Northwest Center for Play Therapy Studies 2024 Summer Institute

The Northwest Center for Play Therapy Studies at George Fox University is proud to present its 2024 five-day Summer Institute. This event features thought-provoking talks from play therapy experts to help you elevate your practice.

Presentations will be held at George Fox University's Portland Center near Tigard in Room 155. Registration is limited to 85 participants.

Register Here

June 3-7, 2024

Integrating Art Techniques in Play Therapy

Monday, June 3, 2024

Dr. Terry Kottman

Presented by Dr. Terry Kottman (PhD, LMHC, RPT-S™)

In this fun and entertaining experiential workshop, you will learn to use drawings and art techniques to:

We will explore drawing strategies that can be used as informal assessment and intervention strategies, including several different styles of feeling drawings, body outlines, the Rosebush, the Garden, problem pass-around, and timelines.

Other art techniques, such as animal phototherapy, Invent-a-Pet, Gremlin puppets, mandalas, and construction projects will round out this blast of a workshop. You don’t have to have artistic talent to attend; all you have to bring are a willingness to try new things and a desire to laugh and have fun. Be sure to wear comfortable play clothes!

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain the rationale for using art techniques in play therapy
  2. Describe two art techniques they can use to build a relationship with the client in the process of play therapy
  3. Describe two art techniques they can use as informal assessment tools during the process of play therapy
  4. Describe two art techniques to help clients gain insight during the process of play therapy
  5. Explain how they can use two art techniques as intervention tools to help clients learn and practice more adaptive patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving as part of the process of play therapy
  6. Explain how they can use two art techniques as intervention tools working with parents and family members as part of the process of play therapy.

Terry Kottman, PhD, LMHC, RPT-S™ developed Adlerian play therapy, an approach to working with children, families, and adults that combines the ideas and techniques of individual psychology and play therapy. She founded the League of Extraordinary Adlerian Play Therapists and created a certification program for Adlerian play therapy.

Terry is a fun and engaging presenter and author who regularly teaches classes and writes about play therapy. She is coauthor (with Kristin Meany-Walen) of Doing Play Therapy: From Building the Relationship to Facilitating Change and Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy, and the author of Play Therapy: Basics and Beyond and several other books.

In 2014, she was granted a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Play Therapy; in 2017, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Iowa Association for Play Therapy; and in 2020, she received a third Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology. (She seems to be collecting them!) She has been married to her husband Rick for 46 years and has a delightful adult son, Jacob, of whom she is inordinately proud.

Adlerian Play Therapy for Traumatized Clients – Using Play to Heal While Taking Care of Yourself

Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Dr. Terry Kottman & Dr. Jeff Ashby

Presented by Dr. Terry Kottman & Dr. Jeff Ashby

Can you have fun talking about trauma? With us, you can! This experiential workshop is designed to help play therapists gain experience conceptualizing and intervening with traumatized clients using an Adlerian approach.

We will invite participants to practice several active treatment modalities such as movement, art, relaxation/self-regulation, and adventure therapy strategies. In addition, the workshop will also focus on avoiding the vicarious trauma and burnout that commonly accompanies working with traumatized clients.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Describe a model of trauma to conceptualize clients’ distress
  2. Identify and apply Adlerian constructs to the experience of trauma
  3. Choose and practice techniques to increase a client’s coping strategies in managing hyperarousal and develop emotional regulation
  4. Choose and practice techniques to help clients explore and express thoughts and feelings associated with trauma
  5. Predict the role of clinician vicarious trauma in the play therapy with trauma clients
  6. Identify and practice play therapist self-care techniques to ensure emotional competence

Play Therapy with Angry and Aggressive Clients

Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Dr. Jeff Ashby

Presented by Dr. Jeff Ashby

This interactive workshop teaches you how to conceptualize and intervene effectively with angry and aggressive clients. This workshop is designed to help play therapists understand the internal dynamics of the angry child.

Participants will learn how to conceptualize the child’s lifestyle and resulting behavior using an Adlerian approach. Workshop participants will also havethe opportunity to learn and practice various techniques to help clients gain insight abouttheir lifestyles and resolve underlying issues that result in angry and defiant behavior. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to learn and practice various art, expressive, experiential, and play techniques to express and manage their anger appropriately.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify the underlying dynamics of children who present with angry, defiant, and aggressive behavior
  2. List and describe three techniques to increase a child client’s coping strategies to manage hyperarousal
  3. List and describe three techniques to develop emotional regulation
  4. List and describe three art and expressive arts techniques to use with angry and defiant play therapy clients
  5. List and describe three experiential play therapy techniques to use with angry and defiant play therapy clients
  6. Explain how to choose play therapy techniques consistent with the child’s internal dynamics

Jeff Ashby, PhD, RPT-S™ is a professor in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services at Georgia State University. He is the director of the Georgia State Play Therapy Training Institute, a Licensed Psychologist, and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.

