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Are you the only play therapist in your agency? Or perhaps you're in private practice and feel like you're navigating complex cases entirely on your own?

Many play therapists accept isolation as "just the reality" of the field.

We push through, hoping that with enough time and experience, we’ll eventually "figure it out."

But here is the honest truth: Clinical isolation is a liability—for you and your clients.

In this free weekly podcast, we’re breaking down why the "solo endeavor" mindset is holding you back and how connecting with a play therapy community is the key to better clinical results and reduced burnout.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Structure of Isolation: Why graduate programs and agencies often leave play therapists without the specific support they need.
• The Clinical Cost: How second-guessing your decisions and processing complex issues, like trauma, in a vacuum slows down client progress.
• The Mindset Shift: Moving from "I can handle this" to "I need a community that speaks play therapy."
• Clinical Confidence: How having a "backup plan" and a peer network improves the quality of your work in the playroom.

Stop second-guessing your clinical decisions and start building the support network you deserve. Your clients (and your personal life) will thank you.

Connect with Cathi & Renewing Hearts Training: www.rhplaytherapytraining.com

#PlayTherapy #ChildTherapy #PlayTherapistSupport #ClinicalIsolation #TherapistBurnout #RenewingHeartsTraining

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

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If you're a play therapist — especially in your first few years — and you're the only one in your agency or you're in private practice figuring this out by yourself, this is for you.

You went into this work because you genuinely believe in the power of play therapy to heal kids. You're passionate about this.

You're not here because it was easy — you're here because it matters to you

And the reality is that you’re probably the only “kid therapist” in your agency or maybe you’re in private practice in an office surrounded by adult therapists asking you to keep the noise down in your office because it’s distracting their sessions.

In today’s free podcast episode we’re talking about what’s not being talked about out loud 👇

the cost of trying to be a play therapist without a strong community to support you and the impact this has on your clinical decision-making (and if we’re being honest - your own emotional well-being).

We’re discussing The Isolated Play Therapist Syndrome.

What it is and why it’s keeping your clients from making progress and leaving you feeling overwhelmed, second-guessing your clinical decisions, and wondering if you’re good enough.

If you’re feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and frustrated as a play therapist, then you don’t want to miss this episode.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

What is Jungian Analytic Play Therapy, and how does it actually work in the playroom?

In this podcast, we dive deep into the symbolic world of Jungian theory with guest Jared Andes, LCSW, RPT-S.

We explore how Jungian Analytical Play Therapy uses archetypes and other concepts to facilitate healing, and we compare this model to other popular play therapy approaches.

Join us for an insightful conversation as we explore the transformative power of Jungian Play Therapy!

Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or new to this model, this episode will provide you with practical ideas.

In this free weekly podcast episode, we’ll cover:

• What is Jungian Play Therapy? An introduction to the core concepts.
• Practical Ideas for the Playroom: Symbolic play and therapeutic techniques you can use.
• Comparative Analysis: How Jungian Play Therapy differs from—and where it aligns with—other popular models.
• Live Q&A: Get your questions answered by Jared!

Connect with Jared Andes:

Website: www.fullspectrumcounseling.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584175263892

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jared_andes_therapy

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Are you tired of leaving your play therapy sessions wondering if you’re actually helping or just "playing"?

You’ve invested in the play therapy training, you’ve gathered the strategies, and you have a playroom full of tools.

But if you’re like many play therapists, having more information has only led to more confusion.

When you’re in the middle of a play therapy session with a traumatized child or teen, it’s easy to second-guess your decisions and feel overwhelmed by which direction to take.

The secret isn’t another weekend workshop or a new set of play therapy activities—it’s having a reliable Play Therapy Roadmap.

In this week’s podcast, we’re discussing how to move from clinical overwhelm to grounded confidence.

We’ll explore why a trauma-informed play therapy model acts as your professional GPS, guiding your decision-making through every stage of the healing process.

We’ll be diving into:

• The Play Therapy GPS: Why a play therapy model is essential for knowing exactly where you are (and where you’re going) in treatment.
• The Neuroscience & Attachment Lens: How grounding your work in these two pillars simplifies your clinical choices.
• Healing the "Second-Guessing": How to tell if your interventions are truly helping your traumatized clients heal.
• The Power of Community: Why the "secret ingredient" to clinical success is never practicing in isolation.

Stop wondering if you’re doing enough and start using a play therapy framework that provides clarity for you and better outcomes for your clients.

Don't forget to subscribe and follow for more weekly insights on mastering trauma-informed play therapy!

#PlayTherapy #Neuroscience #AttachmentTheory #TraumaInformed #CathiSpooner #ClinicalSupervision #PlayTherapistLife #MentalHealthProfessionals

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Is trauma actually "stored" in our organs, or have we been looking at it all wrong?

For years, play therapists have repeated the mantra that "trauma is stored in the body," but a groundbreaking 2026 peer-reviewed article is challenging this foundational belief. If you’ve ever felt like the "storage" explanation didn't quite click, this episode is for you.

Join me, Cathi Spooner, for this week’s podcast as we explore the evolution of trauma research and what it means for your playroom interventions.

