20% tickets for groups of 5 or more! (Details below)

 StoryPlay® Therapy: Metaphors, Play, and Creativity for Helping Children Discover Their Rainbows Within

September 20 & 21^st, 2019

Utah State Hospital Gymnasium

Heninger Administration Building

 Presented by Joyce C. Mills, Ph.D

Founder of StoryPlay® Global, award-winning Play Therapist, author of eight books, and considered an expert in metaphorical interventions, Dr. Joyce Mills is an internationally recognized storyteller, consultant, workshop leader, program development specialist, and keynote speaker to medical, psychological, and educational organizations. With “resiliency” and “creativity” at its heart, Dr. Mills developed StoryPlay®, a new Ericksonian Indirective model of Play Therapy helping children, adults, families, and communities heal from trauma and disaster.  In addition to her training programs, Dr. Mills is the director of The StoryPlay® Training Center in Phoenix, Arizona, Co-Director of the Phoenix Institute of Ericksonian Therapy. Dr. Mills is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a registered Play Therapy Supervisor. Her books include: Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within (Second Edition); Reconnecting to the Magic of Life; Butterfly Wisdom; Little Tree, Gentle Willow; and Sammy the Elephant and Mr. Camel.

StoryPlay® Therapy: Metaphors, Play, and Creativity for Helping Children Discover Their Rainbows Within

Award-winning Co-Author of Therapeutic Metaphors for Children and the Child Within

2014 – AZ Association for Play Therapy for “Distinguished Service” award during their 19th Annual State Conference in Phoenix Arizona.

2014 – Paris France – “Lifelong work and contributions to the field of multicultural hypnotherapy.”

1997 for an outstanding contribution to the field of Child Psychotherapy and Play Therapy. Awarded by Play Therapy International.

Recipient of the 1997 Annual Play Therapy International Award for an

“Outstanding career contribution to the field of child psychology & play therapy.”

Description:

Children, adolescents, and adults often come to us with fractured, broken lives leaving them feeling hopeless and seriously troubled. Their gifts and inner resources get shrouded by the challenges, hurts, and pains they have endured.

With Dr. Erickson’s philosophies as the taproot, along with Indigenous teachings, and the innovative approaches of Dr. Joyce Mills, this experiential workshop will provide participants with the key elements of the resiliency-focused model of StoryPlay®, that draws upon the nature inner resources, skills, and strengths of each child, adolescent, adult or family member that transforms the broken pieces into a beautiful new design for their lives.

With the power and spirit of therapeutic storytelling, metaphors, and play at its center, each element of the StoryPlay® approach will provide participants with culturally respectful, hands-on, creative tools and activities for working with difficult or traumatized clients. Additionally, each element in this workshop can be applied in a variety of settings; i.e., individual, family, group, classroom, and hospital and can be effectively utilized with specialized populations or situations, such as natural and man-made disasters, PTSD, abuse, ADHD, sensory disregulation, and grief and loss.

• GOALS & COURSE OBJECTIVES: The participant will be able to:

1. Recognize the importance utilizing stories when developing respectful multicultural communication in Ericksonian play therapy.
2. Name the “taproot” of the StoryPlay® model of play therapy.
3. Define three essential elements of the StoryPlay® model.
4. Identify an overview of neuro-importance of play & storytelling for healthy brain development in play therapy.
5. Utilize one out of three Mindful Meditations for sensory regulation in play therapy.
6. Create and utilize therapeutic Real-life & Made up Storytelling Metaphors in play therapy.
7. Learn three StoryCraft play therapy activities that facilitate natural healing
8. Utilize the Artistic Metaphor – “Inner Resource Drawings” to effect resiliency-focused change in play therapy.
9. Identify and utilize the “out-of-conscious” sensory system for creating sensory balance and regulation with clients in play therapy.
10. Recognize how to utilize the elements of our natural ecology as co-therapists in the quest for transformative healing solutions in play therapy.
11. Create & integrate Living Metaphors to facilitate on-going healing outside of the playroom.
12. Co-create Therapeutic Rituals with clients in play therapy for celebration of an accomplishment & grief and loss.

