Lessons From The Playroom

Original Air Date: May 25, 2021 How do we let parents know, that we know, how important they are in their child’s life? How can we stay grounded and connected to ourselves as play therapists when we find ourselves triggered or activated when working with overwhelmed parents? And how can we offer an “I see you” relational experience for parents that are experiencing complex trauma in their family system? Robyn Gobbel joins Lisa in this episode to answer these very questions. Not only do they discuss the value of working with these parents/caregivers and what to do when we feel stuck, but more importantly how to embrace working with parents in the play therapy process, honor the role they play in their child’s lives, and move from “ I should work with parents” to loving and adoring working with parents/families where complex trauma is part of their lives. *Robyn Gobbel is a writer, trainer, speaker, and educator dedicated to understanding why humans behave the way they behave. She teaches parents of children wh

Have you ever wondered what intergenerational trauma can look like when it shows up in a play therapy session?  If so, you have also likely wondered what you can do to support both the child and the parent to integrate the trauma. In this episode, Lisa Dion is joined by Dr. Arielle Schwartz (you might know her from the amazing books she’s published including “The Complex PTSD Workbook” or “The Post Traumatic Growth Guidebook), to discuss this very topic. You will learn: * What intergenerational trauma is and what it can look like in play therapy sessions * How to cultivate your own trans-generational resilience and develop generational empathy (that you can then model to your clients and their parents/caregivers);  * What to do when your own intergenerational trauma shows up in a session with your clients; and * How practicing self-care supports you in being a better steward of trauma for this kind of work (...learn Arielle’s own embodiment practice that she starts each day with and before meeting with client

Original Air Date: October 12, 2021 In this episode, Lisa is joined by special therapist - a gem

This time Lisa has again invited two very important people in her life to join her. Two Certified Synergetic Play Therapists both residing in Canada – Helen Ritchie and Kristina Dixon. Join them in this conversation about working through the challenges and dilemmas that we sometimes have as therapists when working with the parents/caregivers. Find out: Why working with parents and caregivers can be more challenging than working just with our child clients. How to overcome some of the biggest challenges therapists have when working with parents/caregivers. How to bring a parent/caregiver into a team approach in the therapeutic process. How to support the parent/caregiver with implementing strategies in the home that might help the child client (including what to do when the parent/caregiver says, “I tried that, and it didn’t work” or “that won’t work for my child”). This podcast episode honors parents/caregivers and will open your heart around being in a therapy process together when helping your child clien

Original Air Date: November 13, 2017 A child’s refusal to speak inside the playroom can leave even the most seasoned therapist flustered. But connecting with clients involves much more than words. Silence can be golden when you know what it means and how to harness it. Join Lisa and find out how supporting a child in their healing process doesn't have to require words.  "It's the child really feeling that you're with them that heals them most. Sometimes, that just doesn't require words." - Lisa Dion   * 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.  *

In this episode the tables are turned and the lovely Jackie Flynn, host of the Play Therapy Community Podcast/Facebook group and the Neuroscience of Play Therapy Summits, interviews Lisa about how play therapy and being a play therapist has become a spiritual practice for her over the years.  Join Lisa and Jackie as they talk about: What spiritual practice means and how doing our own “work” as a therapist can become a spiritual practice; How the playroom is a giant "meditation cushion" for therapists to grow within themselves as human beings;  How to hold a larger perspective as a therapist and engage in a deeply self-reflective practice as a way of supporting the client in their own reflective awareness and healing journey;  How the moment itself has everything we need in order to navigate whatever is arising in the client’s therapeutic work - Nothing is missing. The Synergetic Play Therapy concept of “One Foot In/One Foot Out” and how this is a contemplative practice in action in the playroom; and How bei

Original Air Date: March 27, 2017 Therapists are so good at identifying and working with the problem, but are we as trained to also recognize empowerment? In this podcast, Lisa addresses why it can be challenging to recognize when a child is moving into empowerment, and she shares multiple strategies to help you identify when your child clients are overcoming their challenges. "Part of play therapy is widening the child's perspective but also widening our own" - Lisa Dion * 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. * 

