phone calls and the pressure to make everything better- quickly.

You’ve tried many times to get these caregivers to schedule an appointment with you but there’s always a reason they can’t meet with you.

So, you spend hours writing emails and responding to phone calls with little to no success.

Or - what about the client that seems to do the same thing week after week after week in their play therapy sessions?  

You begin to wonder if play therapy is really working and start to second-guess your clinical decisions about what to do in sessions.

You start to research new play therapy activities and frantically try anything you can in play therapy sessions - hoping that something will “work.”

Sound familiar?  Working with challenging cases in play therapy can leave you feeling defeated, frustrated, and wondering if you’re making the right decisions or making things worse for your clients.

If that’s you, then join me for this weekly podcast! I’ll discuss how to engage children and caregivers who are resistant to play therapy.  

I’ll share insights from neuroscience and attachment theory that provide the keys for engaging even the most challenging clients and their caregivers in play therapy.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

Have you ever thought to yourself when it’s just you and you’ve had a hard day - “I wish I had someone to help me process what just happened in that play therapy session.”

If you’re like most play therapists that I’ve met, you’re probably the only one in your agency or group that works with kids and uses play therapy (or is aspiring to learn play therapy).

Being a play therapist can feel lonely and challenging because you don’t have others who “get it” about the benefits of play therapy or who feel confident using play therapy with their young clients.

And - what you’re doing matters!

Helping children access the therapeutic powers of play is a critical need in the mental health field.

Your ability to intervene early in the life of a child to help them overcome the social and emotional difficulties they’re experiencing is important.

And you believe strongly in the importance of helping children heal - right?!

Being part of a play therapy community of like-minded mental health professionals is not a luxury - it’s a game changer, even for seasoned play therapists!

So, if you’ve been feeling like you’re on a play therapy island by yourself and wondering why being part of a play therapy community can make a difference in the quality of your play therapy services, 👇

Then join me for this free weekly podcast!

I’m going to outline three game changing reasons why being part of a play therapy community can actually help you provide more impactful and lasting healing for your play therapy clients.  

Who doesn’t want to provide the best possible play therapy services for children, right?!  So join me this week and let’s make a difference in the lives of children and their families.  Let’s do this! 😍

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

If you’re a play therapist - 

Do you find yourself doing any of these?  👇 

🙄 Constantly searching for new activities online 

🙄 Have folders full of saved play therapy interventions 

🙄 Still feeling uncertain about client progress 

🙄 Wondering why 'perfect' activities aren't creating lasting change

If you're like most play therapists I know, you probably have folders of saved play therapy activities, Pinterest boards full of ideas, and a bookshelf overflowing with play therapy books. 

Sound familiar?

And you might be thinking that finding the perfect activity is the key to helping your clients make progress. 

After all, that's what everyone seems to be searching for online, right?  And Dr. Google’s new AI feature is amazing! You can get answers to your play therapy questions instantly!

But if finding the right activity online or in a play therapy book was the solution then you probably wouldn’t be second-guessing your decisions or feeling like nothing is working.

That’s why in this week’s  episode, I'm sharing: 

✨ The hidden reason why collecting more activities isn't the answer (this might surprise you) 

✨ What actually creates breakthrough moments with clients (hint: it's not what most experts tell you) 

✨ The key shift that helped our community members stop second-guessing their interventions 

✨ A practical framework for building unshakeable clinical confidence

Join me for this free weekly podcast!

Save this post and set a reminder - this is for you if you're ready to move beyond collecting random activities and start creating real transformation for your clients.

Drop a '🎯' below if you'll be joining us live!"

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

Is this just a flower… or a window into healing using play therapy?

How do you know if your client is ‘just playing’ or doing deep therapeutic work in play therapy sessions?

Ever stared at a child’s drawing of a flower and thought:
 “Is this meaningful… or are we just passing time?”

You’re not alone.

As play therapists, we’re trained to honor the child’s process—but let’s be real:

There are times when it’s hard to tell the difference between meaningful play and… filler.

In this week’s podcast episode, I’m cracking open the essential (and often misunderstood) question:

👉🏽 How do you know if your client is doing healing work—or just doing an activity in play therapy sessions?

We’ll explore:

• The real difference between activity and process (and why it matters).
  
