Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S
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Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training.   Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, how to make sure you get great outcomes for clients, therapeutic toys and tools and strategies to use in sessions, addressing trauma and attachment issues, engaging parents, promoting emotional regulation, and nurturing resilience for children and their families. Whether you're an experienced therapist looking to refine your skills or a novice clinician venturing into the world of play therapy, the Next Level Play Therapy podcast equips you with the knowledge and insights to enhance your play therapy practice. With interviews featuring experts in play therapy, exploration of best practices, discussion of game-changing principles and strategies, this podcast equips you with the tools to unlock the amazing power of play therapy to transform the lives of children, adolescents, and families. Tune in to Next Level Play Therapy and take a journey towards becoming an exceptional play therapist as we navigate the next level strategies that lead to profound healing and growth for children and their families.

  1. 2d ago

    Play Therapy Skills Every Therapist Needs (Not Using Them Holds Clients Back)

    Send us Fan Mail Play therapy skills aren't optional.  Learn why a strong foundation in your play therapy model, case conceptualization, and clinical decision-making is the key to helping your child clients make real, lasting progress, including when working with children experiencing low self-esteem. In this free podcast episode, we dig into the core play therapy competencies every play therapist needs, and why skipping them may be holding your clients back.  Whether you're a new play therapist or an experienced clinician who feels stuck with a client who's plateaued, this episode will help you work with more confidence and intention.  What you'll learn:  ✅ How your play therapy model explains the presenting problem, and why knowing techniques isn't the same as knowing a model  ✅ How to look beneath the surface issue (like low self-esteem) to conceptualize the root cause that's driving it  ✅ How to use clinical decision-making to plan each session for each unique client through every stage of your play therapy model  Join the Podcast! 📞 Is Play Therapy Academy right for you? Book a free 30-minute discovery call to talk about your goals and see if the Academy is a good fit.  Only 6 spots are available right now. 👉 https://utm.guru/utG7e Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Play Therapy Skills Every Therapist Needs (Not Using Them Holds Clients Back)

  2. Nov 5

    You Don't Need More Play Therapy Training — You Need This Instead

    Send us Fan Mail If you've been collecting play therapy trainings, accumulating CEUs, and adding to your technique toolkit — and you still walk into play therapy sessions second-guessing your clinical decisions — this episode is for you. If you’ve been secretly feeling like an imposter or not sure why your client (and you) are stuck - more information isn't what's been missing.  A framework is. In this free weekly Podcast, we're challenging one of the most deeply held beliefs in the play therapy field: that learning more techniques will eventually produce clinical confidence.  We'll show you exactly where that belief breaks down — and what actually builds the kind of confidence that carries you through even your most complex play therapy cases. In this episode, we cover: 🔄 Why collecting play therapy techniques has a ceiling More techniques without a theoretical model to anchor them doesn't reduce second-guessing — it multiplies your options without giving you a framework for choosing between them. 🧭 What actually builds clinical confidence in the playroom The play therapists who feel most grounded aren't the ones who know the most techniques. They're the ones who know *why* they're doing what they're doing — because they have a theoretical model anchoring every decision. 🔑 The two pieces that change everything A theoretical model that fits the way you think + a case conceptualization framework to apply it to your real clients = the foundation that turns guessing into intentional, confident clinical decision-making. 💬 The questions play therapists ask most — answered honestly We're addressing the real objections: time, money, schedule, and readiness. No pressure, just straight answers. 🎯 What the right kind of learning actually looks like Not a one-off training. Not another technique pile-up. A structured, supported, community-based approach that takes you all the way from information to implementation. This episode is for you if you are: A play therapist or child therapist who is new to the field and still building clinical confidenceA licensed or pre-licensed therapist who is tired of disconnected trainings that don't add up to a coherent clinical identityA play therapist working toward your Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential and looking for a structured path forwardA child or adolescent therapist who feels isolated with complex cases and wants expert consultation and community support👉 Join the podcast and bring a colleague who needs to hear this! This episode is part of an ongoing conversation about play therapy training, clinical confidence, and what it actually takes to stop second-guessing your sessions. Enrollment in Play Therapy Academy is open until spots are filled and spots are limited because we keep these cohorts small. Schedule your free 30-minute discovery call to see if PTA is a good fit for you — link in comments. Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    You Don't Need More Play Therapy Training — You Need This Instead

