Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S

Play therapists often talk about the therapeutic powers of play.But what exactly does that mean and why are they so important in play therapy?How do you explain play therapy to others? Actually, knowing the answer to these questions are core competencies for play therapists because 👇The therapeutic powers of play are what set play therapy apart from all the other expressive arts therapies.Understanding how to help your young clients access the therapeutic powers of play is the difference...

Writing play therapy documentation is hands down the least favorite task for play therapists, myself included.It’s overwhelming, confusing, and exhausting. It can feel never ending and burn you out.It’s often avoided altogether, which is never good. Avoiding it just creates more stress because you feel like you’re always behind or worse you get in trouble because it’s not done.What if I told you that there are strategies that can help reduce the confusion and overwhelm?I know, I c...

If you’re a play therapist and you have struggled to write progress notes that make sense without draining your brain, then you are definitely not alone. Maybe you feel confused and overwhelmed about writing play therapy notes because you have no idea what to write that makes sense and doesn’t sound like you just played for an hour with your client. 😂These are the struggles of many play therapists.Writing play therapy progress notes can be exhausting, confusing, and frustrating.If ...

If you’re a mental health professional in the United States, you might have heard about the CURES Act.It’s created quite a buzz in the mental health community.Maybe you’ve heard of Open Notes.Essentially the discussion about progress notes in the medical community, including the mental health community, revolves around clients’ access to their medical records.Open Notes are a form of co-creating progress notes with clients.When dealing with challenging topics and issues, I find it helpful to ...

Play therapists place a lot of emphasis on recognizing themes in play therapy sessions.Why?Because understanding play behaviors and recognizing what clients are communicating in their play is critical to help them in the healing process.Here’s where case conceptualization is often overlooked when making sense of what’s going on in play therapy for your clients.Understanding play therapy themes is heavily influenced by your play therapy model.What does that have to do with play therapy case co...

Have you ever struggled to figure out what exactly your clients are communicating during their play therapy sessions?Whether you’re a new play therapist or a seasoned play therapist, identifying themes can be challenging.Learning to recognize themes in your clients’ play therapy sessions is a great way to understand what they are communicating through their play.That’s why I’m soooooooooooo excited to have my guest, Dr. Jodi Mullen, share her tips identifying themes in play therapy sessions. ...