Attachment Centered Play Therapy with High Conflict Families

Clinicians are often the “first responders” to families in crisis or when dealing with an unforeseen trauma taking place. As our knowledge about trauma and the impact this has on an individual, a family, and the community grows, so does our understanding as to how these different life experiences play out in the family home and relationships. High conflict families can be challenging to work with in play therapy, as parents and children tend to be highly reactive, yet also highly avoidant. It is easy to only want to see the child and avoid the parent – however, engagement with the parents is a must in order for lasting change and healing to happen.

Throughout this play therapy workshop, we will be exploring our clients through the lens of attachment theory, gaining a new understanding of how children and families interact and bond to one another in healthy vs maladaptive ways. We will be exploring how trauma, abuse, and neglect impact the bonds of attachment within the family system and how the power of Attachment Centered Play Therapy can help to heal these wounds in high conflict families. Issues such as shame, vulnerability, and attachment centered engagement strategies will be addressed. There will be plenty of time to explore difficult cases you are working with, ask questions, develop new assessment skills and explore your own personal style of attachment and how this plays out in your work with clients. You will leave with a toolbox of play therapy interventions to put into practice immediately!

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn how attachment theory applies to play therapy and to view family systems through the lens of attachment.
2. Analyze attachment theory as it applies to play therapy to provide integrated therapeutic treatment.
3. Conceptualize attachment patterns that impact parent-child relationships to further advance your clinical practice.
4. Implement play therapy interventions to foster engagement with parents in family play therapy in order to repair and enhance the parent-child relationship.
5. Determine the developmental stages of attachment needs and behaviors to identify maladaptive responses in children and families.
6. Implement play therapy interventions to decrease conflict in parent-child relationships

Continuing Education Credits:

6 Non-Contact APT hours