The one-and-only Bonnie Badenoch* joins Lisa for this beautiful conversation about non-judgmental presence and how this is so critical in our role as therapists.  In this episode, you’ll hear: How, as a profession, we've become concretized into the left hemisphere (e.g., in a movement toward protocols, interventions, and evidence-based therapies) and how this has pulled us more into the role of experts trying to "fix" people; What holding a “non-judgement” presence means;  What the “inner community” is, how to be aware and work with our inner community in order to be present with our clients;   How to return to a non-judgmental presence in moments when we experience judgment (and how to even recognize when we’re in a place of judgment); The 2 pillars of non-judgmental presence and the importance of this in our work; and How to engage in our own reflective processes and having supportive others who can truly hold a nonjudgmental space for you.   Listen to this beautiful conversation that gets us back into th

Original Air Date: July 20, 2021 Lisa is joined by guest Lynn Louise Wonders. Lynn is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Professional Mentor and Supervisor, Career, Parenting and Relationship Coach at Wonders Counseling Services, LLC. She’s an expert in navigating high conflict divorce and custody cases. Listen as Lisa and Lynn Louise discuss how to not get caught in the crossfire of high conflict divorce, what your role is as the child’s therapist, and how to be present for the child so ultimately the child can know their own self and truth in what can be a highly stressful and chaotic situation. Plus, you’ll find out how to … ✅ Be proactive and prepared so you don't find yourself stuck in these often challenging and painful situations such as getting quality training, reading articles and books, and having consultation experts and seasoned supervisors on speed dial. ✅ Keep attuned to the ever-changing status of your own "band-width" when working with high conflict casts. Learn how to put your own self-care

Lisa’s next guest has so many amazing contributions to the field of play therapy. Terry Kottman is the founder of Adlerian Play Therapy and the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists. She is an unbelievably fun and engaging presenter and author who teaches around the world and writes about so many different aspects of play therapy. In 2014, she was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Play Therapy; in 2017, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Iowa Association for Play Therapy; and in 2020, she received a third Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology (…she seems to be collecting them). In this episode, Terry will take you into the world of Adlerian Therapy and share how she developed Adlerian Play Therapy. You’ll also learn: How to bring more of YOU into your client’s sessions; How to custom-design your sessions to meet your client’s unique needs; How to enhance your client’s insight into themselves and what it means

Original Air Date: October 30, 2017 Play therapy is an evolving field with new ideas around every corner. And each theory - new and old - has something to offer. Seeking knowledge improves your practice and benefits your clients (and yourself). As play therapists, it is important to embrace the idea that growth really never ends. The moment we believe we have figured it out is precisely the moment that we stop growing. "The moment we believe we have figured it out is precisely the moment we stop growing" - Lisa Dion * 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. * 

Wondering what bibliotherapy is or how to incorporate it in your client sessions? Lisa has invited another special guest to talk about using bibliotherapy with kids. Althea T. Simpson is the founder of Brighter Day Therapeutic Solutions and Unicorn Life Training. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator, and host of the podcast Chronicles of a Play Therapist. She's all about innovative solutions for mental health and her creativity has been such a blessing and inspiration to the play therapy field (thank you Althea!).  In this episode, discover how all books can be therapeutic and the many ways to be creative in using bibliotherapy with your clients including:  How bibliotherapy helps children find their way through psychological, emotional, and social problems; How to choose books relevant to a client's personal situation and developmental needs;  How to use bibliotherapy through a Teletherapy platform; and How to engage child

Original Air Date: May 31, 2018 As play therapists, we're often taught to check ourselves at the door. But, when the child's challenges reflect our own, this is difficult for even the most seasoned clinician. What happens when we embrace the mirror and tap into our humanness? You just might experience some of the most powerful sessions when you see yourself in your client's struggle. "The fear of going towards something in the playroom is a reflection of a wound in us that hasn't healed." - Lisa Dion *

