Full Course Description

Step-by-Step Polyvagal & Play Therapy for Kids with Trauma

Join Jackie Flynn, EDS, LMHC-S, RPT, and Dora Henderson, LMHC, RPT-S, two passionate and expert therapists Play Therapists and traumatologists in this immersive, interactive course where they’ll demystify the complexities of the Polyvagal Theory.

By integrating practical Play Therapy applications—nature-based play, animal imagery, movement, puppets and more into your practice—you’ll interact with kids – on their level – to help them become “detectives” of their own autonomic nervous system. Through an integrative framework, Jackie and Dora will teach you ways the autonomic nervous system impacts children's capacity to:

Manage stress
Express themselves
Regulate emotional states
Navigate relationships

A Bottom-Up Polyvagal Play Therapy approach for working with complex trauma through:

Nature-based play
Animal metaphors and imagery
Movement
Puppets and more!

You’ll witness healing in even the most painful of realities through the transformative effects of playfully applying Polyvagal Theory, all while creating a culturally considerate practice for every child.

Walk away from this training with a therapeutic toolbox filled with practical, ready-to-apply Polyvagal-inspired Play Therapy techniques that you can immediately implement in your practice supporting regulation of the autonomic nervous system!

This training will transform your clinical practice with children and adolescents.

Program Information

Objectives

Describe the definition of play therapy as defined by Dr. Stephen Porges according to the Polyvagal Theory.
Identify the functions of 3 states of the Autonomic Nervous System: Ventral Vagal, Sympathetic, and Dorsal Vagal, with the hybrid states.
Discuss how play therapy supports regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System.
Demonstrate ways to support clients with state change through Autonomic Nervous System mapping and shifting states in play therapy.
Compare and contrast a bottom-up and top-down approaches to play therapy.
Describe how to engage in nature-based Play Therapy with mindfulness and movement to support regulation of the Autonomic Nervous System.
Explain stress responses of the nervous system through the concept of “behaviours” as “adaptations” in play therapy.
Describe the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion within the play therapy process as it applies to play therapy and complex trauma.
Identify key aspects of the neuroception of safety and their importance in play therapy applications when working with children who have experienced trauma.
Apply 10 or more play therapy techniques to assist children in regulation, stress reduction, and social interactions.
Identify 3 key aspects of the neuroception of safety and their importance in play therapy applications when working with children who have experienced trauma.
Demonstrate ways to utilize movement in Play Therapy releasing trapped activation energy in support of regulation of the autonomic nervous system.
Utilize animal themed imagery to support understanding of neuroception and co-regulation through the lens of the polyvagal theory and play therapy.