Exploring Play: An Introduction to Play Therapy for Clinicians

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), in partnership with The Next Place Therapy Services are pleased to offer Exploring Play: An Introduction to Play Therapy for Clinicians.

This interactive hands-on training will teach participants ways to use play therapy interventions and techniques effectively with clients of all ages with applications across diverse settings and populations. This training will provide a comprehensive exploration of play therapy and delve into the significance of play as a therapeutic intervention and assessment tool for children, adolescents, and families.

Participants will engage in practical exercises to learn and practice various play therapy interventions and techniques suitable for all ages and clients. Through both non-verbal and verbal play techniques, participants will gain insights into how play can ease the communication of ideas, feelings, and experiences.

At the conclusion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain directive and non-directive play therapy interventions and their effectiveness.
• Find several play-based interventions applicable to individual, group, and family play therapy.
• List items and ways to set up a playroom in different settings, including mobile play strategies.
• Describe how clients of all age’s express awareness of cultural differences in the play therapy room.
• Discuss the importance of using a cultural humility and intersectionality lens in collaborating with all clients.
• Discuss ethical considerations and boundaries in play therapy practice.

Who should register:

This training is ONLY available to school-based behavioral health providers (social workers, school psychologists, community-based organization clinicians, counselors, DBH school-based clincians) placed at DC public and public charter schools. Participants placed in a school will recieve a beginners play therapy kit for their school as a part of their participation.

Registrants who are not eligible school-based providers will have their registrations canceled.

Host or Publisher OSSE Healthy Schools and Wellness Programs Team