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*Start and end times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, UTC+10:00

ABOUT

This workshop is suitable for those who have completed Learn to Play Therapy – Part 1: Introduction.

Learn to Play Therapy aims to facilitate the ability of a child to spontaneously self-initiate pretend play. The therapeutic skills required to facilitate this ability in children, who find it difficult to play, are explored more deeply in this 2 day ONLINE workshop. This 2 day ONLINE workshop builds on the Learn to Play Therapy Part 1 Introduction workshop. In Part 2 Training (Advanced) it is assumed that participants have knowledge of the development of pretend play and assessment of pretend play.

Participants are introduced to the clinical framework and theoretical underpinnings of Learn to Play Therapy. The importance of creating safety for the child in therapy is explained using Porges Polyvagal theory. The advanced processes and principles are covered and are practiced, including further therapeutic skills to engage children in play such as tracking, empathic reflections, holding, limit setting, and congruence. Break-out rooms in Zoom are utilised for this practice. The three stages of changes in therapeutic skill of the therapist are presented. On the second day more information is covered on working with children who have experienced trauma, and children with autism.

Over the 2 day ONLINE workshop several case studies are worked through from assessment to planning therapy sessions. The workshop focusses on practical problem solving of difficult cases and how to facilitate play ability in children who find it difficult to play. The LIVE online sessions are complemented by pre-workshop activities and open discussion sessions to further explore play materials for therapy sessions, and engagement of children in play. This workshop would be valuable to therapists, social workers, psychologists and early intervention workers who work with families with children under 8 years of age who have a developmental delay.

Pre-Workshop Activities: 2 pre-recorded PowerPoints are provided plus further reading and other videos. These pre-recorded PowerPoints provide information relevant to the first and second LIVE sessions.

LIVE sessions Workshop content: The LIVE morning sessions include a PowerPoint presentation. The OPEN sessions are provided on the afternoons of each LIVE session. These open sessions are for discussion of the pre-workshop content, the Powerpoint presentation, using Learn to Play Therapy in therapy, and case studies.

Day 1

• Therapeutic presence
• Theoretical framework for Learn to Play Therapy
• What activity do I use now?
• Advanced therapeutic skills

Day 2

• Learn to Play Therapy for children on the autism spectrum
• Learn to Play adaptation for working in Schools (provided in pre-workshop recording)
• Group Learn to Play Therapy
• Learn to Play Therapy with children who have experienced trauma

PRESENTER’S PROFILE – KAREN STAGNITTI

Karen Stagnitti is Emeritus Professor in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. She is retired from full time teaching and research but continues to run workshops and write. She graduated with a Bachelor degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Queensland. For over 40 years she has mainly worked in early childhood intervention programs in community-based settings as part of a specialist paediatric multidisciplinary team. In 2003 she graduated from LaTrobe University with a Doctor of Philosophy. Her area of research is children’s play. Karen has over 125 publications, including journal articles, book chapters, and books. She has developed several play assessments including: Child- Initiated Pretend Play Assessment 2, the Pretend Play Enjoyment Developmental Checklist and the Animated Movie Test. From this research, Learn to Play Therapy was developed. Throughout the year, she is invited to present her work on the play ability of children nationally and internationally.

PRESENTER’S PROFILE – BRIDGET SARAH

Bridget Sarah is a paediatric Occupational Therapist and Masters qualified, Registered Play Therapist. Bridget has experience working with children and families in a diverse range of clinic, home, school and community settings where she has pursued her particular interest in the play of vulnerable children from backgrounds of disadvantage and disruption. Bridget is currently employed as a Lecturer and Researcher in Play Therapy at Deakin University where she provides education and supervision to play therapy students in the Graduate Certificate / Diploma of Therapeutic Child Play and Master of Child Play Therapy. Bridget feels passionate about the need to make a priority of addressing the mental health, social and emotional wellbeing needs of children and families in the community using developmentally sensitive and appropriate interventions. As an Occupational Therapist and Registered Play Therapist, Bridget is an integrative Play Therapist trained and experienced in the delivery of multiple play therapy models and approaches including the range of Learn to Play programs and assessment tools. Bridget’s research interests to date have focused on exploring the play abilities of children with acquired brain injuries, and how Play Therapists can use standardised assessment to measure play themes in play therapy to inform their clinical decision making and make sense of the messages that children communicate through their play