Becoming an External Regulator for Trauma Integration in Play Therapy
Information
Date & Time
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Educational Goal
Participants will gain competency in the role of emotional regulations in play therapy.
Description
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the therapist to act as the external regulator that supports the client to move towards the intensity, they are experiencing allowing for integration. This workshop explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons:
- Clients need to borrow the therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings, and sensations in therapy and
- The therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for the presence and attunement with the client, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system.
Without the ability of the therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the client and the therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a client in sessions.
Target Audience
- Social Worker
- Psychologist
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Counselor
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S, is an international teacher, creator of Synergetic Play Therapy, founder and President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute, co-founder of the Synergetic Education Institute, and host of the Lessons from the Playroom podcast. She is the author of Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity and is the 2015 recipient of the Association for Play Therapy’s Professional Education and Training Award of Excellence.