  3. Oct 29

    Second-guessing? / STOP

    Send us Fan Mail Do you feel like a fraud as a play therapist?  Imposter syndrome in play therapy is one of the most common struggles for new play therapists and child therapists, and it's usually a lie your brain is telling you. If you're overwhelmed, second-guessing every play therapy session, and worried your clients are suffering because you're not good enough, you're not alone.  Every play therapist I've trained has felt this way.  In this free podcast episode, you'll learn how to recognize imposter syndrome and build real confidence using play therapy, so you can make a difference for the kids and families you serve. In this podcast you'll learn:  ✅ What imposter syndrome in play therapy is, and why it's rooted in perfectionism  ✅ Signs you're struggling, including avoiding or over-accommodating parents  ✅ 4 tips to overcome imposter syndrome and stop second-guessing yourself  ✅ Why learning a play therapy model builds confidence with clients and parents Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Second-guessing? / STOP

  4. Oct 22

    Play Therapy Not Working? 4 Ways to Get Unstuck

    Send us Fan Mail Is play therapy working for your client, or are you stuck in the "I don't know if this is helping" loop?  In this free weekly podcast episode for play therapists and child and adolescent therapists, you'll learn 4 practical ways to tell if play therapy is working and what to do when nothing seems to help. You've tried the play therapy activity books, searched Pinterest for play therapy ideas, and used what you learned at your last play therapy training.  Your supervisor was supportive, but they don't practice play therapy. If you're worried you're failing your client, this podcast is for you. In this episode you'll learn:  ✅ How to revisit your case conceptualization and ground yourself in your play therapy model  ✅ Why safety and therapeutic rapport come before insight, and how to check your expectations  ✅ How to get useful feedback from parents, caregivers, and the child  ✅ Why play therapy consultation helps you see what's happening in the playroom For play therapists and child and adolescent therapists at any stage of their play therapy journey.  Join my free webinar, How to Provide Play Therapy Without Second-Guessing Yourself, Even With Complex Cases.  We'll focus on building the confidence to trust your clinical decisions, even when a case gets complicated. 📅 Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET  🔗 Save your free spot here → https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/f/pta-webinar Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Play Therapy Not Working? 4 Ways to Get Unstuck

  5. Oct 15

    Family Play Therapy: 3 Signs a Parent Is Ready (and 3 Signs They're Not)

    Send us Fan Mail In family play therapy, the caregiver's readiness matters as much as the child's. Because the parent-child relationship is the vehicle for healing, a parent has to be emotionally and mentally prepared to enter their child's world without taking it over. In this free weekly podcast, we break down how to assess parent readiness for family play therapy sessions, so you can decide when to bring a caregiver into the playroom and when more preparation is needed first. You'll learn: ✔ 3 signs a parent IS ready for joint family play therapy: following the child's lead without correcting, showing curiosity about the child's inner world, and staying regulated during moments of distress ✔ 3 signs a parent is NOT ready yet: demanding quick fixes and immediate compliance, using the session to lecture or interrogate the child, and being too consumed by their own unresolved stress or trauma ✔ What to do when a parent isn't ready, including how parent consultation sessions and individual therapy referrals can build the caregiver's capacity to show up ✔ How to keep the door open to family play therapy without pushing caregivers before they can succeed. Who this is for: Play therapists, child therapists, adolescent therapists, and mental health professionals who work with children and families and want more confidence in caregiver assessment, parent consultation, and family play therapy. Key takeaway: A parent who isn't ready yet doesn't mean family play therapy is off the table. It usually means the work starts with the caregiver, so the family play therapy sessions are set up for real connection and healing. Want to go deeper? If you're ready to build your skills in play therapy and learn how to involve caregivers in the healing process, explore Play Therapy Academy: https://www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/play-therapy-academy Listen to the podcast, bring your questions and your toughest caregiver scenarios, and let us know in the comments: what signs do you look for when deciding if a parent is ready? 👍 Like, subscribe, and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode. Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Family Play Therapy: 3 Signs a Parent Is Ready (and 3 Signs They're Not)

  6. Oct 8

    Family Play Therapy: Why Treating Just the Child Limits Outcomes

    Send us Fan Mail If you're a play therapist or child therapist meeting with kids weekly while updating parents on the side — this episode is for you. Individual play therapy is powerful. But when the family system stays the same, even the best playroom work has a ceiling. In this free weekly podcast, we're exploring one of the most important clinical questions in play therapy: when does individual work hit its limits — and what changes when you bring the family into the room? We cover: Where individual-only play therapy runs out of roomWhen the family system stays unchanged, progress in the playroom has a ceiling — no matter how skilled you are. What changes when the family is in the roomObserve relational patterns firsthand, coach attachment-focused parenting strategies in real time, and create change where the problem actually lives — in the parent-child relationship. When family play therapy isn't the right fitFamily play therapy isn't always the right next step. We'll walk through the clinical situations where family play therapy sessions may not serve the child. Why a strategic family play therapy framework mattersInviting parents into the playroom isn't enough. A structured framework is what turns "everyone's in the room" into lasting change in outcomes. Listen to the podcast and share with a colleague! This episode connects directly to this month's Consultation Call theme: bringing caregivers into the room. Come with your questions and cases. Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Family Play Therapy: Why Treating Just the Child Limits Outcomes

