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Have you ever had a client present to your office and you were kind of stumped about what to do?

Me too.  I’ve totally been there.

The thing that helped me to make sure I was doing my best to help my client was having a good network of colleagues and mentors to share their knowledge and resources.

That’s exactly why I’m soooooooooo excited about my guest this week - Leah Evans, LPC,  RPT. 

Leah is part of our Play Therapy Academy community and regularly shares her knowledge about using play therapy with children experiencing problematic eating.

Interested in learning more about play therapy with children experiencing eating challenges?

Join me for this free weekly podcast! Leah and I will discuss signs to recognize a potential eating problem in children and teens as well as how play therapy can help.

For more information about Leah Evans, check out her Psychology Today profile at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/leah-m-evans-san-antonio-tx/899627

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

I’ve heard it said by mental health professionals and play therapists that case conceptualization doesn’t really matter when you’re working with clients.

When I dig a little deeper about their reasons, the response that I get is that play therapy and counseling is intuitive and it’s about building a strong relationship with clients.

When I challenge them a little, most of the time they are using case conceptualization to inform their decision making and don’t realize it.

My thought is that being more intentional about case conceptualization and how it helps provide excellent play therapy services to clients can only be a good thing.

Are you using case conceptualization to inform your decision-making about what to do with clients?

Does it really matter if you’re using case conceptualization?

Join me for this free weekly podcast! I’ll discuss what is case conceptualization and how you can use it to maximize healing for your play therapy clients.

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

Boost Parental Involvement in Play Therapy with Attachment & Neuroscience Strategies

If you’re a play therapist or child/adolescent therapist, then you know children exist within the context of a family and parental involvement in the treatment process is important.

But do you view parents as the therapeutic agents of change for their child?

As the therapeutic agent of change for their child, parents play a critical role in the play therapy change process for co-regulation to help their children use their parents to navigate the day-to-day challenges of everyday living.

If you’ve ever felt unsure about how to involve parents, it’s probably because you’re not sure how to include parents in the change process or maybe you’ve struggle with getting parents to be involved consistently and in a meaningful way.

We also know from decades of research that children who have secure relationships with their parents are resilient and have a healthy sense of self. 

If you’re struggling with engaging parents in the play therapy change process then join me for this free weekly podcast, I’ll discuss how you can maximize positive outcomes in play therapy for your clients by getting better engagement from parents.

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

As play therapists, we are often the ones who sit with stories of pain, loss, and struggle—walking alongside our clients during their toughest moments. But let’s face it: hearing these stories day after day can take its toll on even the most seasoned therapists. How do we keep our hearts open and our spirits strong while "holding hard things"?

✨ One of my favorite concepts is that of the "wounded healer." It acknowledges that we, too, have faced challenges and overcome our own struggles, which allows us to offer authentic and transformative healing to others. But it also means we need to be vigilant about our own self-care, nurturing the healer within so that we can continue to show up fully for our clients.

Join me for a FREE weekly Podcast, I’ll share tips and strategies I’ve learned over my 30+ years in the mental health field on finding balance and sustaining your energy as a play therapist. Let's connect, reflect, and support one another in this vital work we do for children and their families. 💙

Don’t miss this opportunity to recharge and refocus so you can keep doing what you do best—helping others 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

Are you part of a play therapy community?

Are you the only play therapist in your agency?

One of the things I hear ALL the time from members of my Play Therapy Academy program is how much they LOVE our community of support and amazing play therapists. (I love it too!)

When someone is having a rough week and feeling like a big failure or just super frustrated with a hard case, the group rallies around them to cheer them on and provide ideas and support. (This is my favorite part 🥰)

As a group we explore what might be blocking client progress and get ideas for dealing with different client struggles.  It’s amazing to watch the synergy experienced in the group.

The thing is-  Play Therapy Academy is VERY limited in size because we can provide TONS of hands on support and training, which means there’s a big commitment of time and money required to be part of the program. 

What I’ve realized as I’ve talked with so many interested play therapists over the last year is that not everyone is ready for this level of commitment or needs this level of commitment.

BUT - they still need a community of play therapists for support, getting ideas, and learning new skills (or brushing up on their skills).

So I’m thinking about starting a different online membership that provides the same amazing experience of being part of a play therapy community to get practical ideas and support only at a lower cost and time commitment.

