Play Therapy Across the Lifespan

Farewell... this is my last episode of this podcast.“You are the most important tool you have in your therapeutic work. It is critical that you take good care of it.” Do you value yourself that highly?Find me at www.denisthomas.comListen to my other podcast Wellness with Dr. Denis

This episode is intended to encourage you wherever you are right now. It's also a reminder that you are enough.

There are two topics that I love to talk about. One is play therapy and the other is wellness, and when I can talk about them together, all the better. Check out my wellness podcast Wellness with Dr. Denis.

We all have areas of strength, things that come so easily to us that we may not even recognize them as a strength. Those strengths have soft underbellies, areas of vulnerability for us. We all have weaknesses, too. Part of working on the weakness is recognizing the strength. This episode explores how those two things work together.

Welcome back for Season 6. In this season, I want to share my top 5 things I want everyone doing play therapy to know and the top 5 Dr. Denis-isms based on follower feedback. I hope you enjoy this special season.

In this final episode of Season 5, Drs. Denis' and Kasie Lee share their thoughts on the intersection between play therapy and ethics.

Drs. Denis' and Kasie Lee dig deeper into the category of role-play toys. Regardless of the age of your clients, having toys and tools that help them externalize issues and trauma from their lives can be instrumental in helping them heal.

In this episode, Drs. Denis' and Kasie Lee share their thoughts on how to keep your play space organized.

Drs. Denis' and Kasie Lee discuss how to select the toys and tools you will need for your play space.

In this episode, Drs. Denis' and Kasie Lee share tips and tricks for stocking a play room in a way that’s practical and affordable.

Dr. Denis and Dr. Kasie Lee share tips on designing and setting up your play room.

In this first episode of Season 5, Dr. Denis’ interviews Dr. Kasie Lee, and together they discuss important aspects of defining a play space.

In the final episode of Season 4, Dr. Denis talks about mastery themes and knowing when your client is ready to end therapy. Rachel reviews the book, Windows to Our Children: A Gestalt Approach to Children and Adolescents, by Violet Oaklander.

In this week's episode, Dr. Denis explores three more facets of relationship play themes -- grief, loss, and resilience. Rachel Sellers shares her thoughts on the book, The Whole-Brain Child by Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.

In this episode, Dr. Denis shares her perspective on relationship play themes. Rachel Sellers reviews the book, The Connected Child, by Dr. Karen Purvis and Dr. David Cross.

In Episode 23, Dr. Denis explores the themes of inner-value, hopelessness, helplessness, and self-sufficiency. Rachel Sellers reviews the book, The Healing Power of Play, by Eliana Gil.

This episode is part two of the theme “Power and Control.” It covers how this theme can manifest in clients as chaos, revenge, and nurturing.

In this episode, Dr. Denis dives into the theme of power and control, specifically outlining how this theme manifests as perfectionism and anxiety.

In this first episode of Season 4, Dr. Denis' talks about the themes of safety, security, and protection and how those themes show up in play.

In the last episode of the summer season, Dr. Denis’ talks about advocacy. Sometimes, you shout for big change. Sometimes, you speak to have the conversations. And, sometimes, you whisper to quietly encourage your clients. With play therapy, you use your voice to empower others to use their voices and be heard.

Play therapy friends, you are so valuable to your clients and the profession. You listen, you care, and you believe in the relationship. This episode in our summer series celebrates your importance.

In this summer series, Dr. Denis' offers encouragement to play therapy practitioners. Have you been too serious lately? This episode is a reminder that you are fun!

In this summer series, Dr. Denis' offers encouragement to play therapy practitioners. With Telehealth, abrupt endings, social unrest, exhaustion, you may be feeling like you are not good enough. But, you are enough!

This episode is an invitation for you play therapists to take care of yourselves.Links from the Show:Introduction to Play Therapy WorkshopRegister at www.lipscomb.edu/playtherapy 40 continuing education hours: we are an APT approved provider and these are direct contact hours in four 10-hour days. Cost is $750. July 15-18 with Dr. Kasie LeeJuly 22-25, with Dr. Denis’ ThomasBooksCreative Play Therapy with Adolescents and Adults: Moving from Helping to Healingby Drs. Denis' Thomas and Melanie MorrisHow To Create a Wellness Plan That Worksby Dr. Denis' ThomasSacred Restby Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith

In this episode, Dr. Denis’ gives you lots of ideas for incorporating writing into your therapy work and interviews Teresa Prendes-Walls. You’ll also hear an inspiring research segment from Rachel.Find the show notes and Transcripts here.

In this episode, Dr. Denis talks about using digital and print photography in counseling. She also interviews Niamh Rawlins.

