Name: Understanding Child Development, Assessment, and Diagnosis in Play Therapy
Start: 2025-06-27T09:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-06-28T16:30:00-05:00
Location: Meraki Institute of Learning at Tanager

Understanding Child Development, Assessment, and Diagnosis in Play Therapy

2-day workshop for clinicians on development theories, applying interventions, and using play therapy to improve diagnostic accuracy.
About this Event

Location: Tanager-Estle Center Campus

1030 5th ave SE Cedar Rapids, IA. Training will take place in the Lower Level Large Training Room

Cost:

General Registration

$150 One Day
$300 Both Days (must purchase ticket for each day)

Graduate Student Registration

$110 One Day
$220 Both Days (must purchase ticket for each day)

Details

Live, In-Person
2-Day Workshop (Participants can choose to attend one or both days of this special 2-day workshop)
Earn up to 12 hrs Play Therapy Contact CE (6 each day) See below for more information
Workshop Level: All-Clinical(Post Graduate)

Day 1:

Understanding child development is critical to providing quality treatment using play therapy. Play therapists apply their knowledge and expertise of child development across all phases of treatment including assessment, treatment planning and intervention, and caregiver consultation, collaboration and discharge. This workshop is designed to provide play therapists with a working knowledge of key theories of child development and how to integrate them through the therapeutic process of play therapy. This workshop will also incorporate current trends in research and child development and how play therapists of all levels can benefit by applying them to their everyday play therapy practice.

When providing play therapy to a child, a therapist also serves as an important resource to caretakers and others involved in the child's care. This workshop will also provide tools and practice for play therapists to apply their understanding of child development to increase effectiveness and confidence when providing consultation and psychoeducation.

Participants will achieve success in the following learning objectives:

Describe at least 4 theories of child development which apply to the practice of play therapy
Identify developmental stages/phases for at least 3 play therapy clients.
Describe 3 ways to use understanding of child development to enhance assessment and history taking in play therapy
Design play therapy treatment plan goals that are informed by child development
Create play therapy interventions appropriate for child's current stage of development.
Utilize understanding of child development when providing consultation as a play therapist for caretakers and other supports

Day 2:

Day 2 of this workshop will delve into the use of play therapy as a powerful tool for assessing and diagnosing children and adolescents. Participants will learn how to observe and interpret a child's play behaviors, uncovering underlying mental and behavioral health concerns. By examining common play themes, attendees will be equipped to better understand and address issues such as anxiety, depression, and trauma through the lens of play therapy. The course will provide practical insights into both formal and informal assessment techniques. In addition to exploring key historical and seminal play therapy theories, participants will gain skills in documenting and diagnosing based on play interactions.

Participants will achieve success in the following learning objectives:

Identify common play themes that signal mental and behavioral health concerns in children and adolescents during play therapy sessions.
Explain how to utilize play therapy as an assessment tool to observe and interpret a child's play behaviors for diagnostic purposes.
Utilize formal and informal play assessment techniques to enhance diagnostic accuracy.
Analyze play interactions using historical and seminal play therapy theories to understand underlying issues such as anxiety, depression, and trauma.
Demonstrate effective documentation of play therapy sessions to support assessment findings and diagnostic conclusions.
Integrate play therapy assessment results into developing comprehensive treatment plans for children and adolescents.

Workshop Schedule:

T his schedule will be used for both days of the workshop.