Integration of Play Therapy for OCD Assessment and Treatment for Children and Adolescents

Emily Prusator, LCSW, RPT


Course Description:

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is estimated to impact up to 4% of the general population, and the majority of people who receive this diagnosis have an onset in childhood or adolescence. Unfortunately, experts believe that OCD is under-diagnosed and has increased in prevalence and severity since the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, play therapists must be trained in how to recognize the signs of OCD in children and adolescents. This training will provide attendees with an overview of how OCD presents in children and adolescents along with strategies to assess this using standardized tools and play-based techniques. Participants will also learn play-based interventions to use when providing psychoeducation about OCD and skills for integrating play therapy into OCD treatment.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Describe at least three examples of how OCD presents in childhood
  • Utilize one standardized and play-based assessment tools to identify OCD
  • Provide two play-based psychoeducation tools for clients and caregivers
  • Integrate three play therapy techniques with OCD treatment approaches
  • Identify two OCD-specific treatment models to explore further

Course Agenda:

10 minutes Introductions and agenda review
30 minutes Prevalence and presentation of OCD in children and adolescents
80 minutes Assessment of OCD in play therapy
45 minutes Break
1 hour Treatment of OCD and integrating play therapy
2 hours Practice of play therapy interventions for OCD
5 minutes Ǫuestions and closing

Instructor Information:

Emily Prusator, MSW, LCSW, RPT

Emily is a licensed clinical social worker in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Human and Organizational Development and Women’s and Gender Studies with a minor in Child Development from Vanderbilt University. Emily earned her Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University with a concentration in Gender Violence Intervention.

Emily has ten years of experience in fundraising, research, and advocacy for survivors of trauma. She has been providing direct, clinical grief and trauma services for children and their families for over seven years in school, community, and office settings. Emily’s earliest clinical work was in providing school-based Trauma-Focused

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy to children ages 6-17 years with complex trauma. More recently, her work has centered on providing group and individual services to children and adults who are navigating trauma, loss, and the intersection of both.

Emily has received specialized training in play therapy, including integration of sand therapy, the expressive arts, sensory integration work, and particular assessment methods such as the Extended Play-Based Developmental Assessment. She has been a Registered Play Therapist since 2020. Emily is also certified in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (Level 1) and EMDR to support children, youth, and adults in processing traumatic experiences. She is currently pursuing training and consultation in the model of Sensory Motor Arousal and Regulation Treatment (SMART).

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