CLINICIAN SESSION | Reclaiming Play after Trauma: Expanding imagination beyond survival in Child-Centered Play Therapy

Trauma does not eliminate a child's capacity to play, however it can reorganize play around survival. Following overwhelming experiences, children's symbolic worlds may become dominated by themes of danger, protection, control, rescue, and repetition. While these themes represent adaptive attempts to create safety and meaning, Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) recognizes that healing is not achieved by directing children away from traumatic play. Instead, healing occurs through a therapeutic relationship that provides the safety, acceptance, and freedom necessary for children's imaginative worlds to gradually expand.

Grounded in Child-Centered Play Therapy, current trauma research, and the Therapeutic Powers of Play, this training explores how trauma shapes symbolic and imaginative play and how therapists can recognize the difference between trauma-organized play and developmentally typical fantasy. Participants will examine the relationship between trauma, imagination, and symbolic expression while learning how CCPT principles support emotional regulation, relational safety, and increasing imaginative flexibility.

Using case examples,…