Reflections

On of my favorite sessions on Healing Medical Trauma in the Play Room. Brings me back to my days as a Child Life Specialist.

It has been a wonderful week here in St. Louis at the Association for Play Therapy Conference. We are so lucky to be hosting in our own city this year. I had the opportunity to attend many amazing sessions with some very knowledgeable presenters including Dr. Bruce Perry (he wrote a book with Oprah!), Rick Gaskill and some fantastic play therapist from around the country.

This week attending these sessions has made me not only think about my philosophy as a therapist, but also how honored I am to be a small part of our families. I’ve learned so much to bring back to the playroom/office and cannot wait to continue to share my knowledge with you all.

You will notice I’ve done a bit of some “rebranding” to reflect my work more with children and teens. I hope to continue to learn more play therapy and expressive therapy strategies and information to bring to you all.

Miniatures from a session on grief and loss. Session titled: Healing Young Hearts: Using Play Therapy to Treat Loss Throughout the Grief Continuum.

Afterall, play is the work of a child. As they often say in play therapy, “play is the language, toys are the words.” We may not always get the information we want from our kids through words, but I guarantee through their language of play, we can understand more. So, parents and caregivers, I challenge you to get on the floor with your kids, color a picture and crawl around like puppies like you kid is asking you to do, and you will understand their mind a lot more.

“For children, play is serious learning”- Mr. Rogers.

How can you lean into play this week?