Past Conferences
Below you will find some of our past conference presenters and topics that we have been able to offer throughout the last couple of years!
Please take a look at our upcoming events! We hope to connect with you soon!
Spring 2024
Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic & Transgender Youth
Kade (he/they) is an autistic transgender therapist! With 1 in 36 children being autistic and nearly 2% of teens being transgender in the United States, it’s important that play therapists and mental health professionals know how to ethically support these clients. Neurodiversity Affirming Ethical Play Therapy for Autistic and Transgender Youth is a comprehensive 2-day training designed to equip participants with the knowledge and applicable skills necessary to provide effective and ethical play therapy services. Our presenter, Kade, is someone with lived experience! It is our aim that this training will empower participants to provide ethical, affirming, and effective play therapy services to both autistic and transgender youth, promoting their mental and emotional well-being!
Spring 2025
Playing to Belong: Fostering Connection and Belonging in The Play Room
How do we create spaces for belonging and foster connection in the playroom? During this two-day training clinicians will engage in hands on activities focused on utilizing Adlerian Play Therapy techniques to create more belonging and connection with clients. Clinicians will examine how cultural misses and cultural opportunities present themselves in the playroom while also engaging in activities that help foster resiliency in clients. Special emphasis will be placed on how cultural influences impact behavior in the playroom and best practices for clinicians engaging in the work of belonging and inclusion. Clinicians will leave with practical ways to use cultural opportunities and activities that focus on shame resiliency and belonging with clients and also gain a deeper understanding of how their own identities can enhance the connection with clients.
Fall 2024
Scared of Shots: Play Therapy with Chronic Illness and Medical Anxiety
In this workshop, Sara Loftin, MS, LPC-S, RPT-S explores how medical anxiety impacts children with chronic medical conditions, children with minor or acute illnesses or injuries, and healthy children. The audience will gain insight into the developmental needs of children experiencing medical anxiety and/or chronic illnesses and tools to enhance their practice. Specifically, participants will gain insight into working with children with chronic illnesses, including changes to assessment, various common pediatric illnesses, necessary collaboration, and the impact of illness on development. Participants will explore facilitating play therapy with children and working with caregivers.
Fall 2024
Navigating Ethical Issues When Working with Children of Divorced or Divorcing Parents
Working with children who come from divorced or divorcing families poses unique legal and ethical challenges for the Play Therapist. Learn your legal and ethical obligations to both the child, and the divorcing or divorced parents, to ensure the focus of your work is on providing play therapy, not entrapped in exhausting custody, visitation or placement battles.
