Goals:

In this training, participants will learn and have opportunity to practice play, sand, and art activities in order to implement EMDR with kids and teens. Learn ways to assess for EMDR targets, explain EMDR to littles and parents in a way that makes sense, as well as how to do reprocessing using play therapy techniques and strategies that help them engage in EMDR while staying in their window of tolerance. Participants will watch videos of children doing EMDR, and be taught via case examples, lecture, and live demonstrations various techniques to increase your ability to utilize EMDR in creative ways with littles and teens.

Objectives:

• Attendees will be able to explain the importance of working through a client's dysregulation in the play therapy room with connection and attunement instead of limits and consequences. 

• Attendees will be able to define sensory integration and understand how this relates to regulation. 

• Attendees will demonstrate how to incorporate movement, rhythm, and sensory play into their play therapy process to help their client be more regulated in and out of session. 

• Attendees will demonstrate how to help clients expand their skills in noticing, tracking, and tolerating sensations. 

• Attendees will learn play therapy interventions to help children increase body awareness. 

• Attendees will be able to apply a system to teach children through play therapy to monitor and modify their inner state.  

• Attendees will be able to create play therapy treatment plans based on viewing challenges behavior as dysregulation of the nervous system as opposed to misbehavior. 

• Attendees will identify ways to approach play therapy assessment and treatment planning through a developmental, neurosequential approach. Attendees will be able to demonstrate ways to invite the hypo- and hyper-aroused nervous system back into the window of tolerance using movement, rhythm, and sensory play in the play therapy room. 

• Attendees will assess how the person-of-therapist impacts utilizing body-based play therapy techniques. 

• Attendees will demonstate the ability to track play therapy themes that are expressed. 

• Attendees will be able to identify why it is important to engage parents through parent coaching and/or family play sessions.