Live Online Training from May 19th - 21st, 2023. The training will be on Friday and Saturday from 8am - 4pm CST, and on Sunday from 8am - 2:45pm CST. 

A zoom link will be provided 24 hours prior to the training. 

Play therapists must be able to explain our clinical choices all along the continuum of care when working with traumatized children and families. TraumaPlay™ translates evidence-informed trauma treatment with children into a sequence of play-based component modules that celebrate the intersection of the neurobiology of play and the neurobiology of trauma, while honoring current evidence-based approaches in the field of trauma. Each component represents an important dimension of play therapy for trauma treatment and articulates both a specific treatment goal and accompanying interventions. The child’s metaphorical use of the playroom is demonstrated through a multitude of case examples and augmented with a variety of prop-based play therapy interventions. This flexible, phase-based model differentiates between goals of trauma treatment that are best accomplished through non-directive play therapy methods and goals that are best served by including attachment-focused play therapy approaches that include Parents as Partners, cognitive-behavioral play therapy interventions, sand tray methods and other expressive therapy techniques. Come learn the overarching trajectory for trauma treatment as well as a multitude of practical clinical tools that can be immediately integrated into your practice.

After the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. List all seven primary components of TraumaPlay™
  2. List the three roles of the TraumaPlay™ Therapist
  3. Describe several self-directed ways in which children use the playroom to increase their sense of safety and security in play therapy.
  4. List three therapist-directed activities for enhancing safety and security in play therapy.
  5. Describe four play therapy interventions that assess and augment coping.
  6. Describe three play therapy interventions that decrease a child's sense of physiological arousal.
  7. Describe six play therapy interventions that help parents co-regulate their children more effectively.
  8. Describe three play therapy interventions for assessing and increasing emotional literacy.
  9. Explain the two developmental foundations discussed in the Parents as Partners component of the model.
  10. List three play therapy interventions that invite disclosure in TraumaPlay™.
  11. List five play therapy interventions that prompt coherent narrative building in TraumaPlay™.
  12. List four prop-based play therapy interventions that help integrate somatic memories during coherent narrative building.
  13. Explain several play therapy techniques that assist clients in challenging and restructuring cognitive distortions.


The cost of this training is $600 USD. Upon payment and full participation in the course, you will receive 20 non-contact APT CE credits and a certificate of completion. APT provider #18-559. This course meets APT's definition of "Live Webinar." Your camera must be left on for the entirety of the webinar. 

A post-graduate level quiz will also need to be completed to receive your certificate.

Cancellations that are made 72 hours in advance of the live training are eligible for a refund.

Course curriculum