Big Feelings, Small Worlds: Resilience and Connection in Post-COVID Play

Welcome to our event Playing through the lasting impacts of COVID! Join us at 2205 York Rd on October 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM (Eastern Time) and online as we dive into the effects of this global pandemic.

Discover how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped children’s play, emotions, and development—and how play therapy can adapt to meet these unique needs. This training explores key impacts, common play themes, and practical strategies for supporting children’s resilience and connection. Participants will gain insights into tele-play therapy adaptations, caregiver involvement, and creative tools to foster healing during times of uncertainty.

Objectives:

• Identify the unique social, emotional, and developmental impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on children and adolescents within the play therapy context.
• Recognize the ways play therapy can support resilience, connection, and post-trauma growth in children who experienced disruption, loss, and isolation.
• Demonstrate at least three play-based interventions designed to strengthen emotional regulation, relational repair, and adaptive coping skills in post-Covid practice.
• Apply strategies for integrating family systems and community connection into post-pandemic play therapy to promote healing and resilience.
• Evaluate how to adapt traditional play therapy techniques for children experiencing heightened anxiety, grief, or social re-entry struggles following the pandemic.

Perfect for: Play therapists, counselors, social workers, and child-serving professionals seeking trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches.

Host or Publisher Julia Knach, My Crossing Paths Counseling Center