In this episode, Dr. Denis delves into sand therapy. Sand therapy can help clients explore subconscious themes, process difficult emotions, ground themselves, and communicate in powerful, non-verbal ways. Dr. Denis offers suggestions for types of sand, containers, and figurines to use when doing sand therapy. This episode’s special guest is Timothy Hollar, who shares a sand tray technique specific for clients who are going through transitions. Rachel’s research segment explores the use of sand therapy with clients who have dementia.

In this bonus episode, Dr. Denis' shares some thoughts about counselors, clients, and the chaos that has been triggered as a result of the Coronavirus. She also provides practical strategies for keeping your sanity in the midst of this challenging time.

This episode is all about incorporating drama and puppets into play therapy. Dr. Denis explains what drama therapy is, who is qualified to use it, what materials are needed, and how to go about incorporating drama and puppets into sessions with clients. She also talks about how drama can be incorporated into work with children, adolescents, emerging adults, and professional adults. This episode includes a special interview with Jamie Langely. In her research summary, Rachel talks about The Body Keeps the Score, a fascinating book that dives into how trauma impacts the body.

Music is such an important part of our lives, and in this episode, Dr. Denis explores different ways it can be incorporated into play therapy. She discusses the fundamentals of music therapy and how it can be used with children, teens, and adults. Musician and therapist Sheldon Clark is this episode’s special guest – he shares a technique called “Song of Hope.” In this episode’s research segment, Rachel discusses the effectiveness of short-term music therapy in adults with chronic mental illness.

In this episode, Dr. Denis talks about incorporating movement into play therapy. After going over the basics and discussing how to incorporate movement across the lifespan, she interviews Dr. Jennifer Rubens, who explains how to use a specific movement technique called "Marshmallow Catapult." In Rachel’s research segment, she talks about Dr. Dan Siegel’s research on brain integration.

This episode introduces the theme of Season 2: incorporating expressive arts through the play therapy approach. The topic of this episode is incorporating art in play therapy. Dr. Denis explains what art therapy is, who is qualified to use it, what materials are needed, and how to go about incorporating art into sessions with clients. She also talks about how art can be incorporated into work with children, adolescents, young adults, and older adults. This episode includes a special interview with Jessie Risman, who describes how to use a technique called The Lighthouse. Rachel, our research expert, wraps up the episode with a segment discussing why she’s passionate about research and why it is important for our field.

In this special “between-a-sode,” Dr. Denis' interviews the songwriter, Sara Beth Geoghegan, to learn more about what she captured in the song Firefly. Sara Beth discusses her inspiration for the lyrics and digs deeper into the meaning behind the lyrics. She also talks about how songwriting has been a special part of her healing journey. At the end of this episode, you will hear the whole song and all of the beautiful lyrics and music that Sara Beth has written.

In the final episode of this season, Dr. Denis’ talks about the challenge of sitting with hurting clients day after day without getting burned-out. She offers suggestions for developing comfort with clients’ pain without taking on the responsibility to fix their problems. With adolescent and adult clients she refers to this process as “sitting in the stuck.” In the research segment, Rachel talks about the correlation between therapist empathy and client outcome.

Episode 4 of Play Therapy Across the Lifespan builds on the concepts that were introduced in Episode 3. Dr. Denis’ expands on how to reflect back to clients what they are communicating through three specific techniques: parroting, paraphrasing, and pairing with emotion. She explains how reflecting looks different when working with adolescents and adults than it does when working with children. Rachel wraps up the episode with a research segment that examines activities that can enhance the body-mind connection.

The focus of this episode is active listening. Dr. Denis’ discusses the importance of tuning in to what clients are saying with their words, as well as what they’re saying through nonverbal communication and symbolic play. She explores how these concepts can be applied when working with children, adolescents, and adults. In this episode’s research segment, Rachel talks about the relationship between mirror neurons, empathy, and dance/movement therapy.

In this episode of Play Therapy Across the Lifespan, Dr. Denis’ explains how counselors can use empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard to create a safe space for clients. She cites research done by neuroscientists who discovered that safety has the power to physically heal the effects of trauma in the brain. In this episode’s research segment, Rachel introduces the Polyvagal Theory and explains how therapists’ presence can deepen clients’ felt sense of safety.

In this opening episode of Play Therapy Across theLifespan, Dr. Denis’ Thomas shares her wisdom onthe fundamentals of play therapy. If you’ve everwondered how to become trained in play therapy,what kinds of toys to use, or how to set up yourspace, this episode will answer all of those questionsand more. Episode 1 also includes a segment on howto incorporate play therapy techniques when workingwith adolescent and adult clients, as well as aresearch segment that discusses the benefits ofusing play therapy techniques when leading groups.