  7. Oct 1

    Congruence & Co-Regulation in Play Therapy

    Send us Fan Mail Congruence & Co-Regulation in Play Therapy: How Nervous System Attunement Heals Kids What does it really mean to use "therapeutic use of self" in the playroom? In this podcast episode, we go beyond the buzzwords to explore how congruence and co-regulation actually help children build their own capacity for emotion regulation. This is part three in our series on the nervous system in play therapy — and why oversimplifying this concept can get in the way of the deep, lasting healing our clients need. In this podcast episode, we cover: 🔹 Congruence in the Playroom — What it really means to match your internal experience with what you express, and why "performing" calm or warmth isn't the same as being a regulated, authentic presence 🔹 The Coregulation Connection — How your nervous system state becomes the mechanism through which children learn their own emotions are safe, workable, and useful 🔹 Self-Awareness for Therapists — Why you have to be congruent with yourself before you can be congruent with a child, and how "resonance circuits" let your nervous system attune to theirs 🔹 Supporting Parents & Caregivers — Creating safety for caregivers so they see you as a true partner in their child's healing, and recognizing what activates your own insecurity or imposter syndrome in session 🔹 Therapist Self-Care — The "put your own oxygen mask on first" principle, and why your own therapy and a supportive play therapy community aren't optional extras — they're part of doing this work well Ray, D. C., Jayne, K. M., & Stulmaker, H. L. (2014). A way of being in the playroom: Experience-expression congruence model (EECM). International Journal of Play Therapy, 23(1), 18–30. Johnston, T. E., Gross, J. J., Chen, W., McEvoy, P., Becerra, R., & Preece, D. A. (2025). Emotion beliefs and emotion regulation strategy use. Personality and Individual Differences, 240, 113066. #PlayTherapy #TherapistSelfCare #NervousSystemRegulation #Coregulation #ChildTherapy #EmotionRegulation #TherapeuticUseOfSelf #TraumaInformedCare #PlayTherapist #ChildDevelopment Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Congruence & Co-Regulation in Play Therapy

  8. Sep 23

    Window of Tolerance in Play Therapy: Why Kids "Bail" on Deep Play

    Send us Fan Mail You're 20 minutes into a play therapy session. The child is in it — deep in the sandtray, the story, the metaphor. And then, without warning, they bail. Silliness. A different toy. A total tonal 180. If you've ever second-guessed yourself in that moment — wondered if you lost the thread, if they're avoiding, if the work "didn't land" — this episode is for you. That shift isn't resistance. It isn't disengagement. It's regulation happening in real time. A child's nervous system was never built to sustain 45 straight minutes in emotional intensity — and clinicians who miss this often misread the most important therapeutic moment in the room.  In this week's podcast for play therapists and child therapists, we're unpacking: ✅ Why the exit out of deep affect is a nervous-system-driven event, not a client "resisting the work" ✅ How to distinguish regulation-seeking behavior from true avoidance or disengagement in session ✅ What this means for pacing, containment, and how you structure session flow around a child's window of tolerance ✅ How to track these shifts clinically — and use them as data, not disruption This is a working conversation for play therapists who want to sharpen their read on nervous system cues in the playroom and stop treating natural regulatory rhythm as a problem to manage. This is also one small piece of what we go deeper on inside Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE — my community for play therapists who want ongoing case consultation, clinical skill-building, and support that goes beyond a single play therapy training.  More on that soon — for now, come learn, bring your questions, and let's dig into the work together. Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground. Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work. I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts. Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

    Window of Tolerance in Play Therapy: Why Kids "Bail" on Deep Play
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out of 5
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About

Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training.   Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, how to make sure you get great outcomes for clients, therapeutic toys and tools and strategies to use in sessions, addressing trauma and attachment issues, engaging parents, promoting emotional regulation, and nurturing resilience for children and their families. Whether you're an experienced therapist looking to refine your skills or a novice clinician venturing into the world of play therapy, the Next Level Play Therapy podcast equips you with the knowledge and insights to enhance your play therapy practice. With interviews featuring experts in play therapy, exploration of best practices, discussion of game-changing principles and strategies, this podcast equips you with the tools to unlock the amazing power of play therapy to transform the lives of children, adolescents, and families. Tune in to Next Level Play Therapy and take a journey towards becoming an exceptional play therapist as we navigate the next level strategies that lead to profound healing and growth for children and their families.

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