  
  
• What to look for when it seems like “nothing is happening.”
  
  
  
• When drawing flowers might be avoidance… and when it’s deep grief in disguise.
  
  
  
• The five play therapist check-in questions to help you decode what’s really going on.
  
  
  

Whether you’re brand new to play therapy or you’ve logged hundreds of play therapy sessions, this convo will sharpen your clinical lens—and help you show up with more clarity and confidence.

Because knowing how to see beneath the surface?

That’s where the healing begins. 💛

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

Have you ever thought to yourself - I have no idea how play therapy actually helps my traumatized client heal?

Then I’ve got good news for you!

✨ This week’s livestream episode is focused on the hidden healing power of play therapy for traumatized children.

What if a pile of toys, a safe room, and a listening heart could help rewire a child’s nervous system?

In this week’s free livestream episode, I’m peeling back the curtain on something profound—how play becomes the language of healing for children who’ve lived through trauma.

I’ll explore how play therapy doesn’t just help children "calm down"—it teaches their brains how to regulate.

How a child picking up a puppet or placing a figure in the sand isn’t random—it’s restoration in motion.

Join us as we talk about:

• Why emotional regulation starts with relationship, not rules
  
  
  
• How children rebuild self-esteem through play-based agency
  
  
  
• The surprising role of safety in lowering cortisol and anxiety
  
  
  
• And how the playroom becomes sacred ground for healing to begin
  
  
  

Whether you're a play therapist, mental health provider, or someone who believes in the power of play—this episode will leave you inspired, grounded, and full of fresh insight.

Bring your coffee. Bring your curiosity. Let’s talk about what actually heals.

Because play is never just play—it’s transformation, one brave session at a time.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

There is no such thing as the best approach for play therapy with traumatized kids.

What????!!!!  😱

Searching for the ONE approach that will heal ALL your traumatized clients and is BETTER THAN all the play therapy models existing today is an exercise in frustration, overwhelm, and exhaustion.  

I know what you’re thinking 👇

If that’s the case, then how do you help your traumatized clients heal using play therapy?

There are a few things to consider when using play therapy to help children and teens heal.

Not all play therapists are the same and not all children and teens are the same.

For that matter - not all caregivers are the same.

Let’s look at this a different way and ask a different question:

How can you help your traumatized clients heal using play therapy?

This question opens up all kinds of possibilities.

Join me for this week’s free weekly Podcast to discuss how to use play therapy to heal trauma.

I’ll discuss basic components of play therapy for healing trauma and suggestions for how to use play therapy to help your traumatized clients heal.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

Ever felt like your playroom is bursting with supplies… 

You’ve got the latest toy, fidget, slime, sand tray miniature, art supplies …

But you still leave sessions wondering what to do next?

Or maybe you've bought that activity you saw on Instagram… only to realize it doesn't really fit how you work? (Been there … done that)

You’re not alone.

Today we’re breaking down the secret to building a play therapy toolbox that’s not just full—but fully aligned with your theoretical play therapy model and the unique needs of your clients.

Let’s ditch the overwhelm and go for intentionality.

Here’s the truth:

Having a thousand toys and art supplies doesn’t make you a better play therapist.

What matters more is why you choose each tool—and how it fits into your understanding of the child, the problem, and the path to healing.

When your tools are rooted in your play therapy model, your goals, and the child’s needs… the magic happens.

So - join me for this free weekly podcast!

I’m going to walk you through strategies to make sure you’re getting the best results for your play therapy clients by using intentionality to align your play therapy activities with your play therapy model.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us a text

Have you ever felt like your client doesn’t seem to be making progress and you’ve tried everything to get back on track?

You looked through all your play therapy activity books and resources to find an activity that will work.

You looked on Pinterest and scoured the internet for ideas.

You tried implementing ideas from the recent training you attended with limited success.

You tried talking to your supervisor and colleagues to get ideas but nothing seemed to work because they don’t use play therapy and weren’t much help other than to try to cheer you on for morale support.

Let’s say you’re stuck in a loop of “I don’t know if this is helping.” 

It feels awful to think you’re failing your client.

If that’s you, then don’t miss this week’s free weekly podcast! I’m going to share 4 tips for what to do when you’re not sure play therapy is working for your client and how to get unstuck when you feel like nothing is working.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills