Play Therapy's Role in Addressing Mental Health Challenges Among Youth

Presents

Youth mental health concerns—especially depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-harm—are rising at alarming rates. This training equips mental health professionals with essential knowledge of current trends and the growing urgency for effective interventions.

Participants will learn how to use play therapy to assess emotional states, strengthen rapport, and promote healing in young clients.Through interactive learning, attendees will explore targeted play therapy techniques designed to support youth struggling with emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, and self-harming behaviors. The training emphasizes practical tools and strategies that can be immediately applied in clinical and school settings.

Target audience: Counselors, Social Workers, Play Therapists

Content level: Beginner

About the instructor

Nikole R. Jiggetts, LCSW is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Certified Trauma Practitioner and author. She is the CEO and owner of Replay Counseling Center, LLC. Also known as Replay Counseling and Consulting. She is a graduate from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work, with an MSW in 2000. Nikole has been working with children, adolescents and their families for over 20 years. She is passionate about providing individuals with the opportunity to work through their difficulties and begin to start feeling better about their lives utilizing expressive therapies, including play, art, and yoga in sessions.

In addition to serving as an adjunct professor for the VCU School of Social Work, she is also a life coach, parenting consultant and registered yoga teacher. Nikole also provides training for mental health clinicians in the states of Virginia and Maryland as well as the District of Columbia, for the past 10 years.

Attendees will be able to:

1. Explain current mental health trends impacting youth and adolescents, including the growing prevalence of depression, LGBTQIA+, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts.
2. Describe key mental health statistics to understand the scope and urgency of psychological challenges among children and teens.
3. List major influencing factors—including social, environmental, and personal contributors—that affect the mental well-being of youth.
4. Explain the role of play therapy as a tool to assess emotional states, build therapeutic rapport, and instill a sense of hope in young clients.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of at least six play therapy techniques specifically designed to support youth experiencing depression, anxiety, or self-harming urges.
6. Apply play therapy interventions effectively to address emotional dysregulation, enhance communication, and support coping strategies in youth at risk.

8:00-8:30- registration and sign-in

8:30-10:15- Mental health trends with youth & Clinician self-care

Break

10:30-12:00- Suicide statisics: clinician reflection and assessment & Next Steps

Lunch 12-1

1-2:15- OARS & Creating safety/interventions

Break

2:30-3:30- Emotional Expression & Working with parents and care coordination

3:30-4:00- Wrap-up

Registration will be managed by Eventbrite.

Full registration fee is $100 per indivual. If you have any questions about your registration or require accomodations please contact Jesse Callan, LCSW-C at [email protected]

Refund requests can be made through the EventBrite website or via email to [email protected] up to 48 hours before the start of a program. We are happy to provide the fullest possible refund to either the credit card used for purchase or in the form of credit for a future course.

In order to receive full credit for this course, participants must attend for the entire duration of the course and complete a course evaluation form. Partial credit CE certificates will not be distributed. CE certificates will be distributed immediately after the end of the course and upon submission of course evaluation form.

Thrive Behavioral Health, Provider #1729, is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Thrive Behavioral Health maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 10/11/2023 - 10/11/2026. Social workers completing this course receive 6 continuing education credits.

Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7008. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC approves this continuing education program for 6 NBCC clock hours.

Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC has been approved by APT as an APT Approved Provider, provider number 23-712. Thrive Behavioral Health, LLC approves this continuing education program for 6 contact CE credits.

Host or Publisher Thrive Behavioral Health