Learning Objectives

Day 1: Theory, Philosophy, and the Play Therapy Environment

Participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate between traditional verbal mental health interventions and the developmental rationale of child-centered play therapy.

2. Analyze the historical and seminal theoretical roots of non-directive play therapy.

3. Identify the mandatory categories of toys required to fully equip a standard child-centered play therapy room.

4. Assemble an effective, portable play therapy kit designed for mobile or school-based clinical settings.

5. Explain how the therapeutic powers of play are specifically activated within a non-directive play therapy framework.

6. Assess the clinical implications of a child's toy choices during the initial stages of play therapy.

Day 2: Relational Skills, Tracking, and Limit Setting

Participants will be able to:

1. Demonstrate proper verbal tracking techniques during experiential play therapy mock sessions.

2. Formulate accurate reflections of a child's implicit emotional states expressed through play therapy behaviors.

3. Apply the child-centered, three-step limit-setting model during common play therapy therapeutic scenarios.

4. Execute appropriate clinical responses to handle unexpected behaviors or messiness within the play therapy room.

5. Compare the outcomes of directive versus non-directive clinician responses on the therapeutic alliance in play therapy.

6. Evaluate professional boundary shifts and self-regulation skills required when transitioning from general counseling to a trauma-informed play therapy framework.

Day 3: Diversity, Limitations, and Clinical Application

Participants will be able to:

1. Integrate trauma-informed, cultural, and social diversity concepts into clinical conceptualizations of child-centered play therapy.

2. Critique the clinical limitations of applying a pure non-directive play therapy model across varying diagnostic populations and complex trauma presentations.

3. Formulate a trauma-informed play therapy treatment plan that accommodates the needs of culturally diverse family systems.

4. Analyze current peer-reviewed, contemporary scientific literature supporting the efficacy of child-centered play therapy in treating trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

5.  Identify explicit ethical considerations and code of ethics boundaries unique to the practice of play therapy.

6.  Design a clinical framework for communicating play therapy progress to parents, teachers, and guardians without violating client confidentiality.