Happy Holidays! Wow! What a crazy ride 2020 has been for the world! I hope this newsletter finds you safe, healthy, and in a spot of renewed hope for humanity. When I think about the chaos and pain that so many have experienced over the past several months, I hope that you can also reflect on the small and large acts of humanity and joy that have shone forth throughout the fear and pain. My holiday wish for you is to be the recipient of an act of service or better yet, to be the giver and change agent! We are only in control of what we choose to do (sound familiar? Isn’t this what we tell our clients regularly?). So BE the hope! BE the change! Smile and wave at your neighbors. Buy a cup of joe for the car behind you in line at the coffee shop. Give thanks and gratitude that you made it through learning how to engage in telehealth and better yet, rocked this year by not giving up and facing each day with a determination to help make the world a better place for the children and families we work with.
My holiday hope is to also give yourself permission to rest, breathe, and take time out for yourself. Fill your space with smells that bring a smile to your face. Take time each morning to sip on your hot cup of wassail (or other favorite drink) and think of what you are grateful for. In this time of distance, it is easy to focus on what we are missing out on or what we should be doing if stupid COVID wasn’t ruining our plans. In my own family, we have started a new tradition this year of meeting together by Zoom each Sunday evening with all of my siblings, parents, nieces and nephews, to share in a message of hope and reflection. There are lots of laughs mixed in too! By maintaining crucial attachment tenets of proximity maintenance - even through virtual means – we are weathering this storm together… and I cannot wait for the time to be able to be all in the same physical space together too!
I am grateful for technology. I am grateful that the powers of play actually work – regardless if we are in the playroom or in a zoom room! I am grateful for each of you and I hope you know that you ARE making a difference in this world. Don’t give into despair and frustration! Don’t forget how much of a difference you are making each and every day. Do believe me when I tell you that YOU MATTER and I am SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU! I am excited for this new year and to see what 2021 will bring. I am excited to hear how you are making changes and growing as a play therapist. I love seeing the impressive creativity shine forth as we share on social media new interventions for the new landscape we are practicing on. So thank you for showing up and being you! As a small gift, I am offering 20% off all recorded webinars through the holiday season. I can’t wait to see you in person next year!
Available Anytime! | Was $39.00, Now on Sale! $9.99 | 1 CEU
This is a 1 hour CEU pre-recorded class that shares the basics about how to invite parents into the play therapy setting! This class includes interventions you can use immediately in your practice and instant access to your certification upon completion.
Available Anytime! | Was $150, On Sale! $120 | 6 APT CEUs
Through this 2 part webinar series, play therapists will learn about the challenges that attachment disruptions can cause in childhood, as well as how to create healing, hope, and felt security with their child and adolescent clients and families.
Intro to Attachment Centered Play Therapy Upcoming live class!
February 1, 2021, 9-4 p.m. | Cost, $150 | 6 CEUs Through the lens of attachment theory, participants will gain a new understanding of how children and families interact and bond to one another in healthy vs maladaptive ways. We will be exploring how trauma, abuse, and neglect impact the bonds of attachment within the family system and how the power of Attachment Centered Play Therapy can help to heal these wounds.
Review six different books written by Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S that teach clinicians and parents how to use play therapy to develop long-term attachment, how to address attachment disorders, and the tools available to support your practice.
