Somatic Experiential Play Therapy: An Embodied Approach to Help Kids Regulate, Connect, and Heal

CPD

Planning Committee Disclosure - No relevant relationships

All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

Handouts

Faculty

Melissa Wetterlund, MA, LP, LMFT, RPT-S™ Related seminars and products

---

Melissa Wetterlund, MA, LP, LMFT, RPT-S™, is a licensed psychologist, licensed marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist-supervisor and co-creator of the Somatic Experiential Play Therapy model.

She brings more than two decades of clinical experience to her work as a therapist, trainer, and consultant and is the co-owner of Watershed Psychological Services in Minnesota, where she provides individual and family therapy, clinical supervision, and advanced training for professionals.

Deeply inspired by the work of Dr. Peter Levine and Dr. Byron Norton, Melissa and Sara Werner developed the Somatic Experiential Play Therapy model that blends character-based, interactive play with somatic tracking to support nervous system regulation and unlock deep emotional healing in children and families.

Melissa developed the play therapy certificate and teaches at Bethel University and also teaches play therapy coursework at Crown College. She regularly presents keynotes, in-depth trainings, and clinical consultations across the country. Whether she’s in the therapy room or the training room, her mission is the same: to help kids and clinicians access powerful, embodied tools for healing through play.

Learn more at www.melissawetterlund.com.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Melissa Wetterlund maintains a private practice and has employment relationships with Bethel University and Crown College. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Melissa Wetterlund has no relevant non-financial relationships.

 

 

Additional Info

Access never expires for this product.

For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.

Objectives

1. Identify the theoretical foundations of Somatic Experiential Play Therapy (SEPT).
2. Determine the importance of child-led play therapy and its impact on therapeutic outcomes.
3. Identify common metaphors in children’s play therapy to uncover underlying emotional themes.
4. Choose skills in somatic tracking to monitor and respond to children’s physiological cues during play therapy sessions.
5. Examine the role of play therapy in facilitating emotional expression and processing in children.
6. Differentiate between normal developmental play and trauma-related play behaviors in play therapy.
7. Develop a SEPT-appropriate playroom environment that supports play therapeutic goals.
8. Utilize structured Somatic Experiential Play Therapy sessions, including intake processes and play-based family assessments. 
9. Integrate parents into the play therapy process, clarifying roles and expectations.
10. Determine the stages of Somatic Experiential Play Therapy, from observation to closure, tailoring interventions to each phase. 
11. Choose various therapeutic responses—observational, metaphorical, play-based, relational, and somatic—appropriately within play therapy sessions.
12. Develop education for parents on play therapy themes and their significance. 

Outline

Somatic Experiential Play Therapy Snapshot

• Theoretical foundations of SEPT
• Child-led therapy: Empower the child’s voice
• Metaphor in play: Unlock symbolic truths
• Somatic tracking: Connect body and emotion
• Research, risks, and treatment limitations

Why Play Therapy?

• The power of metaphor in processing big feelings
• Play as a developmentally appropriate expression of emotion
• Explain play therapy to parents
• Challenges of play therapy in trauma work

Normal Development Play vs. Trauma Play

• Characteristics of normal developmental play
• How “trauma play” differs
• Disconnecting from the play experience
• Somatic expressions and their importance in trauma healing

Nervous System Basics You Need to Know

• The threat response cycle: Fight, flight, freeze
• Trauma and the stuck threat response
• Polyvagal Theory: How the nervous system reacts to trauma
• Trauma’s impact on children’s behavior
• Support nervous system regulation in play
• Help parents support nervous system regulation at home

Get Started with Somatic Experiential Playa Therapy:

Intake, Assessment and Structuring Sessions

• Parent focused intake process
• Play-based family assessments
• Structure for SEPT sessions
• Basic rules and expectations of the SEPT playroom

How do we Play in SEPT?

• Engage fully in play: Actively participate in the play process for deeper therapeutic connection
• Support change in child-directed play: Invite transformation by responding intentionally within the child’s play as an active participant
• Use somatic tracking for regulation: Recognize and respond to physiological cues to keep play mobilizing healing
• Track metaphor for deeper meaning: Identify and reflect symbolic themes to support emotional expression and resolution

Stages of SEPT

• Overview of stages of SEPT highlighting the unique needs, expected play, and most common roadblocks in each stage
  • Observation stage
  • Invitation stage
  • Discharge stage
  • Transformation stage
  • Closure stage

Let’s Talk Metaphor

• Common play-based metaphors: understanding common and universal symbolism
• Concentric circles of metaphorical distance-how children titrate their play to make it more tolerable
• Common symbolism in board games

Types of Responses

• Overview of the distinct response types in SEPT, their therapeutic impact, and how to intentionally apply them to foster activation or regulation in the playroom
  • Observational responses
  • Metaphorical responses
  • Play-based responses
  • Relational responses
  • Somatic responses
• How do we know if our responses are on the right track?
• What happens if my response is wrong?

How to Build an SEPT Playroom

• Playroom essentials; choosing therapeutic toys for my playroom
• Organization: Use the structure of the playroom to invite play

Partner with Parents

• Build strong therapist-parent collaboration for lasting change
• Clarify the distinct roles of the therapist and the parent in play therapy
• Effectively communicate expectations and guide parents toward meaningful involvement
• Talk about Play: shift the focus from play content to underlying themes
• Teach parents how to recognize and support their child’s healing process
• Provide essential education on the therapeutic value of play

Play Specific Documentation

• Child specific documentation
• How to protect a child’s confidentiality while maintaining ethical documentation
• Purposeful inclusion and exclusion in child specific documentation

Target Audience

• Counsellors
• Play Therapists
• Marriage & Family Therapists
• Social Workers
• Therapists
• Psychologists
• Psychiatrists
• Physicians
• Other Professionals Who Work within the Mental Health Fields