Lisa is back with another episode of the Little Lessons Series, answering your insightful questions about navigating the complexities of the playroom. Today’s episode focuses on how to handle those challenging moments in therapy where uncertainty, emotional flooding, and parents’ concerns come into play.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

Chrissy’s question: “What do you do when a child can’t decide on what to play with or doesn’t even play after coming for weeks?”
Lisa breaks down how to navigate moments of hesitation, offering insights on how to remain present and supportive without rushing to fix the situation. She also discusses how emotional age and developmental stage impact engagement in play.

Sally’s question: “What do you do when the parent tells you they don’t want their child to play with aggressive toys or engage in aggressive play, like war play?”
Lisa explores the importance of understanding the parent’s concerns and how to guide the conversation to help them see how aggressive play can be therapeutic and necessary for the child’s emotional expression and processing.

Carolyn’s question: “How do you respond when a child says ‘I love you’ or asks if you’ll move in with them or be their mother?”
Lisa offers valuable advice on how to respond authentically to these deeply emotional moments, explaining how to navigate the child’s need for connection while maintaining professional boundaries and emotional safety.

Join Lisa for a candid and thought-provoking conversation, as she offers practical strategies to help you stay grounded and authentic when facing common and challenging scenarios in the playroom.

🎧 Have a question you'd like Lisa to explore in an upcoming episode? Email your question to info@synergeticplaytherapy.com or send in an audio clip. Your curiosity fuels this podcast—and the entire play therapy community grows because of it.

How do our perspectives shape who we are and how we connect with others—both in the playroom and in life? In this thought-provoking episode, Lisa Dion sits down with Dr. Rachel Altvater (Psy.D., RPT-S™), an award-winning leader in play therapy, to explore the profound impact of perspective on our personal and professional lives.

🔹 Discover the inspiration behind Rachel’s new book, Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities
🔹 Unpack how we form perspectives about ourselves, others, and the world around us
🔹 Learn why perspective awareness is crucial for therapists and caregivers
🔹 Explore powerful self-reflection questions to expand your understanding of your own perspectives
🔹 Gain insights into how your perspectives may be shaping your interactions with clients

Rachel also shares a heartfelt message on the ripple effects of healing and connection, reminding us that the more aligned we are with ourselves, the greater impact we have on the world.

🌟 Tune in for an enlightening conversation that will shift the way you see yourself, your clients, and the world around you!

Original Air Date: May 9, 2023

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

Why is attunement the heart of the therapeutic relationship? In this episode, Lisa Dion explores why simply following a script or checklist in play therapy isn’t enough—true transformation happens when we deeply attune to our clients (and ourselves).

🔹 Discover what attunement is—and what it’s not
🔹 Uncover the biggest barriers to attunement in the playroom
🔹 Learn how to create an experience where clients feel emotionally and energetically met
🔹 Gain insights on explaining the felt-sense of attunement to parents and caregivers

Lisa also shares a powerful moment from a play therapy training, illustrating how attunement can reveal critical insights that might otherwise be missed. Whether you're a therapist or a parent, this conversation will deepen your ability to connect, co-regulate, and create meaningful therapeutic exchanges.

🌟 Tune in to transform your sessions and foster deeper, more authentic client connections!

Original Air Date: May 23, 2023

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

In this insightful episode, Lisa Dion is joined by the incredible Robyn Gobbel, MSW, to talk about a topic that has never been covered before on this podcast but is crucial for clinicians working with kids: teaching children about the brain.

Robyn, a true brain enthusiast, has a new book out titled Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work! This powerful resource blends relational neuroscience with practical tools and applications, making it the ultimate guide for parents who want to understand and transform their children's challenging behaviors into safety and connection. After listening to this episode, you’ll want to grab a copy of Robyn’s book—you’ll be hooked!

This episode is packed with fun and engaging insights on how we, as clinicians, can introduce kids to their brains and how this can empower them to understand themselves in a deeper way.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

🧠 Understanding the brain’s impact on behavior—Why it’s essential for us and the kids we work with to understand how the brain drives behaviors.

💫 How Robyn’s own journey with the brain—She shares how learning about the brain changed her life and relationships in profound ways.

🎨 Strategies for teaching the brain to kids—Learn how to introduce kids to their brain using visual aids, and the concept of the Watchdog and Possum pathways to explain brain functions.

🤗 The Owl pathway for safety and connection—How to use this concept to explain the brain’s need for safety, presence, and connection.

🤯 Understanding baffling behaviors—How kids’ challenging behaviors are often rooted in their longing for safety and connection.

👐 Involving caregivers—How to guide caregivers in understanding and recognizing their children’s behaviors from a neurological perspective to improve their relationship and responses. This episode will inspire curiosity in your work, support you in understanding children’s behaviors with compassion, and equip you to help caregivers gain a deeper understanding of their child(ren)'s behavior.

🎧 Listen to this enlightening episode and start teaching kids about their brains today!

Original Air Date: September 26, 2023.

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

"Every part of us, even the ones we've been taught to reject, holds the potential for growth and healing." – Mili Shoemaker

Aggression in the playroom is a familiar topic—but what happens when it’s not coming from the child, but from within us as therapists? This is a conversation we rarely hear in the play therapy world, yet it’s a reality many therapists silently grapple with. In this eye-opening episode, Lisa sits down with Mili Shoemaker, a seasoned play therapist, Synergetic Play Therapy trainer, and clinical supervisor, to explore what it means when therapists feel their own aggression arise in session.

