Wonders Counseling Blog
Play Therapy From A Family Systems Approach
Over the last 10 years that I have provided clinical supervision for therapists working with child clients I have felt concerned to observe that many therapists graduating from masters level mental health training programs have not received enough (if any!) training...
3 Playful Ways to Help Parents & Children Connect
It's important for therapists to know how to introduce playful ways to help parents and children connect. Play is the way children explore, experience and express whatever it is they need for growth, development and healing. The first part of our work as child...
5 Creative Play Based Therapy Activities for Families
When working with children and families as a counselor, sometimes it's helpful to have some fun and creative play based activities for families to explore and experience together for the purpose of connecting and better understanding one another. Facilitating...
Encouraging Creative Expression & Imagination for Children & Families
Einsten, one of the greatest minds in history, knew that we all do well to go beyond the limitations of what we have learned and know for certain in order to continue expanding and exploring the limitless possibilities of life itself. Encouraging creative expression...
10 Ways for Helping Teen Girls Navigate Social Stress
The social life of an adolescent girl has always been challenging but with the dynamics and pitfalls of social media and texting apps which allow for such quick, spontaneous reactions and emotion-based expressions all this can result in escalated difficulties. It can...
Parents In the Play Room LIVE WEBINAR December 9, 2019
Often play therapy is most effective when parents are involved in an adaptive and effective manner There are many ways parents can be involved with the process of play therapy but this LIVE 2 hour webinar is going to review a variety of models for having parents in...
4 Efficiency Hacks for Managing Administrative Time
I've written other articles about time management such as 8 Time Management Tips for Therapists and Coaches and 12 Time Management Tips for Feeling More Fulfilled. so today we are taking this concept a step further in order to provide you some efficiency hacks for...
3 Career Success Skills You Need to Succeed
When you are looking to expand your career, you want to do whatever it takes to make sure that you reach your career goals as easily as you can and there are some foundational career success skills you need to succeed. Having the right skills specific to your field...
49 Ways to Care for Yourself
Planning for and taking action to care for your whole self is necessary in order to feel fulfilled and content in your life. Here are 49 self care actions you can practice care for yourself: Schedule lunch breaks and take them.Slow down when you eat. Chew your food...
Successful Private Practice: 5 Essentials
When asked recently in an interview what it takes to have a successful private practice, I found myself rattling off 5 essential elements that I know for certain must be in place. I have learned from my own years of experience building my successful private practice,...
Procrastination Prevention for Private Practice Success
In the Play Therapy Practice Building Academy, my MasterMind groups and in private consultation sessions I tell helping professionals who are wanting to build their private practice that procrastination is just a fancy word for avoiding that which we most need to do....
Success Setting Exercise for Your Life and Career
You have to see it, feel it, and name it to claim it. You don't only want to work a job if you're reading my blog. You want a true professional career and I am going to bet that means you want a well-rounded life as well. Your life can be created and developed using a...
10 Ways to Use Balloons with Children & Families
One of my favorite things is to come up with creative, fun resources for therapists to use with children and families in sessions that don't break the bank. Today we are going to go through a list of 10 ways to use balloons with children and families because balloons...
Use What Irritates You to Inspire You
In a previous article I share with you a method for how you can be a client magnet and I want to expand on that basic idea in this week's article to talk more about how what you focus on is what you attract and what you spend time thinking about is what will expand....
Combating the Perfection Trap in Private Practice
This week's focus is to help private practitioners to climb out of the sticky wicket of perfectionism in order to get away from the crippling effects of this anxiety about never feeling good enough. I want to provide some actionable tips for combatingg the perfection...
5 Mindfulness Games for Children & Teens
The practice of being present with full attention is one we all will benefit from. When we are working with children it can be helpful to have some play-based ways of introducing and reinforcing mindfulness skills. I offer a 2 hour recorded training for therapists...
Mindfulness Meditation Changes Your Brain for the Better
People who regularly practice mindfulness meditation can attest to the positive effects of increasing calm, reducing stress and enhancing ability to develop insight on one’s life. Now, we have ample research to back up the positive impact meditation has. Dr....
3 Resources for Play Therapy With Trauma
I hear a lot of therapists asking for resources for using play therapy with trauma. While this short resource list is hardly comprehensive, you'll find some treasures here. Eliana Gil and Paris Goodyear-Brown are two experts on this topic when it comes to using play...