Therapeutic play is a specific approach to engage children, because it is a developmentally sensitive way to communicate and facilitate expression of the child’s thoughts and feelings, and may be applied to medical and health care settings and experiences. Therapeutic medical play may also be used proactively to prepare children before and to debrief after medical encounters, and using specific approaches during procedural phases.

This two day workshop integrates knowledge of paediatric medical and health care, childhood development and therapeutic play. It has been developed to extend the clinical skills of health care professionals who work with children and their families in health care settings.

DUE TO SMALL REGISTRATION NUMBERS THIS WORKSHOP WILL BE RESCHEDULED. PLEASE EMAIL learntoplayevents@gmail.com WITH EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST.

The ChIPPA is a norm referenced assessment of a child’s ability to self-initiate play. This workshop will be focussed on the ChIPPA-2. The ChIPPA would be valuable to occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers and psychologists who work with children under 8 years of age who have difficulties in social interaction and/or language and find it difficult to function within their social context.

Registration now open.

Learn to Play Therapy aims to develop the capacity in children to self-initiate their own pretend play. Being able to play is essential to children because through play children learn about themselves and their world. Pretend play is complex play and research evidence has shown that children who develop more complex levels of pretend play increase in their abilities in social competence, narrative language, language, self-regulation, creativity, and problem solving.

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.

Registration now open

This workshop combines the expertise of Karen Stagnitti (play) with Louise Paatsch (language and literacy and education) to bring to teachers and therapists ideas and explanations of why and how to embed play in the classroom. This workshop will cover why play is relevant to learning and the classroom, how to assess and report progress in play ability, how to link play ability to language and literacy, and how to embed play in the classroom to extend children’s language and literacy.

Registration now open

The Learn to Play 5 Day Workshop cost includes discounted registration for the Learn to Play Therapy: Introductory Course (2 Day Workshop) 9-8 Jul 2019; Parent Learn to Play: Train the Trainer (1 Day Workshop) 10 Jul 2019; Advanced Learn to Play Therapy (2 Day Workshop) 11-12 Jul 2019; pre-workshop refreshments, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, all workshop resources and a copy of Parent Learn to Play: Facilitator Manual and Parent Handbook.

Registration now open

Learn to Play Therapy aims to develop the capacity in children to self-initiate their own pretend play. Being able to play is essential to children because through play children learn about themselves and their world. Pretend play is complex play and research evidence has shown that children who develop more complex levels of pretend play increase in their abilities in social competence, narrative language, language, self-regulation, creativity, and problem solving.

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.

Registration now open

This workshops provides specific information on working with parents using the principles of Learn to Play Therapy. This course builds on the Learn to Play Introduction workshop as knowledge on the development of pretend play and how to assess spontaneous pretend play ability in children is assumed knowledge for participants who wish to participate in this workshop.

This one day workshop explains how to include parents as part of parent-child dyads in therapy as well as training participants to run the Parent Learn to Play small group course for parents. 

Registration now open