Trauma-Informed Tools – Neuroscience-backed interventions that help children process stress and restore emotional balance
Somatic Skills to decode children’s physiological responses in play and unlock insight into their emotional needs
Recognize Themes in Play Behaviors and use these insights to guide emotional processing
Play therapy is one of the most powerful tools you have when you treat kids.
But when they’ve experienced trauma, play isn’t easy. Kids become dysregulated. They shut down. And you can spend entire play therapy sessions trying to get them just to engage.
And when they do – it can be intense – reenacting scenarios of fear, abandonment, or powerlessness that can be hard for you to know how to respond.
When trauma is involved, play is different …. And it needs a different approach.
That’s why I co-created Somatic Experiential Play Therapy.
Because with it, you get a step-by-step plan for treating trauma through the power of play therapy …
… so you can skillfully work with a child’s physiological responses, interpret metaphors in trauma play, and respond in a way that promotes safety, connection, and healing.
I’ll show you exactly how you can use tools from the SEPT approach to:
Effectively read a child’s body cues – like breath, posture, and tension – so you know exactly when to step in and help them regulate.
Give kids a safe way to process emotions – without feeling overwhelmed or pressured to talk.
Skillfully interpret metaphorical play, recognize symbolic themes in children’s play behaviors, and use these play therapy insights to guide emotional processing.
Effectively Partner with Parents – communicate play therapy themes, set expectations, and equip caregivers to support nervous system regulation at home.
And much more!
If you work with kids, what you’ll learn from me about play therapy is sure to transform the way you approach trauma and help you support healing in a more grounded, effective way.
So don’t wait.
Purchase now!
Credit
Program Information
Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships
All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners. For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.
Canada Credit - CE Information Coming Soon
Continuing education credit information is coming soon for this non-interactive self-study package.
CEs may be available for select professions, as listed in the target audience. Hours will be dependent on the actual recording time. Please check with your state licensing board or organization for specific requirements.
There may be an additional fee for CE certificates. Please contact our Customer Service at 1-800-844-8260 for more details.
**Materials that are included in this course may include interventions and modalities that are beyond the authorized practice of your profession. As a licensed professional, you are responsible for reviewing the scope of practice, including activities that are defined in law as beyond the boundaries of practice in accordance with and in compliance with your professions standards.
Melissa Wetterlund, MA, LP, LMFT, RPT-S™, is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist-supervisor and co-creator of the Somatic Experiential Play Therapy model.
She brings more than two decades of clinical experience to her work as a therapist, trainer, and consultant and is the co-owner of Watershed Psychological Services in Minnesota, where she provides individual and family therapy, clinical supervision, and advanced training for professionals.
Deeply inspired by the work of Dr. Peter Levine and Dr. Byron Norton, Melissa and Sara Werner developed the Somatic Experiential Play Therapy model that blends character-based, interactive play with somatic tracking to support nervous system regulation and unlock deep emotional healing in children and families.
Melissa developed the play therapy certificate and teaches at Bethel University and also teaches play therapy coursework at Crown College. She regularly presents keynotes, in-depth trainings, and clinical consultations across the country. Whether she’s in the therapy room or the training room, her mission is the same: to help kids and clinicians access powerful, embodied tools for healing through play.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Melissa Wetterlund maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Bethel University and Crown College. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Melissa Wetterlund has no relevant non-financial relationships.
Identify the theoretical foundations of Somatic Experiential Play Therapy (SEPT).
Determine the importance of child-led play therapy and its impact on therapeutic outcomes.
Identify common metaphors in children’s play therapy to uncover underlying emotional themes.
Choose skills in somatic tracking to monitor and respond to children’s physiological cues during play therapy sessions.
Examine the role of play therapy in facilitating emotional expression and processing in children.
Differentiate between normal developmental play and trauma-related play behaviors in play therapy.
Develop a SEPT-appropriate playroom environment that supports play therapeutic goals.
Utilize structured Somatic Experiential Play Therapy sessions, including intake processes and play-based family assessments.
Integrate parents into the play therapy process, clarifying roles and expectations.
Determine the stages of Somatic Experiential Play Therapy, from observation to closure, tailoring interventions to each phase.
Choose various therapeutic responses—observational, metaphorical, play-based, relational, and somatic—appropriately within play therapy sessions.
Develop education for parents on play therapy themes and their significance.
Outline
Somatic Experiential Play Therapy Snapshot
Theoretical foundations of SEPT
Child-led therapy: Empower the child’s voice
Metaphor in play: Unlock symbolic truths
Somatic tracking: Connect body and emotion
Research, risks, and treatment limitations
Why Play Therapy?
The power of metaphor in processing big feelings
Play as a developmentally appropriate expression of emotion
Explain play therapy to parents
Challenges of play therapy in trauma work
Normal Development Play vs. Trauma Play
Characteristics of normal developmental play
How “trauma play” differs
Disconnecting from the play experience
Somatic expressions and their importance in trauma healing
Nervous System Basics You Need to Know
The threat response cycle: Fight, flight, freeze
Trauma and the stuck threat response
Polyvagal Theory: How the nervous system reacts to trauma
Trauma’s impact on children’s behavior
Support nervous system regulation in play
Help parents support nervous system regulation at home
Get Started with Somatic Experiential Playa Therapy:
Intake, Assessment and Structuring Sessions
Parent focused intake process
Play-based family assessments
Structure for SEPT sessions
Basic rules and expectations of the SEPT playroom
How do we Play in SEPT?
Engage fully in play: Actively participate in the play process for deeper therapeutic connection
Support change in child-directed play: Invite transformation by responding intentionally within the child’s play as an active participant
Use somatic tracking for regulation: Recognize and respond to physiological cues to keep play mobilizing healing
Track metaphor for deeper meaning: Identify and reflect symbolic themes to support emotional expression and resolution
Stages of SEPT
Overview of stages of SEPT highlighting the unique needs, expected play, and most common roadblocks in each stage
Observation stage
Invitation stage
Discharge stage
Transformation stage
Closure stage
Let’s Talk Metaphor
Common play-based metaphors: understanding common and universal symbolism
Concentric circles of metaphorical distance-how children titrate their play to make it more tolerable
Common symbolism in board games
Types of Responses
Overview of the distinct response types in SEPT, their therapeutic impact, and how to intentionally apply them to foster activation or regulation in the playroom
Observational responses
Metaphorical responses
Play-based responses
Relational responses
Somatic responses
How do we know if our responses are on the right track?
What happens if my response is wrong?
How to Build an SEPT Playroom
Playroom essentials; choosing therapeutic toys for my playroom
Organization: Use the structure of the playroom to invite play
Partner with Parents
Build strong therapist-parent collaboration for lasting change
Clarify the distinct roles of the therapist and the parent in play therapy
Effectively communicate expectations and guide parents toward meaningful involvement
Talk about Play: shift the focus from play content to underlying themes
Teach parents how to recognize and support their child’s healing process
Provide essential education on the therapeutic value of play
Play Specific Documentation
Child specific documentation
How to protect a child’s confidentiality while maintaining ethical documentation
Purposeful inclusion and exclusion in child specific documentation
Target Audience
Counselors
Play Therapists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Social Workers
Therapists
Psychologists
Psychiatrists
Physicians
Other Professionals Who Work within the Mental Health Fields
Reviews
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Additional Participant CE Test
Additional Participant CE must be purchased for each additional viewer. These viewers will watch the video with the main registrant, but will have individual access to course handouts and certification. The standard price of this program includes certification for main viewer.
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