2022 Membership Drive with Dr. Nick Cornett LPC, LMFT, RPT

622 Airline Road,Corpus Christi TX 78412

29 January, 2022

Description

Play Reveals What Words Conceal: Using Play Therapy to Confront What Families Avoid Research suggests that play therapists and families agree: (1) when children are experiencing problems, families tend to be experiencing problems (Haslam & Harris, 2011; Tsai & Ray, 2011), and (2) effective therapy with children is inclusive of the family unit (Haslam & Harris, 2011; Sax, 2007). This emphasis on family involvement is supported by numerous research studies that suggest that family functioning and individual wellbeing are intertwined, not only for children and adolescents (Balistreri & Alvira-Hammond, 2016; Crandall, Ghazarian, Day, & Riley, 2016; Ferro & Boyle, 2015; Freed, Rubenstein, Daryanani, Olino, & Alloy, 2016; Knopp et al., 2017) but also for adults (Breaux & Harvey, 2018; Staccini, Tomba, Grandi, & Keitner, 2015; Wymbs, Wymbs, & Dawson, 2015). Unfortunately, research also suggests that only one out of four play therapists acknowledge practicing family play therapy, citing discomfort and a lack of training as the predominant reasons for not involving families more (Haslam & Harris, 2011). In this workshop, participants will strengthen their knowledge and skills in working with families through play therapy. Participants will learn how to identify problematic family system dynamics that tend to interfere with family communication, such as family secrets, family rules, and communication stances (Gehart, 2018). Participants will learn strategies for promoting congruent family communication through utilizing foundational play therapy skills and family play therapy activities. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to assess and promote their own congruent communication as play therapists as they apply the concepts and strategies to themselves through experiential exercises.