If you’ve ever studied with Lisa, you know she loves talking about the nervous system. And in this episode, she’s going to talk about the collective nervous systems within families and how to help support the regulation of the family system. If you’re just as excited about this topic as Lisa, you’ll definitely want to take notes for this one …  Here’s what you’ll hear … How nervous system expressions occur within the context of families; How all behavior (even what we term as dysfunctional) is actually functional and has a purpose; How the family system is always in balance and how it is always attempting to equilibrate itself; How to become the external regulator to help regulate the family nervous system; and How to use this information clinically to inform your therapeutic work. Plus, learn a powerful tip that will help you shift the collective nervous system of the family unit in a most transformative way. * If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscr

Original Air Date: June 3, 2020 "To overcome systems of oppression that want institutional racism to be invisible, we need to name it! ... And make it explicit!" - Nora Alwah What is social justice?  What is oppression?  What is intersectionality?  Join Lisa Dion and as she invites Nora Alwah, social justice educator and therapist, to explore these questions and offer guidance to therapists on how they can support children and families in ways that create connection, attunement and empowerment.   Nora Alwah is a queer cis-woman of color, and an immigrant from Denmark and Comoros. Nora is passionate about fiercely challenging systemic oppression and empowering people to reclaim their unapologetic truth and innate power. She is a somatic psychotherapist, a social justice educator and adjunct faculty at Naropa University. In her private practice, Nora specializes in working with marginalized populations, including people of color, bilingual individuals, immigrants, queer people, and transgender and gender non-co

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 podcast episode, they 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. Here's what you'll learn ... The two 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/countertransference) within your relat

Original Air Date: February 19, 2020 "Whatever the lie a child tells, it's all part of a protective pattern. And protective patterns are never right or wrong." - Lisa Dion While lying often gets a bad rap, everybody lies (yep, even you!). In fact, it has less to do with manipulation and more to do with protection of self. In other words, lying has a purpose. As therapists, it's up to us to recognize the feelings underneath the fib. *

Lisa is joined by Cary Hamilton, another amazing guest, for a conversation that will transform your work with parents/caregivers who have children with neurodiverse or sensory processing challenges.  Cary is the Director of Play Therapy at Antioch University in Seattle, Owner of a group practice clinic - Olympia Therapy and current President of the Washington Association for Play Therapy. She is an author and international presenter on Neurodiversity and Sensory Sensitivities and Play Therapy for the last 10 years. Also check out her educational platform called Playful Wisdom that offers real-world guidance to help parents develop their inner know-how and bring back the joy of being a parent.  Hear how to take parents and caregivers from a place of overwhelm, confusion and disempowerment to a place of curiosity and deep connection to their child. Plus, hear some of Cary (and Lisa’s) lived experiences, while learning: How to support parents/caregivers in trusting their intuition about what their child needs a

Original Air Date: September 23, 2020 "It's about the therapist's ability to attune in order to facilitate a process of attunement and playful touch between caregiver and infant." - Janet Courtney Traditional play therapy targets children ages 3 and older, but what about the children who aren't yet three? How do we help these children? Join Lisa as she talks about infant mental health with special guest, Dr. Janet Courtney- founder of FirstPlay Therapy. Together they explore the biggest myth related to infants, the significance of implicit memory and most importantly, how clinicians can support healing and re-patterning for these very special little people. Janet Courtney, PhD, LCSW, Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, is Founder of FirstPlay® Therapy which is offered for two different developmental levels including “FirstPlay® Developmental Infant Play Therapy” for ages birth to 2 years, and FirstPlay Kinesthetic Storytelling®” for children ages 3 years and older. Dr. Courtney is author and Editor of the gr

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 Lessons from the Playroom episode, you are 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 more about …. 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