Enhancing Play Therapy Through Self Awareness and Self Acceptance – June 14, 2019

Enhancing Play Therapy Through Self Awareness and Self Acceptance

Presented by Stuart Harper, LCSW, RPT-S

The greatest tool any therapist possesses is the genuine and authentic use of a healthy self in the therapeutic process. Ultimately, this is what lays the foundation for the therapeutic relationship. Self awareness and self acceptance of the therapists’ own self is a critical component in the use of self. However, because we too are human, we have to be aware of, and manage, our own experiences, emotions and reactions so as not to contaminate the therapeutic experience for our clients. Participants will learn that the more we understand and accept our own stories and life experiences, the more we are able to assist our clients in understanding  and accepting their stories and life experiences. This introspective and self reflective training will provide attendees with the opportunity to better understand themselves, the way they practice, and how this impacts the therapeutic alliance. Participants are encouraged to bring a photograph of themselves as a child or teenager.

Description:

Using Jungian, Attachment and CCPT theory and principles, we will explore and gain new understanding of the unconscious, archetypes, personal attachment styles and ways to create safety in play therapy. We will identify how these factors influence us individually as well as the practitioner-self that we present to the child, and ultimately the play therapy relationship and experience. Through a variety of experiential interventions and activities, we will spend our time together gaining personal awareness, and increasing self-acceptance. This transformative experience will provide opportunities for growth and change, allowing us to better identify what shapes the way we practice play therapy, ultimately bringing a better self to the play therapy process.

Objectives:

1. Recognize two significant life experiences and their impact on being a play therapist.
2. Identify three values from these experiences and describe how they influence play therapy practice.
3. Formulate a system for self-awareness, insight and feedback.
4. Define two new, previously unknown insights and how they will change your play therapy practice.
5. Differentiate between parts of self that are known and parts of self that are unknown.
6. Assess the ability to increase therapeutic alliance and identify two ways to provide safety in the play therapy process.

Agenda:

8:30 Registration

9:00 – 10:15          Connecting to Your Story

10:15 – 10:30        Break

10:30 – 12:00        Personal Awareness and Understanding Discussion/Activities

12:00 – 1:00          Lunch – On your own

1:00 – 2:15            Personal Awareness and Understanding Discussion/Activities

2:15 – 2:30            Break

2:30 – 4:00            Principles to Enhance Therapeutic Alliance and Safety

Location:

Wasatch Mental Health

1250 East State Rd 198

Payson, UT 84651

(One block East of Mountain View Hospital on the North side of the road)

Up to 6 APT approved CEU credits available.

Utah APT approved provider # 98-036