Live Webinar
Play with Insight: Exploring Childhood Development and the Therapeutic Power of Play
|
Play with Insight: Exploring Childhood Development and the Therapeutic Power of Play
1.0 CE Hours
Intermediate
$0
Information
Date & Time
-
-
Google
Outlook.com
Yahoo
Description
Play is essential to healthy development and serves as the earliest and most natural form of communication for children. Through play, children process their experiences, build relationships, and express thoughts and emotions that may be difficult to verbalize. It supports emotional regulation, cognitive growth, social learning, and identity formation. This foundational training explores the developmental wisdom embedded in play and introduces the core principles and practices of play therapy. Participants will examine how play unfolds across developmental stages and how it can be harnessed to meet the evolving needs of children in clinical settings. Clinicians will leave with a deeper appreciation of play as a powerful therapeutic modality—one that honors the child’s perspective and inner world while fostering growth, connection, and healing.
Educational Goal
The educational goal of this workshop is for participants to gain a deeper understanding of the developmental significance of play and how to apply core play therapy principles to support emotional, cognitive, and relational growth in children. This training enhances clinical sophistication by equipping therapists to deliver more developmentally attuned and child-centered interventions in future practice.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
-
Describe how play functions as a primary mode of communication and meaning-making for children, supporting their emotional, cognitive, and social development.
-
Identify the key developmental stages of play and explain how these stages inform therapeutic interventions in play therapy.
-
Explain how to apply foundational principles of play therapy to clinical practice in ways that honor the child’s perspective, foster therapeutic connection, and support developmentally attuned healing.
Target Audience
- Counselor
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Psychologist
- Social Worker
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Dr. Rachel Altvater (Psy.D., RPT-S™) is a multi-award winning, pioneering expert, leader, researcher, international trainer, author, and supervisor in the field of play therapy. She is a licensed psychologist and holds national certifications as a Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor™ and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is the owner of Creative Psychological Health Services, past president of the Maryland/DC Association for Play Therapy, editorial advisory board member for the International Journal of Play Therapy®, clinical advisory board member for PlaySpace, and clinical consultant for Hopscotch. Dr. Altvater authored the book Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities, published her research in the International Journal of Play Therapy® on technology use in play therapy, and is a contributing author in numerous scholarly texts on implementing digital technologies in play therapy practice.
Financially Sponsored By
- PlaySpace