Interested in finding out more? Hop over to https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/courses/play-therapy-collective

Join me for this week’s podcast episode and get a behind the scenes look at my idea for a new membership to create an online community where play therapists can grow and thrive!

I’m going to share my ideas for what this community might look like and I’d LOVE your ideas.  So join me this week and let’s explore the endless possibilities for creating a community of play therapists who thrive and make an impact healing children 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

How good are you at identifying the role of culture in the problems your clients are experiencing?

Have you considered the resiliency factors of your clients’ culture and how that can influence better play therapy outcomes?

Play therapists work with children and their families from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Using cultural competence with case conceptualization is essential to make a difference for children in play therapy.

What is case conceptualization and why does it matter?

Case conceptualization is a fancy term that means you’ve identified the likely factors contributing to your clients’ problems.

Using cultural intelligence when formulating your case conceptualization significantly increases the likelihood of an accurate diagnosis and then creating an effective plan of action.

When you’re figuring out what’s going on with your clients, some critical questions to explore are …

🎯  How does culture affect therapeutic communication between you, your clients, and their parents?

🎯  How can cultural barriers affect play therapy effectiveness?

🎯  How can you build strong therapeutic alliances with parents that respect their culture?

Join me on this week's podcast, I’ll discuss some key considerations to ensure cultural intelligence when identifying what’s causing your clients’ problems and why it’s happening so you can facilitate healing 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

What does clinical case conceptualization in play therapy mean and does it really matter? 🙄

Case conceptualization is your ability to ask all the necessary questions that get to the roots of the issue so you know what to focus on in play therapy to help your clients and their parents.

Skipping the initial diagnostic session to gather all the important details of the problem is not necessarily the best way to help your clients get the best results in play therapy.

If you find yourself feeling lost and confused about why your clients are struggling and not sure how to help them, it’s probably because you haven’t taken the time to develop your initial clinical conceptualization.

It’s an important clinical skill for play therapists to develop so you can maximize your clients’ abilities to heal using play therapy.

Join me for this weekly podcast. In this episode, I’ll explain what is case conceputalization and tips for formulating your case conceptualization so you can make a difference in the lives of your clients.

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’s your least favorite part about providing play therapy services to your clients?

Let me tune into my mind reading skills to read your mind  💭- documentation, right? 

Over the last 30 years in the child and adolescent mental health field, I’ve never met a therapist who says they love writing progress notes, treatment plans, and psychosocial assessments as much as or more than working with clients in sessions.  

What I have learned over the last 30+ years is HOW to write progress notes, treatment plans, and psychosocial assessments using a process that helps me get it done quickly and in a way that’s actually useful.

The key is learning these simple strategies to give you a framework so your documentation looks professional, meets agency and insurance standards, and shows the story of your client’s journey in play therapy.

Join me for this weekly podcast, I’m going to walk you through the process of how you can make your play therapy documentation sound professional, meet agency and insurance standards, and help you get the best results for your clients without wasting hours agonizing over it.  

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

Most therapists I talk with, including play therapists, want to get straight to helping their clients during the very first session so they skip the detailed information gathering needed for a thorough assessment.

I get it.  You want to make a difference and help your clients without wasting time.

But is the information gathering process really a waste of time?

No, it’s not.  

In fact, taking time during that first appointment to gather information from parents, and clients if appropriate, provides much needed information to help your clients get the best results in play therapy.

So, what exactly is case conceptualization in play therapy and how can it be useful to help your clients thrive?

Join me for this free weekly podcast, I’ll discuss why you and your clients will benefit from strong case conceptualization skills and what is case conceptualization 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

What does it mean to be a play therapist and what skills are needed to provide play therapy?

Understanding fundamental principles for play therapy ensures child and adolescent therapists recognize the difference between using games in therapy versus play therapy.

There are specialized skills child and adolescent therapists need to develop to ethically and effectively provide play therapy.

Play therapists learn the important functions of play needed in counseling to be competent in play therapy.

In a recent study, experienced play therapists were asked what are the basic skills needed to provide play therapy.

Information was gathered and analyzed to identify core competencies needed to provide play therapy rather than simply using an adult model with children.

Three categories of core competencies were identified that set play therapists apart from other treatment approaches.

Want to know what they are?

Join me on this week's podcast episode, I’ll discuss the core competencies identified in this study that form the foundation of play therapy skill development.  

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