With honesty and compassion, Lisa and Mili unpack the discomfort, shame, and stigma that often accompany these experiences. They dive into the protective patterns that emerge when we try to suppress these feelings, and how true healing begins when we stop rejecting these parts of ourselves.

Together, Lisa and Mili explore:

✨ The taboo of therapist aggression – Why this conversation is missing in the play therapy world and why it needs to be heard.
✨ Recognizing therapist activation – How to notice when your own history, protective mechanisms, and triggers show up in the playroom.
✨ Befriending aggression – How shifting from judgment to curiosity about our own aggressive parts creates deeper therapeutic presence.
✨ Embodied expression vs. catharsis – Why aggression isn’t something to suppress, but also isn’t about explosive release.
✨ The unmet needs beneath aggression – Understanding what these feelings are signaling and how to meet them with self-compassion.
✨ Breaking free from shame – How to reframe aggression as part of our full humanity rather than something to fear or reject.
✨ Integration and authenticity – Why making space for all parts of ourselves strengthens our ability to hold space for our clients.

This episode is an invitation to step into a conversation that has been long overdue—to acknowledge, explore, and ultimately embrace a part of ourselves that holds the potential for healing and growth.

🔗 Tune in and take the next step toward deeper self-acceptance and authenticity in the playroom.

***

💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

Original Air Date: July 4, 2023

In this groundbreaking episode, Lisa is joined by the brilliant Annie Monaco to tackle a topic that’s rarely discussed but essential to our work as play therapists: dissociation. With her extensive experience in EMDR Therapy, attachment, and dissociation in children, Annie brings invaluable insights to help therapists deepen their understanding of this complex phenomenon.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• A practical, usable definition of dissociation and how it shows up in client sessions;
• How dissociation reflects a child’s inner struggles and manifests in their behavior;
• The connection between dissociation and complex or developmental trauma;
• Ways to cultivate compassion for all the parts of a child—an essential component of their healing journey;
• Activities and strategies to help children explore and integrate the parts of themselves in therapy.

Annie also shares a powerful question to add to your play therapy toolbox—a game-changer for understanding the inner world of your clients.

🎧 Join this enlightening conversation that goes beyond textbook definitions, offering real-world tools and strategies to support children in their path to healing. Get ready to demystify dissociation and transform your practice!

Podcast Resources:

• Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
• Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website
• FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey
• Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity

* If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

“Every child has the capacity to heal and grow, but it starts with meeting them where they are—with respect, curiosity, and an understanding of their unique needs.” – Lisa Dion

In this episode, Lisa sits down with Tony Vallance from the Building Better Brains Clinic for a conversation about supporting children with ADHD through play therapy. ADHD is often misunderstood, but with the right tools and understanding, play therapists can help children tap into their strengths while navigating the challenges they face.

This conversation also explores ADHD from a dual perspective—not only through the experiences of the children we work with but also by reflecting on how therapists who identify as neurodivergent or have ADHD/ADD engage with their clients. How do we navigate the "mirrors" or parts of ourselves we see reflected in the children we serve?

Together, Lisa and Tony dive into:

• What Play Therapists Need to Know About ADHD: Tony explains the core characteristics of ADHD and how play therapy can help children manage the unique challenges of ADHD.
• Creating ADHD-Friendly Play Spaces: Practical tips on designing sensory-friendly, ADHD-conscious therapeutic environments that foster emotional regulation and focus.
• The ADHD Brain and Its Impact on Behavior: Insights into how ADHD affects cognitive functioning and behavior, and how play therapy helps children build strategies for resilience.
• Supporting Caregivers and Challenging Stigma: The importance of empowering parents and caregivers, and how to combat the societal stigma placed on children with ADHD.
• Integrating ADHD Strategies into Play Therapy: Practical strategies for play therapists to create more inclusive and effective therapy sessions.
  

This episode will help therapists reflect on their own experiences, both as professionals and as individuals who may share similar neurodivergent traits with their clients. Tony’s wealth of knowledge and lived-experiences provide valuable guidance for clinicians and caregivers alike.

Tune in to explore the many perspectives on ADHD in play therapy and learn how to adjust your approach to make your practice more inclusive and supportive of neurodivergent children. 🌟

Podcast Resources:

• Find Tony at www.buildingbetterbrains.com.au
• Learn more about Hannah’s work at https://beyondthelookingglass.org
• Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
• Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website
• FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey
• Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity

* If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.

Original Air Date: July 19, 2022

In this playful and insightful episode, Lisa is joined by Certified Synergetic Play Therapists Andrea Davidson, Johanna Simmons, and Rachel Freeburg for a lively discussion on the beauty and power of messes in the playroom. From spilled paint to sensory chaos, they dive into the therapeutic opportunities that arise when we embrace the mess.

Here’s what you’ll discover:

• How to explain and normalize messy play to parents and caregivers, helping them see its value;
• Turning messes into teachable moments for boundaries, containment, and personal growth;
• Supporting children in expressing themselves and meeting sensory needs through messy play;
• Deciding when (and when not) to have a child clean up based on their treatment goals;
• Tools and strategies for therapists to stay within their window of tolerance when messiness gets overwhelming; and
• How to understand and approach messes through the lens of nervous system regulation and dysregulation.

🎧 Tune in to transform how you see messes in the playroom and discover practical tips for integrating messy play into your practice with confidence and ease. Let’s get messy! 🎨✨

Podcast Resources:

• Synergetic Play Therapy Institute
• Synergetic Play Therapy Learning Website
• FREE Resources to support you on your play therapy journey
• Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Integrating Intensity

* If you enjoy this podcast, please give us a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcast, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and invite your friends/fellow colleagues to join us.