The Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Training is a closed group and is not open to the public. For more information, please email Lisa Dion directly. 

“This was a professional development course second to none! The best of the best.”  ~ Certified SPT Graduate

This nine-month training is designed for play therapists wanting to received advanced Training in Synergetic Play Therapy or want to become Certified Synergetic Play Therapists™.

Prerequisite Training

• Attendance at six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy™ Intensive Training with post supervision; or
• Internship or Externship focused on Synergetic Play Therapy; or
• Attendance at six-month Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Class with post supervision.

During the prerequisite trainings therapists explore the foundations of Synergetic Play Therapy as they begin to learn about attunement, authenticity, mindfulness, nervous system regulation and attaching to self, the cornerstone of all healing. Therapists finish these prerequisites with a deep appreciation and understanding of how play therapy really works and some of the brain science behind it.  During these courses, therapists will be introduced to:

• Cutting-edge research in interpersonal neural anatomy, mindfulness, attachment and brain development.
• Attachment is a buzz word in child development. However, few theorists recognize and understand how the attachment process actually works and the importance of attaching to one’s self first and foremost.
• The importance of the therapist’s congruent emotional expression in the playroom and how this is a key element of helping re-pattern a child’s nervous system.
• Learn how to identify types of dys-regulation and symptoms of the nervous system, how to model regulating activities to clients and how to translate this information to parents.

To make sure therapists are skill set ready to enter into the nine-month Advanced Training, therapists will also complete the following requirements:

• Supervision (live or via webinar) from a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor to determine readiness;
• Completion of 10 session observations;
• Attendance at a Synergetic Play Therapy Conference (live or via webinar) to complete the following courses:  Art in Play Therapy, Sand in Play Therapy and Growing Up in Play Therapy.

Objectives

This year long advanced training is designed to help play therapists become certified in Synergetic Play Therapy™ (SPT), a new and cutting edge model of play therapy designed to re-pattern the disorganization in the lower brain centers, areas that are often unaddressed in many current play therapy models. This research-based approach focuses heavily on the projective process, affect attunement, attachment and nervous system regulation.

1. Understand how SPT supports the child in changing his perceptions of the perceived challenging events and thoughts in his life.
2. Understand how attunement between therapist and child is essential in order to heal disorganization in the lower brain stem and re-pattern their nervous system in the play therapy process.
3. Understand how a play therapist can model self-regulation to the child during a play therapy session.
4. Understand how the play therapist’s ability to use mindfulness to be congruent and authentic in her language and non-verbal signals allows the child to feel safe in the relationship and engage in “mindsight” during the play therapy session.
5. Be able to identify the different states of dys-regulation and their corresponding symptoms as they arise in the play room.
6. Understand how toys are used to help facilitate the relationship between the therapist and the child during a play therapy session.
7. Understand how to support the child in getting in touch with her authentic self during the play therapy process.
8. Understand how the synergy between the therapist’s authenticity, attunement, congruence, and nervous system regulation supports the child in learning how to attach to self, the cornerstone of all healing.

Understand how the child projects his inner world onto the toys and therapist setting them up to experience his perception of what it feels like to be him during a play therapy session.

SPT Certification Program

During the Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program, participants will gain a greater understanding and knowing of the tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy™ and themselves, along with an in-depth look at the neuroscience and research behind the model. Therapists will begin to study the details of how the play therapy works and have the opportunity to fine tune their skills. They will attend (on-site) two three-day Training Retreats and (on-site or webinar) six three-hour monthly classes focusing on the following within the context of a Synergetic Play Therapy process to explore

• Awareness, mindfulness and attention
• Attunement and Transition
• Mirror Neurons and Neurobiology
• Regression and Non-verbal states
• Attachment Processes and biology of the Nervous System
• Working with Parents
• Adoption, Sensory and Trauma
• Biology of Emotions and Windows of Tolerance
• Narratives and Perception
• Family and Group Processes
• Goodbyes and Endings
• Working with Teens and Adults
• And more…

Participants will also participate in individual supervision each month. Video observations, additional assignments and readings will also be required in order to maximize learning and integration of the material.

Where do I begin? This training has provided so much growth for me personally and professionally. I feel like I have a better understanding of the process and how to facilitate growth within my client and within myself. This has been a life changing experience for me.  ~ Certified SPT Graduate

APT Approved Provider 09-264.