AGENDA

Day One 8:30 am
The Spirit of Healing: Moving Beyond Diagnosis in Play Therapy
· Play, imagination, and story: The multicultural language of children
· Six Roots of StoryPlay®
· Bowl of Light Story & Exercise
· Nine Essential Elements of StoryPlay
· Neuro-plasticity & Resilience
· Accessing Inner Resources in the First Session
· Interspersed Suggestions for facilitating positive change
· Therapeutic Metamorphosis: a four-stage process for healing and change

Exercise: Butterfly Mandala

Break: 10:30-10:45
Mindfulness Meditation: Breathing-relaxation & sensory-regulation exercises:
· Magic Happy Breath
· Heartsong Meditation
· Quiet River Meditation
Storytelling Metaphors: The doorway for effective communication and resiliency.
· How storytelling affects the brain
· Neuro-science and metaphor
· Nature as co-storyteller: You can’t yell at seeds to grow
· Building Bridges: How do I begin?
· Storytelling Exercise: utilizing real life experiences and made-up/myth in play therapy
Lunch: 12-1pm
1pm – Natural Healing Activities: story-crafts for individual, family and community healing
• Definition and application
• Slides showing how StoryPlay Therapy is used in individual, classroom, and community
applications

Exercises:

· Life-Story Puzzle
· Storyteller Puppet
· The Star Who You Are – “What’s Your Twinkle”

2:45-3 Break

3-4pm (Continued) Natural Healing Activities: story-crafts for individual, family and
community healing

· Identity Shield
· Surfing Your Waves
· Dreaming Pots

4-4:30 – Closure – Questions & amp; Feedback

StoryPlay® Therapy: Metaphors, Play, and Creativity for Helping

Children Discover Their Rainbows Within

AGENDA
Day Two: 8:30 am

Sensory synchronicity – Restoring Sensory Regulation
· Identifying and utilizing sensory strengths
· Retrieving and using blocked sensory systems in play therapy

Exercise
Break: 10:30-10:45
10:45 am -12pm – Artistic Metaphors – Creative strategies for Awakening the Inner Resources
Within
· Definition & Philosophy
· Case presentations to include children’s art in play therapy for healing and change
· Exercises:

Inner Resource drawing exercise: Three steps transforming problems to solutions
Resource Board Game – children
Pathway to Success Map – adolescents
Heart Gifts
Collage of Determination

12 – 1 pm Lunch
1pm – 4:30 – Living and Therapeutic Ritual Metaphors
· Purpose, framework and use in play therapy.
· How to create a peace garden: a healing ritual for children, families, and communities.
· Case examples demonstrating application to include: abuse, rites of passage,
reunification, celebrations, death and dying.
· Exercises
· Creating a Living Metaphor
· Creating a Ritual
• Questions/feedback
Closing Story & Ritual

Professional: $375

*Professional w/Group Discount: $300

UAPT Member: $299

*UAPT Member w/Group Discount: $239.20

Student $199 flat rate

*Group Discount tickets available to those registering 5 or more individuals. Group tickets are set up individually.  To purchase, each individual can pay for their own ticket based on whether they are a UAPT member or a professional.  Or, 5 or more tickets can be purchased at once.  Simply choose the number of tickets needed for each category (listed above) and proceed to purchase. Questions on how to purchase tickets can be directed to twarhurst@fourpointshealth.org

Earn up to 12 APT approved CEU’s

APT approved provider #98-036

UAPT Cancelation Policy

Registration cancellations must be submitted to UAPT in writing. The Conference fees, minus a $75 administrative charge, will be refunded only if the request is postmarked, or emailed to utahplaytherapy@gmail.com, 30 days prior to the conference or workshop. Registration refunds will not be made within 30 days prior to the conference or workshop.   No refunds will be given to parties who register but do not attend. Registrations may be transferred to another person without penalty only if original registrant notifies UAPT.

UAPT reserves the right to cancel this conference in the event of unforeseen circumstances.  If such occurs, UAPT will attempt to notify registrants at least 10 calendar days prior to the conference and refund all registration, workshop, continuing education fees.