Innovations in Counseling

The Family at Play: A Play Therapy Approach to Strengthening Family Connections

Every family has a unique capacity for connection, communication, and joy. This webinar explores the transformative power of play as a universal language that unlocks potential. We will move beyond traditional talk therapies to present practical, evidence-based play therapy techniques designed to enhance family dynamics and build resilience. Participants will be guided through a progressive framework, starting with core principles of child-centered play therapy, advancing to the empowering model of filial therapy (where parents become the agents of healing), and culminating in structured activities for the entire family. A special focus will be placed on incorporating expressive arts to help families “author” their own narrative of connection, exemplified by a collaborative “family poem” activity. This session is ideal for Therapists, Counselors, and Social Workers looking for creative, non-pathologizing approaches to support families in building stronger, more empathetic, and joyful relationships. Leave with a toolkit of strategies and a novel framework for documenting positive change.

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

• compare three key play therapy modalities (child-centered, Gestalt, filial, and family-based) and identify appropriate applications for enhancing family communication and connection.
• implement the core PRIDE skills (Praise, Reflection, Imitation, Description, Enthusiasm) used in filial therapy to coach parents in fostering a deeper, more secure emotional bond with their child(ren).
• utilize an expressive arts-based narrative technique, such as a co-created “family poem” or narrative scrapbook, to help families externalize and document their strengths and evolving story.

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