From Chaos to Comfort: The Power of Play in Times of Trauma

6 NON-CONTACT APT CE
6 NASW CE

DESCRIPTION:

This interactive workshop is designed for play therapists seeking a developmentally responsive, neurobiologically informed approach to supporting children in crisis and potentially traumatizing contexts. Participants will be introduced to Coping with the Present While Building for the Future (CPBF), an innovative, process-oriented intervention model grounded in Psychological First Aid, Polyvagal Theory, and the therapeutic powers of play and play therapy.

The workshop highlights the central role of play therapy in fostering regulation, safety, and engagement throughout all phases of crisis intervention. Participants will explore how CPBF integrates grounding strategies with developmentally attuned play-based interventions to intentionally create the Safest Possible Environment (SaPE)—a foundational condition for therapeutic play, emotional expression, and healing.

Emphasis will be placed on clinical decision-making within a multi-layered, phase-based framework, including when and why more prescriptive, directive play therapy approaches may be ethically and effectively implemented during specialized phases of intervention. The presenters will discuss how play therapy techniques can be adapted to support nervous system regulation, trauma processing, and resilience while remaining responsive to the child’s developmental needs and therapeutic readiness.

Through experiential learning, participants will engage in hands-on play-based and creative interventions applicable across CPBF phases. Reflective and introspective activities will support the integration of theory, therapeutic presence, and play therapy skills, empowering clinicians to confidently apply this model within crisis response, trauma-informed, and attachment-focused play therapy settings.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Discuss the relevance of a process-oriented approach that includes play therapy as a specialized treatment in crisis contexts.

2.  Describe the main phases of the approach "Coping with the present while building for the future (CPBF)".

3.  Identify at least 5 play therapy abilities and/or techniques that promote a feeling of safety.

4. Explain how the therapeutic powers of play and play therapy might be applied at the different levels of intervention from the initial to the specialized stage.

5.  Describe the role play therapists have in the planning and realization of the “Safest Possible Environment (SaPE)”.

6.  Discuss how to operationally address aspects of inclusion and diversity of local resources when intervening with play and play therapy in crisis contexts.