In addition, he is the co-director of Georgia State’s Matheny Center for the Study of Stress, Trauma, and Resilience and a diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. Jeff has authored over 120 professional journal articles and book chapters, three books, and regularly presents at professional conferences. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and dog Zoey, with occasional visits from his four adult children (a constant adventure).

Why is This So Hard? The Challenges with Working with Parents in Play Therapy

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Dr. Mary Bennett

Presented by Dr. Mary Bennett

Effective parent consultations are critical in every play therapy practice. Research indicates we see more movement in our clients when parents are engaged in the play therapy process. We all encounter challenging parents and struggle to respond therapeutically.

This presentation focuses on the therapist-parent relationship, skills for effective parent consultations, and therapist personal growth in parent work. Join us in this interactive workshop where we will use a variety of therapeutic modalities to learn more about parents and ourselves. At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify four therapeutic attitudes necessary to form a therapeutic relationship with parents in the play therapy process
  2. Identify four of the pieces of information to gather in an initial parent consultation to create a treatment plan and diagnosis in play therapy
  3. Apply their theory in working with parents in the play therapy process
  4. Apply a systematic way to prepare for parent consultations from their theoretical perspective
  5. Identify their own struggles in working with parents and three techniques to work through those struggles
  6. Name three categories of information parents need in ongoing parent consultation work to facilitate the play therapy process for the child

Mary Morrison Bennett, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S™ has been practicing play therapy for over 20 years. After 11 years on faculty in the Professional Counseling Program at Texas State University, she retired to spend more time with her family and is now in private practice.

Mary received her BS in special education at Texas Christian University, her MEd, and PhD in counseling from the University of North Texas. She is also a Certified Child-Centered Play Therapy Trainer, and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Trainer.

Mary has also published many articles in professional journals and book chapters on various topics of play therapy. She has been recognized for her professional contributions, including as the recipient of the Dissertation Award by the Association for Play Therapy for her research on Child Teacher Relationship Training and the Nancy Guillory Award by The Texas Association for Play Therapy.

She is the coauthor of the Child-Parent Relationship Therapy -Toddler Model, the Child-Teacher Relationship Training Model, and The Guide to Play Therapy Documentation and Parent Consultation.

Systemic Sandtrays: Engaging and Exploring Family Systems in Play Therapy

Friday, June 7, 2024

Dr. Nick Cornett

Presented by Dr. Nick Cornett

Play therapists frequently encounter concerns regarding family relationships. There is significant therapeutic value in the assessment and treatment of families through the use of play therapy. The interest in and attention to family play therapy appears to be well placed given the prevalence of concerns regarding family relationships faced by play therapists. However, only 25% of play therapists acknowledged incorporating family play therapy into their clinical work.

In this workshop, come explore how the use of sandtray therapy with families can provide an opportunity to assess family relationships and inform play therapy treatment.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Define sandtray therapy and its usefulness in working with families in play therapy
  2. Identify common materials utilized in sandtray therapy, including additional materials that may be helpful when using sandtrays with families in play therapy
  3. Discuss how to prepare families for participating in play therapy and sandtray therapy
  4. Describe example sandtray therapy prompts that can be utilized with families in play therapy
  5. Describe frameworks play therapists can use with families to process sandtrays families have completed.
  6. Discuss case examples of sandtrays completed by families in play therapy.

Nick Cornett, PhD, LMFT, LPC, RPT™ is a professor in the Graduate Counseling Program at John Brown University, where he primarily teaches courses on working with families using family systems theory, family therapy, and family play therapy.

He is a Licensed Professional Counselor and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Arkansas and is a Registered Play Therapist™ through the Association for Play Therapy. In addition to teaching, Dr. Cornett works with children, adolescents, and their families in private practice.

Schedule

Continuing Education

Six CEs are offered for attending the full session.

APT Approved Provider 03-134
NBCC Approved Provider 4447

Cost

Registration coming soon