Creative Techniques Using Internal Family Systems and Play Therapy

Our March 2021 Training combines the principles of Internal Family Systems and Play Therapy and will be presented virtually by the owners of Ad Astra Play Therapy, LLC. Both of these approaches are useful for working with trauma survivors.

Using creative techniques, this workshop will bridge Internal Family Systems theory, a parts therapy, and play therapy to help promote healing. This training is highly interactive and experiential and provides Play Therapy credit hours in addition to the usual social service credit hours we provide.

Description: We are all familiar with saying, “A part of me wants to….” Using creative techniques, this workshop will introduce Internal Family Systems (IFS) theory, a type of parts therapy developed by Richard Schwartz (Schwartz, 1995; 2020), and its application to play therapy (Siegel, 2017). All emotions, or parts, play an important protecting our core Self - like Riley, the main character, in "Inside Out". (Fisher, 2017). IFS uses a person’s internal resources to heal by teaching clients to relate to parts – even negative ones like Sadness, Anger & Disgust – with empathy and self-compassion. Bridging parts therapy with play therapy and neuropsychology, we will discuss how to teach IFS to play therapy clients. Using an IFS theoretical framework, play therapists will leave this session with expressive arts and play interventions that can be used immediately. PLEASE NOTE: This is an introductory level training.

Learning Objectives:

1) Participants will be introduced to the history of parts therapy approaches and Internal Family Systems theory, developed by Richard Schwartz, and how this can be applied in play therapy.

2) Participants will identify the relationship of parts therapy to neuropsychology and self-compassion.

3) Participants will articulate how creative techniques can be paired with IFS to help children heal in play therapy.

4) Participants will elucidate how play therapists can use creative techniques to introduce IFS concepts like defusion & fusion, manager parts, and developing self-leadership to clients.

5) Participants will name 5 expressive arts and play interventions to explore IFS with clients in the playroom.

6) Participants will analyze 3 interventions to introduce parts work in family play therapy.

Agenda:

9-10:30 AM - Introductions/Housekeeping; Introduction & History of IFS, Neuropsychology

10:30-10:40 AM - Break

10:40-12:00 PM - Teaching Children About the Brain, Window of Tolerance and How to Introduce Parts Work to Children, Parts Work and Play Therapy

12:00-1:00 PM - Lunch Break

1:00-2:30 PM - Training continues - Externalizing Parts, Parts of IFS (Firefighters, Managers, Self, Polarization, Externalizers), Self Compassion, Expressive Arts / Creative Interventions

2:30-2:40 PM - Break

2:40-4:00 PM - Training continues - Self-Leadership, Family Interventions, Wrap Ups and Questions

Items Needed: Paper & Coloring Utensils (colored pencils, crayons, markers); To participate in making a puppet to use in therapy, you can gather the following also: empty toilet paper roll(s), empty paper towel roll(s), googly eyes, yarn, scissors, glue or hot glue gun, markers, craft sticks, paper plates, paper lunch sacks, single sock, felt, pom poms, construction paper.

Please have some paper, a pen and colored markers or other drawing supplies on hand to use during the training.

Presenters: Greg Smith, Ph.D.& Ragan Snyder-Smith, LSCSW, RPT-S, M.Ed. of Ad Astra Play Therapy, LLC. Dr. Greg Smith received his B.S. in Psychology from Vanderbilt University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The Ohio State University. He is a psychologist in private practice, and Professor of Psychology at Newman University in Wichita, KS since 1994. He has extensive training in IFS as well as a number of other emotion-focused treatment approaches.

Ragan graduated from Wichita State University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, a Master's degree in Social Work and a Master's degree in Education. She received her Play Therapy Certification from Heartland Play Therapy and is a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor.Ragan has worked in addictions, foster care and adoptions, private practice, medical social work and psychiatric social work. Currently, Ragan works as a behavior specialist in a public school. She has worked in early childhood, elementary, middle, high school and at an alternative high school setting. She also works part-time for a local non-profit for children with special needs as a Behavior Consultant and also teaches Crisis Intervention classes. Ragan is passionate about school mental health, play therapy and social justice. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, nature, mindfulness, reading, running, yoga & healthy living.

Cost: $100 for Non-Members; $75 for TTN Members. Use your memebr discount code in the "Promo Code" field to receive this discount. Thank you for being a member!

CEUs: APT credit is available from Ad Astra Play Therapy for 6.0 NON-CONTACT hours for this training under special topics. You will have to take a 36 question quiz and keep your camera on the entire time to verify attendance. These are rules set forth by APT. Please see our Grievance Policy here. We are co-sponsoring this event with Tr-State Trauma Network. Refunds and payments are made through Tri-State Trauma Network.

5.5 CEUs are approved for OH Counselors, Social Workers, and MFTs and 6.0 CEUs for the KY Counseling Board. TTN is a provider of Category 1 credit for Behavioral Health providers in IN. Earn up to 6 CEUs for this training. Please Note: In order to receive CEUs, you must sign-in in the morning, sign-in after lunch, have your video on when requested, and complete the evaluation within 48 hours. Late requests for a CEU certificate or a replacement certificate will incur a $10 fee.

Registration deadline is March 12th. No refunds will be given after this date. Substitutes are allowed.