The Many Faces of Play Therapy

Join us in person for an immersive, two-day event dedicated to advancing your clinical skills and exploring the transformative world of play-based healing. Learn from Sueann Kenney-Noziska, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S on Friday. She is providing training on Cogntive Behavioral Therapy and Trauma: An introduction with Clinical Examples. Saturday will be a full day of dynamic breakout sessions led by experienced clinicians. These targeted presentations cover the full spectrum of play therapy modalities to help you expand your clinical toolkit.

Info: The History of Play Therapy and Its Impact on Today's Practice. This session will explore the historical beginnings of play therapy, how it has developed, and how those beginnings and developments have impacted today's play therapy practices.

Info: Beyond the Toy Checklist: A Creative and Culturally Responsive Systemic Equity Audit of Your Play Therapy Space. This presentation provides play therapists with strategies to transition from cultural competence to cultural humility using the Multicultural Orientation framework. Attendees will analyze systemic biases in play interpretation and conduct an intersectional equity audit of playroom materials. Through case vignettes, participants will investigate the impact of historical trauma and diverse family systems on universal play themes. Ultimately, this session offers a structured blueprint to address cultural ruptures and promote socially just, ethical clinical practices.

Info: Play in Supervision: Creative, Culturally Responsive, and Experiential Approaches for Developing Play Therapists. This experiential workshop explores how play-based interventions can be
integrated into clinical supervision to support the development of play therapists. Participants will engage in creative, culturally responsive strategies to enhance case conceptualization, increase supervisee self-awareness, and address parallel process. Ethical considerations and identity-informed supervision practices are discussed, with practical tools provided for
immediate application across clinical settings.

Info: The Contribution of Play Therapy to Trauma Recovery, Resilience Development, and Mental Health Improvement. This presentation examines the contribution of play therapy to trauma recovery, resilience development, and mental health improvement in children and adolescents. Drawing on contemporary research and evidence-based practice, it highlights how play therapy facilitates emotional expression, strengthens coping and resilience skills, and supports psychological healing following adverse experiences. The presentation underscores the value of play therapy as a developmentally responsive intervention that promotes long-term emotional well-being and positive mental health outcomes.

Info: Play Therapy with Gen Alpha (Polars): Understanding the First Fully Digital
Generation Through the Therapeutic Powers of Play. This session explores the unique developmental, technological, and
cultural experiences shaping Generation Alpha (Polars) and their implications for play therapy. Participants will examine practical, evidence-informed play therapy interventions that address
anxiety, perfectionism, social connection, emotional regulation, and technology while incorporating the Therapeutic Powers of Play to support resilience and healthy development.

Info: Attachment-Informed Play Therapy with Gender-Diverse Youth Across
Changing Systems of Care. This presentation explores attachment-informed play therapy with gender-diverse children and adolescents within today's evolving systems of care. Participants will examine evidence-informed, developmentally responsive interventions that strengthen attachment, foster emotional regulation, and support resilience while affirming identity. Through case examples and practical strategies, attendees will gain tools to navigate ethical considerations, collaborate effectively with families, and provide culturally responsive, trauma-informed play therapy across diverse practice settings.

Info: The Playful School Counselor: Practical Techniques for Integrating Play
Therapy into School Counseling. The presentation aims to explain how play therapy techniques can be implemented by school counselors working in a variety of academic settings. The presentation will engage participants in hands-on activities and vignettes that demonstrate the efficacy and
relevance of play-based interventions in school counseling. Current limitations to providing play therapy in schools will be addressed by offering practical solutions for creating a play space, sourcing materials, and educating school communities about play therapy.

Event venue & nearby stays

LSUHSC Campus Assistance Program, 411 South Prieur Street, New Orleans, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.

Get the app →