The use of Sand and Play Therapy, Metaphors, and MiniaturesTo Engage Couples and Families and to Address Tricky Issues
Eliana Gil, Ph.D., RPT-S
Workshop Description and Goals
Families and couples may seek therapy as the “last step” in frustrating and difficult relational experiences. As such, they may present with bad habits, empoverised communication skills and motivation, and feelings of resentment, anger, or helplessness. Couples may point fingers at each other and parents may point to their children’s behaviors as the culprit for their woes. This workshop will be full of practical advice for play therapists, sand therapists, and family therapists that will allow them to engage clients in a more energetic, disarming way. Specifically, the presenter will talk about directive play, sand, and art therapy strategies designed to infuse the family with novel experiences, as well as challenge their ambivalence about participating in treatment. The outcome can be that both clients and therapists will feel more optimistic about creating change in very difficult family or couple systems, restoring a sense of resilience and future-orientation. Play therapists and other clinicians will leave with lots of ideas that will both invite and challenge clients to shift their perceptions of each other and the potential for the relationship to grow.
Program Schedule
This three-hour workshop will provide a variety of experiential activities, and highlight the presentation with clinical work by couples and families in order to bring alive the possibilities of infusing clinical work with laughter, play, and movement.
This course is presented in three hours.
| 12:00 – 1:30 | Brief Introductions that highlight the language of metaphor The context for integrating play and family systems work Experiential exercises |
| 01:30 – 01:45 | BREAK |
| 01:45 - 02:45 | Clinical presentations and participant discussion of clinical material How to integrate the process/content of family play therapy with your general goals for the couple and family Integration of theory and application |
| 02:45 - 03:15 | Questions and comments from participants |
Workshop Objectives
By the end of the course participants will be able to:
- Give two reasons for the integration of play therapy and systems theory
- Give two examples of assessment activities that include play therapy
- List two therapeutic factors of play that are activated during family play therapy
- Identify two ways that therapists can design play and other expressive therapy ideas to work with specific client issues
- Define therapeutic metaphor and state two ways to listen for, or elicit family metaphors
- Name two experiential exercises that play therapists can use to self-inform about the family and to provide self-care
- List two reasons to use movement in family play therapy
References:
Chirico, I., Andrei, F., Salvatori, P., Malaguti, I., & Trombini, E. (2019). The Focal Play Therapy: A Clinical Approach to Promote Child Health and Family Well-being. J. of Frontiers of Public Health, April https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00077
Daley, L. P., Miller, R. B., Bean, A. & Oka, M. (2018). Family system play therapy: An Integrative Approach. The American J of Family Therapy, 46:5, 421-436.
Froeschle Hicks, J., Lenard, N., & Brendle, J. (2016). Using Filial Therapy with Deployed Families, International J. of Play Therapy, 15:4, 210-216.
Instructor
Eliana Gil, Ph.D. is Founder and Founder of Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education and Senior Consultant of Starbright Training Institute.
Phone: 202-257-2783.
Email: elianagil@me.com
website: www.elianagil.com and www.gilinstitute.com and www.starbrighttraininginstitute.com
Due to COVID-19 health concerns, this one-time online event has been approved by APT for three (3) CONTACT CE Hours.
General Course Information
This course is limited to 20 participants and is designed to facilitate experiential work, group discussion, and processing of personal material. Participants will have ample opportunity to discuss their specific needs and clinical questions. Participant feedback will be sought out throughout the two- day class.
Clinical case discussions will adhere to HIPPA regulations regarding client confidentiality.
Target audience is Mental Health Professionals: Social Workers, Psychologists, Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed marriage and Family Therapists.
The program is Intermediate Level and assumes participants have a working knowledge of family systems theory as well as foundational theories about expressive therapies in general and specifically play, sand, and art therapy.
Grievance Policy
Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) seeks 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: Myriam Goldin, LCSW; RPT-S, Director of Starbright Training Institute. Phone: 703-679-7054 . Email: starbright.inst@outlook.com Web Page: starbrighttraininginstitute.com
Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems.
Accommodations for the Differently Abled
Starbright Training Institute facilities are handicap accessible. Individuals needing special accommodations, please contact: Myriam Goldin, starbright.inst@outlook.com or by phone: 703-679-7054
For information about continuing education credit, fees, and deadlines for cancellations/refunds, please see https://starbrighttraininginstitute.com/. It is the participant's responsibility to check with their individual state boards to verify CE requirements for their state.
Myriam Goldin, LCSW; RPT-S, is Director of Starbright Training Institute.
Phone: 703-679-7054.
Email: starbright.inst@outlook.com
Web Page: starbrighttraininginstitute.com
Continuing Education Credits:
Starbright Training Institute is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to play therapy. APT approved Provider #96-029. STI maintains responsibility for the program.
Continuing Education Credit is pending through Commonwealth Educational Seminars for the following professions:
Psychologists:
Commonwealth Educational Seminars is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for zsychologists. 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.
There is no known commercial support nor conflict of interest for this program.
For further information please contact Commonwealth Educational Seminars,1 (800) 376-3345, CommonwealthSeminars@gmail.com.