Postponed to November 2021 due to COVID19
Introducing…
The Las Vegas Play Therapy Conference
An intermediate level training conference for professional/mental health counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists and psychologists.
November 7 & 8, 2020
Las Vegas, Nevada
Hosted by Marie Foster Stokey, LPC
Sponsored by Wonders Counseling Services, LLC
LOCATION:
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
Come to Las Vegas and receive 12 hours of play therapy training
with a little fun and sunny Vegas vacation on the side!
PRESENTERS:
Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S
Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S is a sought after international speaker, author, and psychotherapist. Clair is the author of Attachment Centered Play Therapy, Play Therapy : Proven Strategies for Childhood Disorders, and My Many Colors of Me Workbook. In addition to being an experienced play therapist and presenter, she frequently appears on local and national media as an expert on children and family issues.
and
Lynn Louise Wonders, LPC, RPT-S, CPCS
Lynn is a child and family counselor providing holistic therapy services for children, families and couples for nearly 20 years in metro Atlanta, Georgia. She provides online continuing education and parenting training and travels to provide professional training workshops at conferences throughout the United States and beyond. She is the author of When Parents Are at War: A Child Therapist’s Guide to Navigating High Conflict Divorce & Custody Cases. You can learn more about Lynn’s work at www.WondersCounseling.com
Training Course Details
Schedule for both days will be as follows:
9:00 – 10:30 – Course Content
10:30 – 10:45 – Break
10:45 – 12:15 Course Content
12:15 – 1:15 Lunch Break
1:15 – 2:30 Course Content
2:30 – 2:45 Break
2:45 – 4:30 – Course Content
4:30 – Evaluations, Certificates, Adjourn
Saturday November 7th
with
Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S
Attachment Centered Play Therapy with High Conflict Families
Clinicians are often the “first responders” to families in crisis or when dealing with an unforeseen trauma taking place. Our understanding as to how these different life experiences play out in the family home and relationships. High conflict families can be challenging to work with in play therapy, as parents and children tend to be highly reactive, yet also highly avoidant. Engagement with parents is a must in order for lasting change and healing to happen. This play therapy training will explore clients through the lens of attachment theory, gaining a new understanding of how children and families interact and bond to one another in healthy vs maladaptive ways. We will explore how trauma, abuse, and neglect impact the bonds of attachment within the family system and how the power of Attachment Centered Play Therapy can help to heal these wounds in high conflict families. Issues such as shame, vulnerability, and attachment centered engagement strategies will be addressed. This training will offer 2 hours of seminal theory, 2 hours of skills and methods and 2 hours of play therapy interventions.
Learning Objectives – After completing this training participants will be able to:
- Describe how attachment theory applies to play therapy.
- Identify ways to view family systems through the lens of attachment.
- Name at least 3 attachment patterns that impact parent-child relationships.
- Implement 5 play therapy interventions to foster engagement with parents in family play therapy in order to repair and enhance the parent-child relationship.
- List the developmental stages of attachment needs and behaviors to identify maladaptive responses in children and families.
- Utilize play therapy interventions to decrease conflict in parent-child relationships
Sunday November 8th
with
Lynn Louise Wonders, LPC, RPT-S, CPCS
Play Therapy with Children of Divorce: Navigating High Conflict Divorce & Custody Cases
This 6 hour presentation will provide participants instruction on the special topic of how to conduct play therapy services for children and families who are going through a high conflict divorce or custody case. The training will provide therapists with detailed information about the nature of these kinds of cases and the policies and protocols that are needed to preserve the integrity of the play therapy services. Play therapy treatment planning and strategies for managing dynamics with parents in the process will be an important component of this day of training. We will be reviewing specific play therapy interventions that help children whose parents are engaged in high conflict divorce and custody disputes to process emotions and achieve a sense of age-appropriate personal identity, ownership of feelings and thoughts and respectful assertiveness skills in the midst of the high conflict family dynamics. This training will qualify for 1 hour of special topics, 2 hours of skills and methods, 1 hour of seminal theories and 2 hours of play therapy interventions
Learning Objectives – After this training participants will be able to:
- Describe how to efficiently screen for red and yellow flags during the initial play therapy intake for the vital information that might otherwise be withheld.
- Define and differentiate the appropriate role a therapist providing play therapy observes in a case involving a custody dispute apart from other roles such as that of a custody evaluator.
- Name 3 elements of the process of setting and maintaining clear boundaries with parents in order to protect the integrity of the play therapy process.
- Define concepts of alienation, polarization and loyalty conflict.
- Identify elements of alienation, polarization and loyalty conflict and describe how to manage the therapeutic process with the child in play therapy and the parents when these elements have been identified.
- Describe how to ethically document, communicate with attorneys and guardians ad litem and be prepared for court testimony if needed throughout the play therapy process.
- List 10 play based interventions to use with children whose families are involved in a high conflict divorce or custody case.
This 2 day training event will provide 12 hours of contact play therapy training APT Approved Provider 12-321.
12 hours of Continuing Education Credit is approved through Commonwealth Educational Seminars for the following professions: Licensed Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors/Mental Health Counselors, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists and Psychologists. Please scroll to the bottom of the page beneath the registration form for the detailed description of CE credits
**It is the registering participant’s responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
** Please check THIS LINK for more information about states and CE approval.
Conference Location: University of Nevada Las Vegas (details to be provided in January)
Meals, lodging options and fun entertainment options post training events will be provided but are not included in the conference fee.
Total Conference FEE: $350
Accommodations for the Differently Abled: Wonders Counseling Services, LLC sponsored training facilities are handicap accessible. Individuals needing special accommodations, please contact: Lynn Louise Wonders 404-455-5805 or lynn@wonderscounseling.com
Grievance Policy: Hosting and sponsoring organizations for this event seek to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please submit a written grievance to Lynn Louise Wonders lynn@wonderscounseling.com or call 404-455-5805. Grievances will receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems.
Want to sign up?
Fill out and submit the following form and payment:
Continuing Education Credit is provided by Commonwealth Educational Seminars for the following professions.
Psychologists:
Commonwealth Educational Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Commonwealth Educational Seminars maintains responsibility for these programs and their content.
Licensed Professional Counselors/Licensed Mental Health Counselors:
Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is entitled to award continuing education credit for Licensed Professional Counselors/Licensed Mental Health Counselors. Please visit CES CE CREDIT to see all states that are covered for LPCs/LMHCs. CES maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Social Workers:
Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is entitled to award continuing education credit for Social Workers. Please visit CES CE CREDIT to see all states that are covered for Social Workers. CES maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
If applicable: Social Workers – New York State
Commonwealth Educational Seminars is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. #SW-0444.
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists:
Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is entitled to award continuing education credit for Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists. Please visit CES CE CREDIT to see all states that are covered for LMFTs. CES maintains responsibility for this program and its content.