Day 1

Title: “Trauma Resilient Play: Strengthening the Role of Play Therapy in Child/Family Trauma Recovery”

Workshop Description:
In the upcoming book, The Way of Play (co-written with Dr. Tina Payne Bryson, NY Times best selling author of The Whole Brain Child), renowned play therapist Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S, presents the latest scientific research with special emphasis on the developing brain and the power of play.  Dive deep into specific interventions for building brain development and stress resilience in children and families to strengthen trauma recovery.  In a way that’s clear, interesting and practical for therapists and multidisciplinary practitioners, Georgie will present a set of neuro-based play therapy strategies to better address stress-related symptoms, including challenging behaviors, emotional dysregulation, and difficulty with relationships. Through heartwarming stories, video clips, and engaging demonstrations, Georgie will show you how the PlayStrong approach invites children alongside their parents and teachers, to improve behavior in the classroom and at home, create secure bonds, and boost stress recovery and resilience.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify symptoms of stress/trauma responses in play therapy. 
   
2. Describe 3 changes in child functioning that occur due to stress/trauma within a play therapy conceptualization.
   
3. Recognize three play therapy strategies to engage children around trauma-related themes.
   
4. Integrate play therapy activities to develop child emotional regulation.
   
5. Describe play therapy activities that enhance responsiveness to children’s trauma-related behaviors.
   
6. Formulate 3 goals to advance child emotional resilience and post-traumatic growth using play therapy techniques.
   

Day 2

Title: "The Way of Play:  A Neuro-Filial Approach to Build Secure Attachment and Repair in Parent-Child Bonds in Play Therapy”

Workshop Description:
In this groundbreaking session Georgie equips you with play therapy strategies to support young clients and families facing stress, dysregulation, chaos, and conflict.  You will learn to: 

• Engage and retain caregivers in play therapy, even those initially resistant;
  
• Use creative filial play therapy techniques to foster neuroplasticity and inspire hope after trauma;
  
• Apply play therapy strategies to help children move from reactivity to resilience.
  

Georgie’s approach combines talk-based parenting support with play therapy, offering tools that build emotional skills, self-awareness, empathy, and more.  Through case studies, videos, and lively demonstrations, she will show you how to help parents reframe challenging and dysregulating behaviors,  promote relational growth, and transform everyday moments into powerful opportunities for attachment and healing.
 
Learning Objectives:

1. Describe 2 elements of the theoretical basis for filial play therapy.
   
2. Identify 3 predictors of healthy child development from the filial play therapy perspective.
   
3. Choose 3 filial play therapy strategies to engage parents and caregivers to increase positive interactions with their children.
   
4. Integrate 2 filial play therapy activities to reduce family reactivity.
   
5. Utilize 2 filial play therapy activities that enhance parents’ and caregivers’ responsiveness to their children’s stress-related behaviors.
   
6. Formulate 3 goals to advance parent and child emotional skills using filial play therapy techniques.