We’re diving deep into the science of Predictive Coding and

Metastability to understand why the autonomic nervous system actually activates during traumatic triggers.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• The "Storage" Myth: Why trauma is likely a "disorder of prediction," not physical storage in organs.
• Predictive Coding 101: How the brain-body feedback loop assesses danger before conscious awareness.
• Healing Through "Flow": How flow states and high-challenge activities can disrupt rigid neural patterns.
• Smarter Psychoeducation: How to explain these complex shifts to parents and caregivers using clear, accurate language.

As play therapists, staying current with evolving research is critical to providing the best care for traumatized children and teens.

Let’s ground your approach in the latest science and move toward more effective, somatic-based regulation strategies.

Don't forget to subscribe to Cathi Spooner - Renewing Hearts Training for weekly play therapy clinical tips!

Citation:

Kolter, S., Mannino, M., Fox, G., and Friston, K. (2026). The body does not keep the score: Trauma, predictive coding, and the restoration of metastability. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. doi.10.3389/fnsys.1812957

#PlayTherapy #TraumaInformed #Neuroscience #PredictiveCoding #CathiSpooner #MentalHealthProfessionals #TraumaHealing

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Helping children and teens identify and label their emotions is a core therapeutic goal in play therapy, but simply naming a feeling isn't enough.

In fact, an overfocus on "feeling good" can sometimes hinder the healing process. To build true resilience, we need to help clients move from basic affect to high emotional granularity.

In this free weekly podcast, we dive into the science of how emotions are constructed and how play therapists can move beyond simple labeling to help traumatized children differentiate between real and perceived threats.

What you’ll learn:

• What is Emotional Granularity? Why the ability to distinguish "frustrated" from "sad" is a predictor of better mental health and regulation.
• Affect vs. Emotion: Exploring Lisa Feldman Barrett’s research on how emotions are mental constructions based on past experience and culture.
• The Role of Emotions in Play Therapy: Using strategies that promote resilience in play therapy
• Common Mistakes with Trauma: Why we must address the belief systems (cognitions) tied to emotions to avoid over-focusing on the feeling alone.
• Predictive Brain & Safety: Using the therapeutic relationship and co-regulation to help children rewire their brain's predictive responses to trauma.

About Cathi Spooner: I help play therapists and mental health professionals master the art of play therapy with children and families.

Subscribe for weekly discussions on building resilient hearts through play therapy.

Citation:

Feldman Barrett, L. How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain (2017)

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

Using play therapy with traumatized children and teens is complex, and many play therapists find themselves asking:

"Where do the parents fit in?"

“What do I do if my client is in foster care? How do I include parents?”

Too often, parents or caregivers are left out of the process or integrated without a clear plan. This can lead to missed healing opportunities or accidentally triggering trauma.

In this free weekly podcast, we’re diving deep into the critical role of parents (caregivers) in the trauma healing process.

I’ll walk you through a fictitious case study (Carla) to show you exactly how to move from case conceptualization to successful treatment planning, including parent integration.

🎯 In this week’s episode, we discuss:

• The Conceptualization Process: How to identify the "what" and "how" of parent inclusion.
• Neuroscience & Attachment: Understanding the parent's role through a biological and relational lens.
• Practical Strategies: Key things to consider when bringing parents into the playroom.

Stop feeling overwhelmed and start building a clear plan for your clients' success.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills

Send us Fan Mail

If you’ve ever left a play therapy session thinking…
“I see the behaviors—but what’s actually driving them?”

You’re not alone. And more importantly—you’re not supposed to stay stuck there.

In this podcast episode, we break down how to use case conceptualization in play therapy through a neuroscience and attachment lens so you can finally understand what’s at the root of a child’s behavior — not just what’s showing up on the surface.

Using a case study of a 7-year-old child in foster care (fictitious client), you’ll learn how trauma, attachment disruption, and the nervous system shape behaviors like clinginess, withdrawal, food hoarding, and sleep difficulties — and how to respond in a way that actually promotes healing.

Because here’s the shift:
👉 Behavior isn’t the problem. It’s the clue.

🎯 In this week’s podcast episode, we’re discussing:

• What case conceptualization in play therapy actually is (and why it changes everything)
• How to move from surface behaviors → root causes using a trauma-informed lens
• How the nervous system drives behavior in children with trauma histories
• How attachment patterns show up in the playroom and at home
• What to look for in play themes and symbolic expression
• How to stop guessing in play therapy sessions — and start making confident clinical decisions

🧠 Why This Matters

Without a clear case conceptualization, it’s easy to:

• Chase behaviors
• Second-guess your interventions
• Feel like your sessions lack direction

But when you understand the why behind the behavior, everything shifts.

You become more grounded.
More intentional.
More effective.

👩‍⚕️ Who This Is For:

✔ Play therapists working with traumatized children and teens
✔ Child therapists feeling unsure what’s happening in play therapy sessions
✔ Clinicians wanting to integrate neuroscience + attachment into play therapy
✔ Play therapists ready to move beyond “just using activities”

If you’re ready to stop guessing in the playroom and start seeing what’s really happening beneath the behavior…

This is where it starts.

Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.

Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.

I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.

Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills