Lisa Dion

Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program 4-Day Online Retreat (Melbourne, Australia)
2020-08-31 - 2020-09-03 | Online via Zoom
This 4-Day Retreat is part of the 10-Month Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program. The Certification Program is open to those who have completed either the Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive, the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy course, or the Synergetic Play Therapy Supplemental to a 2-Day Training. If you have completed one of these and are interested in moving towards certification, please see the details below or get more information here.
Are you a Masters-level (or equivalent) therapist or clinician ready to take your Synergetic Play Therapy skills to the next level? With 87 hours of content, the Certification program propels you on a journey of inquiry about how healing truly occurs in the playroom. You will learn about nervous system activation re-patterning and how integration occurs in the mind-body. You will study in-depth the projective process and the mind, perceptions and memory, interpersonal neurobiology, and will have a transformative understanding of attachment theory. But this isn’t the best part of this training. The best part is what happens to YOU! This program is designed to not only help you learn how to facilitate your child client’s healing, but also teach you about yourself, what drives you to be who you are, and awaken your own authenticity … absolutely PRICELESS!!!!
The course begins with four days together in community (this year we’ll be offering the first retreat online). Halfway through the course, we will reconvene for an additional four and a half days. During the program (with the exception of December and January), the course will be conducted twice a month via live webinar. The Certification process includes six one-hour supervision sessions (after concluding your introductory course) and nine one-hour supervision sessions during the course with an SPT Supervisor for a total of 15 supervision hours. These sessions are designed to help you integrate and deepen your learning.
Please note: Completion of The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy course, the Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive, or Synergetic Play Therapy Supplemental course to a 2-day training is required for acceptance into the Certification Program.

Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn't: Class 3, Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ June 2020 – November 2020
2020-08-21 | Online
Class 3: Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn’t is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course.
Class 3 Objectives:

Explain what regulation is and isn’t according to Synergetic Play Therapy
Discuss what it means to “overcome a challenge” in the play therapy process
Describe what it means to become the external regulator in a session to help a child integrate their challenges
Explain why you, the therapist, are the most important toy in the playroom.

For more information about this Level 1/Introductory level course or to be part of the next one, click here>>>
Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ is a six-month online course that includes three, one-hour LIVE webinars with Lisa Dion, six 2.5-hour recorded videos, and monthly one-hour group consultations with a Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supervisor/Consultant. Consultation is a mandatory part of the course to help you integrate what you are learning.
Special topics such as tracking the play, attachment, facilitating sand, art, trauma, and aggressive play are covered from the perspective of nervous system regulation, attunement, mindfulness, and authenticity. Participants will also learn how to track their client’s changes for caregivers, teachers, agencies, and themselves. And, we’ve added a bonus recorded webinar just for you and to support you during these times – SPT in Teletherapy.
The next course takes place from October 26th, 2020 – March 26th, 2021.

SPT and Teletherapy Webinar: Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ June 2020 – November 2020
2020-08-18 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Online via Zoom
BONUS Webinar, SPT and Teletherapy is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course.
For more information about this Level 1/Introductory level course or to be part of the next one, click here>>>
Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ is a six-month online course that includes three, one-hour LIVE webinars with Lisa Dion, six 2.5-hour recorded videos, and monthly one-hour group consultations with a Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supervisor/Consultant. Consultation is a mandatory part of the course to help you integrate what you are learning.
Special topics such as tracking the play, attachment, facilitating sand, art, trauma, and aggressive play are covered from the perspective of nervous system regulation, attunement, mindfulness, and authenticity. Participants will also learn how to track their client’s changes for caregivers, teachers, agencies, and themselves. And, we’ve added a bonus recorded webinar just for you and to support you during these times – SPT in Teletherapy.
The next course takes place from October 26th, 2020 – March 26th, 2021.

Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program 4-Day Online Retreat (Boulder, Colorado)
2020-07-30 - 2020-08-02 | Online via Zoom

SPT and EMDR: Three-Day Workshop – TO BE RESCHEDULED
2020-07-23 - 2020-07-25 | CA
This training will be rescheduled … we’ll share as soon as we have the new dates/times.
Have you completed Basic EMDR training? Then come experience it with an SPT-twist!
In this workshop, therapists will have a one of kind experience exploring the basic components of play therapy from a neurobiology perspective as they get introduced to Synergetic Play Therapy and learn how it applies to the EMDR process with children. Through didactic and experiential teachings, participants will learn cutting-edge research on neural anatomy, mindfulness, attachment theory and brain development as the research is translated into practical ways of working with children and parents. Participants will gain an understanding of the Adaptive Information Processing Model (AIP) in EMDR as it relates to Synergetic Play Therapy.
Participants will also learn what it means to attach to one’s self as the cornerstone for all healing, the importance of congruent emotional expression in the playroom, how to identify types of dys-regulation in the playroom, how to model regulating activities to the client, how to talk to and involve parents and ultimately how to re-pattern a child’s nervous system through the play therapy process. Aggressive play will also be covered from the perspective of nervous system regulation, attunement, and mindfulness. Finally, participants will also learn how to track a client’s changes in a simple, yet comprehensive way.
This is a three-day workshop. Following the training, participants may sign up for case consultation with consultants trained in both EMDR and SPT.
Registration details coming soon!

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Fort Collins, Colorado
2020-07-18 - 2020-07-24 | Brain Drops, 209 E Plum St, Fort Collins, CO, 80524, United States
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Explain some of the neuroscience behind identifying children’s states of dysregulation during play therapy and how this influences the symptoms and play in the playroom.
Describe how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged.
Begin to assess a child’s emotional age in their play during the play therapy process.
Demonstrate how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance during play therapy.
Demonstrate how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged.
Apply the use of boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist during play therapy.
Demonstrate how to set boundaries in play therapy without shaming or shutting down the child’s play.
Describe the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” during play therapy, as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them.
Use the therapist’s authenticity and attunement to support the attachment process in play therapy.
Use regulation, in the midst of challenging play, as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom.
Use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions.

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Watercourse Private Training: 3-Day Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy
2020-07-14 08:00 - 2020-07-16 17:00 | Online via Zoom
In the 3-Day Online Private Training of Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ Lisa takes students on a journey to explore the neuroscience behind what is happening in the play therapy process, how to repattern a child’s nervous system, and what it means to become an external regulator in the playroom. Participants will also learn how to effectively work with parents and what it means to create a neuroception of safety allowing both the child and the parent to have a deeper integration. And if this wasn’t enough, students will come to understand the magic of aggressive play, sand and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity.
Participants will learn all this while also how to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue. They will discover what showing up in the playroom truly means and explore what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels.
Topics Covered: Tracking the play, attachment, facilitating sand, art, trauma, and aggressive play are covered from the perspective of nervous system regulation, attunement, mindfulness, and authenticity. Participants will also learn how to track their client’s changes for parents, teachers, agencies, and themselves.
*If you’d like your organization to participate in a private training to learn Synergetic Play Therapy, please contact us at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com or 720-458-9597.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Six-Month Course - Launches June 22nd
2020-06-22 - 2020-11-20 | CA
Learn from anywhere! … The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy is a 21-hour course that takes you on a journey to explore the neuroscience behind what is happening in the playroom, how to repattern a child’s nervous system, and what it means to become an external regulator in the playroom. You will also learn how to effectively work with parents and what it means to create a neuroception of safety allowing both the child and the parent to have a deeper integration. And if this wasn’t enough, you will come to understand the magic of aggressive play, sand and art from the perspectives of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity.
You’ll learn all this while also how to avoid burnout and compassion fatigue. Come discover what showing up in the playroom truly means and explore what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. And the best part is, you get to be you on the journey!
This course includes three, one-hour LIVE webinars with Lisa Dion, six 2.5-hour recorded videos, and monthly consultations** with a Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supervisor/Consultant to help you integrate what you are learning. It is designed for masters-level therapists and clinicians (or equivalent).
“Lisa Dion truly has a gift and I cannot wait to learn more about the SPT model. The Intro to SPT course gave me a true understanding of what we all go through in being human and the importance to “come back home.” This was such a wonderful foundation for being a therapist in general and in learning more rationale behind working in this field.” – Liz Keator
For program details and to register, click here.

PILINA in the Playroom: Neurobiology and Attachment in Play Therapy – TO BE RESCHEDULED
2020-06-08 - 2020-06-12 | Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel, 75-5660 Palani Rd, Kailau-Kona, HI, 96740, United States
This event will be rescheduled for a later date …. please check back.
Last year was such a success, we’re doing it all over again!
Pilina in the Playroom: Neurobiology and Attachment in Play Therapy is a 5- Day Play Therapy Retreat held on the island of Hawaii. At a relaxed island pace, the theories of attachment and neurobiology come together as Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S and Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S present on how to develop connection to self, others, and communities. You will learn how to create an authentic attachment to yourself which becomes a powerful tool in the play therapy room with our clients young and old. By developing play-based regulation and co-regulation strategies for use in the playroom, we can encourage and foster stronger connections in the families we work with. You will discover how attachment theory can guide your play therapy practice and how to encourage and develop deeper attachment relationships between you, your child clients, and their caregivers.
Participants will spend five days learning new and innovative play therapy techniques including hands on experiential activities, guided imagery, regulation strategies, sand tray interventions, and expressive arts in a gorgeous setting with plenty of time for self-care, rest, and rejuvenation built into the program. Weather permitting, we will be spending doing Sandtray ON THE BEACH learning attachment centered Sandtray interventions! You will leave with a creative toolbox of tips, techniques, and a clear understanding of how attachment styles impact relationships and the confidence and competence needed to make a difference in the lives of many.
Each day has been carefully planned to allow time for self-reflection, learning, case studies, and hands on experiential learning. You will be treated with 20 Hours of APT Credit including 5 hours of seminal/historically significant theory, 10 hours of skills and methods, and 5 hours special topics. You will also come home with a toolbox of play therapy interventions. But most importantly, you will leave this beautiful island retreat rejuvenated and ready to jump back into practice, feeling confident and competent in the knowledge you have gained.
Registration is open!

