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2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Who We Are
April 26, 2024 Morning Session with Jeff Ashby
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Play Therapy with Teens and Tweens: Individual and Family Interventions
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Description:
Be prepared for fun while learning play therapy, adventure therapy, and expressive art techniques; directive sand tray activities; Adlerian concepts and strategies; and life coaching interventions to help preteens and teens gain a sense of belonging and positive identity, increase self-esteem, build relationships, and learn to share power. You will also learn strategies for helping families of tweens and teens improve communication and interactional patterns.
Learning Objectives:
Identify primary issues and challenges of working with latency and adolescent age clients in play therapy.
Describe a model for assessment of latency and adolescent age clients in play therapy.
Explain how to engage challenging latency and adolescent age clients in play therapy.
Use selected play therapy techniques with pre-adolescent and adolescent clients.
Use selected art and expressive arts techniques with pre-adolescent and adolescent clients (and/or their families).
Use selected adventure/experiential therapy techniques with pre-adolescent and adolescent clients (and/or their families).
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2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Text
April 26, 2024 Afternoon Session with Jeff Ashby
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Play Therapy Burnout – Anticipate it, Avoid it, Guard against it – to be a better Play Therapist (and happier and healthier!) (HALF-DAY)​
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Description:
Play therapists consistently extend themselves on behalf of the clients they serve. In the hectic world of providing therapy and consultation to clients, play therapists often neglect their own well-being. The results can include vicarious traumatization, extreme stress, and burnout. In this experiential workshop we’ll learn and practice self-care techniques that can assist the play therapist in maintaining the ethical mandate of emotional competence in practice, have more fun, and be a better play therapist.
Learning Objectives:
After the workshop, participants will be able to:
Participants will be able to define burnout and discuss its relationship to play therapy competence.
Participants will be able to define self-care and discuss its relationship to play therapy competence.
Participants will be able to evaluate when there is a need for self-care.
Participants will be able to demonstrate three play therapy self-care applications.
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2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Text
April 27, 2024 Morning Session with Jeff Ashby
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Ethical Decision-Making in Play Therapy: Models and Applications (1/2 DAY)
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Description:
In this experiential workshop, participants will review ethical theories and models of ethical decision-making relevant to child counseling and play therapy applications. Special emphasis will be placed on developing professionals’ understanding of decision-making processes used in arriving at ethical courses of action in three primary areas of emphasis in professional ethics codes. These areas include a) informed consent, b) confidentiality, and c) competence. Using case studies and vignettes, professionals will be invited to consider what might be the best course of action in a variety of child counseling and play therapy scenarios presenting ethical dilemmas.
Learning Objectives:
After the workshop, participants will be able to:
Apply the ethical construct of informed consent across a variety of play therapy settings.
Apply the ethical construct of competence across a variety of play therapy settings.
Apply the ethical construct of confidentiality across a variety of play therapy settings.
Apply a play therapy ethical decision-making model to a variety of ethical dilemmas.
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2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Text
April 27, 2024 Afternoon Session with Debra Doubrava, Elizabeth Craft and Jacqueline George
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"Please use my Language..." the Symbolic and Healing Value of Family Play Therapy
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Description:
More and more, therapists are inspired to be eclectic and integrative in the play
therapy theories and tools they use to treat each child most effectively (Schaefer, 2018, p. 26) and to harness the "therapeutic powers of play" including facilitating communication, fostering emotional wellness, enhancing social relationships, and increasing personal strengths (Schaefer & Drewes, 2014). Family play therapy is a dynamic way to honor both "the systemic nature of the family" and "the intrapsychic process of the individual" (Schaefer & Carey, 1994, p. 3). When families use play, the child's language, to communicate, children can feel acknowledged and safer to express themselves. And therapists can observe the interplay between family members, assess how a family functions as a unit, and symbolically process presenting issues, needs, and personalities. Participants will have the opportunity to "play through" hands-on family play therapy techniques and to practice the child-centered messages that children (and adults too) need for healing to occur... "I am here. I hear you. I understand. I care (Landreth 2012)." Time will be given to process these experiences one-to-one as well as in small and large group discussion. Also, due to the impact of living in a post COVID-19 Pandemic world, this workshop will explore ways to employ directive family play therapy sessions via telehealth (Smith et al. 2021).
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Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Explain the value of integrating different theoretical orientations including Directive vs. Non-Directive within Family Play Therapy.
Discuss four healing messages to role model and facilitate in Family Play Therapy communication and relationships.
Engage in three directive activities for Family Play Therapy sessions and evaluate how to modify these activities if they were done virtually.
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2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Text
Jeff Ashby, Ph.D, ABPP, RPT-S
Dr. Jeff Ashby 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 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, two books, and regularly presents at professional conferences. Jeff lives in Atlanta with his wife and dog Zoey, with occasional visits from his four adult children (a constant adventure).
2024 Session Descriptions/Learning Objectives: Text
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