Therapeutic Play Skills
Purple Stream Continuing Education Series

Offerings:

Enter the Metaphorical Journey: Inquiry Skills for Play Therapists
Six Hour Continuing Education Certificate

This Master Class is for Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play practitioners who use expressive arts, projective activities and sandplay with their clients and introduces play therapists to an array of questions that may be utilized when engaging with children, youth and adults during an exploration phase of an expressive-based activity. Through the inquiry skills training, therapists will be encouraged to “stay out of the way” of interpretation and instead assist the client to explore their scene or product while remaining in the metaphor.

Therapeutic Play Skills Group Supervision
Two Hour Letter of Attendance

This is an open-group process that occurs in pre-scheduled two-hour time blocks (Mountain Standard Time). The cohorts meet for a two-hour exploration of case studies where they have an opportunity to share insights and turning points with other colleagues, as well as receiving direct feedback and supervision from a CPT-S/RPT-S to enhance their existing knowledge of therapeutic play.

Supervision Includes:

  • Approved Play Therapy Supervisors
  • Self-development activities
  • A unique case conceptualization format using the Play Therapy Dimensions Model

 Purple Stream: Introduction to Therapeutic Uses of Sandtray
Directive and Non-Directive Sandtray When Working with Children, Adolescents, and Adults in Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play
Six Hour Continuing Education Certificate

Participants will be introduced to the principles, theory, and practice of using the sandtray with clients. Both Directive and Non-directive activities will be discussed and exemplified. Participants will have an opportunity to try a variety of approaches to the use of the sandtray in order to gain an experience of the differences between directive and non-directive use of sand as well as the use of sand with and without objects.

Goals of Introduction to Sandtray will Include:

  • Introduction to sandtray, history and theory
  • Experience sandtray with and without objects
  • Experience sandtray with objects
  • Debrief sandtray scenes with a partner
  • Document the sandtray process using sandtray sketch & recording forms

Learning Objectives:

  • Describe at least one theory applied to use of sandtray
  • Demonstrate the ability to use sandtray with and without objects
  • Analyze a sand scene
  • List ways to use sandtray with child, adolescent and adult clients

Materials needed by participants: Miniatures, Sandtrays, Journaling Notebook

Meet Polly the Puppet! Introduction to Puppets: Creating a Co-Therapist Character and Exploring Directive/Non-Directive Puppet Play Therapy

Participants will be introduced to the principles, theory, and practice of using puppets with clients. Both Directive and Non-directive activities will be discussed and exemplified. Participants will have an opportunity to try a variety of approaches to the use of puppets as well as the creation of a “Co-Therapist” character to use when working with children and explore the metaphors behind puppet play.

Goals of Introduction to Puppetry will Include:
1) Introduction to puppets, history and theory
2) Debrief puppet play scenes with a partner
3) Document the session using recording forms
4) “Invite” clients to join a story and contribute to the narrative

Learning Objectives
To provide an overview of the use of Puppet Play in various therapeutic settings and to provide participants with experiential learning opportunities to apply practical skills in Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play.