-In this article on treating psychological trauma, the author responds to a recent paper on how patients report trauma and how it can be treated. If you have the time, I would recommend reading the latter in it’s entirety—it does contain some interesting finds.
-Those of you who own Liana Lowenstein’s Creative Family Therapy Techniques are likely familiar with this technique (and to those of you who don’t own it, get thee to CTT!). It’s a very unique intervention to engage participants and foster communication in family therapy. In this video, Ms. Lowenstein demonstrates the technique with it’s creator Greg Lubimiv:
-This article from PsychCentral on the importance of play serves as a nice refresher to the excellent ‘Playing to Learn’ series NPR did last month.
-Sand play can be helpful in child development even before metaphors get involved. This article discusses the ways in which the tactile experimentation of playing with sand can help toddlers
-Very interesting. To really evaluate the effectiveness of play therapy, you really have to specify what kind of play therapy is used, and in what circumstances.
-This sounds like a really great workshop on an oft-neglected topic. Most play therapists start their own practice, but you don’t learn much about business in graduate school.
-Not all children are gregarious and talkative—in fact, I’d say kids are more likely to be reserved in a new therapy setting. Here are some great tips for working with quiet children that I think you’ll find very useful.
-Those already planning their 2015 workshop schedule might want to consider this intriguing event in Fort Lauderdale.
-There aren’t enough podcasts dedicated to play therapy. Here’s hoping this one lasts and encourages many other practitioners to start their own!
-Depression and anxiety in young children can be very difficult to treat, and many people are looking for solutions that do not involve medication. Researches at Washington University are conducting a study to learn the effects of play therapy interventions, such as PCIT and emotion development. Very interesting article on this subject.
-Everyone loves a nice flowchart, right? Here’s a good one that traces the path to becoming a play therapist. Pretty helpful!
-Here’s an uplifting article about an autistic child who received a “play pod” containing a large variety of sensory toys.