When Kids Won’t Talk, Therapy Can Stall.
As a child or family therapist, you’ve been there...
A child stares at the floor, refusing to engage.
A teen shrugs off every question and stares at their phone.
A family arrives stressed out, on edge, and prime to shut down.
You know there’s something deeper going on—but standard talk therapy just isn’t reaching them.
So how do you get through?
Join internationally recognized therapist Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S, for a FREE 1-Day Live Virtual Training that will show you how to use structured, intentional games to break through resistance, strengthen the therapeutic relationship, and help kids and families build insight and skills, without even realizing they’re doing “therapy.”
In this skills-packed session, you’ll learn how to:
- Determine when and why to use games as part of clinical treatment
- Select and adapt games based on developmental, cultural, and clinical fit
- Facilitate game play in a way that naturally supports assessment, skill-building, and processing
- Use “Points of Departure” to pivot game moments into powerful therapeutic breakthroughs
- Handle common challenges like cheating, dysregulation, or sibling rivalry during play
- Debrief with clients to deepen insight and connect the dots to their goals
You’ll walk away with a clear clinical framework to integrate games with your existing play therapy approach and a toolbox of therapeutic games to address issues like:
- Anxiety and emotional regulation
- Trauma and stress
- Social skills and self-esteem
- Family dynamics and communication
- And more
Fill your play therapy toolbox with more creativity and fun - sign up today!
NOTE: Sign up today and you’ll have the immediate option to upgrade to the Live or Self-Study CE + Workbook Packages.
Register for FREE Today!
Can't attend live?
Register anyway for 14-day free access to the training!
Plus, you can upgrade and earn up to 6 CE hours!
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Clinical Tools to Help Kids Address Anxiety, Trauma, Grief, Attachment, Self-Regulation, Social Skills, Family Relationships, and More
A $324.99 Value!
Click here for Outline & Objectives
Presented in EN, subtitles in EN and FR
Liana Lowenstein, MSW, RSW, CPT-S, is a Registered Social Worker, Certified Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified TF-CBT Therapist who has been working with children and families in Toronto since 1988. An internationally recognized speaker, she delivers dynamic trainings across North America and around the world, with recent engagements in China, South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia. Liana is the author of 15 widely acclaimed books, known for their practical and creative therapeutic interventions. Her latest book is the Game Therapy Toolbox: 114 Innovative Activities to Help Kids Address Anxiety, Trauma, Grief, Attachment, Self-Regulation, Social Skills, Family Relationships, and More. She is the proud recipient of the Monica Herbert Award, recognizing her outstanding contribution to the field of play therapy.
Click here for information about Liana Lowenstein
Game Therapy: What it Is, Why it Works, and Who it’s For
- Working definition of game-based play therapy; scope
- When and why to use structured games in clinical practice
- Therapeutic benefits of using games in play therapy
- Limitations of the research and potential risks
Getting Started with Games in Play Therapy: Considerations for Game Selection, Client Fit, and Therapeutic Setup
- Game types (board games, cards, imaginative)
- Adapting commercial games for therapeutic use in play therapy
- Age, developmental, cultural, neurodiversity considerations
- Game selection based on presenting problem, stage of play therapy, client goals
Clinical Skills: Game-Based Assessment, Skill-Building, and Processing
- How to present the game to your play therapy client
- Using gameplay therapeutically to explore relational dynamics, core beliefs, skills, and self-concept
- Recognizing therapeutic “points of departure” in play therapy sessions
- Techniques for steering game play toward meaningful insight and reflection
- Therapeutic responses that validate, reframe, or deepen a child’s experience
- Strategies for managing dysregulation, cheating, or competition during gameplay
- Transitioning from play to processing when the game has ended
Game-Based Play Therapy in Action: Case Studies and Activity Demonstrations
- Rapport building: Reduce anxiety, build positive therapeutic rapport
- Feelings expression: label, identify, and safely express a range of emotions, and explore emotional intensity, body cues, and triggers
- Focus and self-regulation: target attention, impulse control, emotional modulation, and active regulation
- Social skills: promote cooperation, communication, perspective-taking, conflict resolution, listening, and empathy
- Anxiety and fears: provide psychoeducation and strategies for managing anxiety
- Trauma and stress: Normalize common responses to trauma, address cognitive distortions
- Self-Esteem: identify strengths and build positive self-concept and resilience, as well as identity exploration
- Family interaction: attachment, communication, and problem-solving within families
- Termination: Affirm therapeutic progress and provide a positive ending to play therapy