Trauma Informed Approaches to Understanding Aggression and Revolutionizing Therapeutic Practice with Children and Young People: Online Two-Day Workshop - British Columbia, Canada
2020-05-28 09:00 - 2020-05-29 12:00 | Online via Zoom
During this online workshop, Lisa will weave together insights from interpersonal neurobiology and nervous system activation allowing therapists to understand how to co-regulate through the intensity, providing a level of insight which supports the transformation of aggression into ways of connecting and mutual trust.
Doesn’t matter where you are in the world … Get all the details and register here.
Course Objectives
Participants will come away with a range of new skills and strategies that include:

Learning how to set boundaries without shaming or shutting down the child
Understanding how to work with the intensity of aggressive play without the therapist’s own nervous system shutting down resulting in compassion fatigue and burn out
Learning how to become the external regulator in a session to deepen children’s ability to integrate the challenging experiences they are working through

This two-day workshops runs 9am-12pm on both days May 28th & 29th.

We are in this Together: Emotional Regulation in the Playroom: One-Day Workshop – Burns, Tennessee - TO BE RESCHEDULED
2020-04-17 | Montgomery Bell State Park, 1020 Jackson Hill Road, Burns, TN, 37029, United States
This event will be rescheduled for a later date …. please check back.
As neuroscience continues to reveal the importance of developing greater and greater capacities for emotional regulation, it is essential that clinicians understand the biology behind regulation and how to develop it within the children they work with. This full day workshop is designed to help clinicians understand exactly what regulation is and is not, the biological mechanisms in the brain and nervous system allowing for regulation, and learn practical tools that can be implemented right away in the playroom for developing a child’s regulatory capacity. Clinicians will also learn what it takes and how to become the external regulator in the relationship- the most important tool to have in the toolbox.
In this workshop, Lisa makes the growing field of neuroscience accessible and relevant to clinicians of all backgrounds. Using interpersonal neurobiology and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework rooted in Child-Centered, Gestalt and Experiential Play Therapy theories, this workshop caters to both experienced and new clinicians, and is applicable to private practice, agency and school settings. Clinicians will leave this workshop with a powerful new perspective on emotional regulation and ideas that they can take straight into their next session.
Objectives:

Discuss the significance of congruence and authentic expression in the play therapy process
Examine the link between a child’s dysregulated states of their nervous system and their play
Discuss the Synergetic Play Therapy concept of “The Set Up” in the playroom as a way to understand what children are attempting to communicate
Explore how our own “window of tolerance” can impact the child’s healing process
Practice what it takes to become the “external regulator” in the playroom to support nervous system integration
Explore what to do when “emotional flooding” happens in a play therapy session

Get the details and sign up here!

Understanding Regulation for Early Childhood Educators (Closed Training) - Boulder, Colorado
2020-03-11 | Boulder Journey School, 1919 Yarmouth Ave, Boulder, CO, 80304, United States
One-hour presentation for early childhood educators at the Boulder Journey School. This is a closed presentation. If you’d like more information about our teachings for early childhood educators, please email us at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Aggression in the Playroom - A Synergetic Approach for Working with Trauma and Intensity in Play Therapy: One-Day Workshop at the Minnesota APT Conference - Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020-03-06 | CA
With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, therapists will learn how to effectively work with aggressive play in a way that supports nervous system regulation and reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain while decreasing compassion fatigue. Join us as we learn how to become a child’s external regulator during trauma and intensive play, allowing you to maximize integration and healing in your child clients (and in yourself).
Although aggression and death are common parts of the play therapy process, many therapists don’t have a clear understanding of what to do and how to facilitate the intensity when it enters the playroom during play. The result can lead to inadvertently promoting aggression and increasing low brain disorganization. It can also lead to the therapist feeling beat up, exhausted, and hyper-aroused themselves, which can – over time – significantly impact their longevity in the field as well as their ability to stay attuned and present to a child in the playroom.
For more information or to register, click here.

Course Objectives

Recognize the significance of congruence and authentic expression in the play therapy process
Discuss how to work with aggression and trauma in the playroom without having your own nervous system shut down leading to vicarious trauma
Discuss the link between a child’s dysregulated states of their nervous system and their aggressive and traumatic play
Practice facilitating aggressive play in the play therapy process without increasing or promoting aggression
Discuss the Synergetic Play Therapy concept of “The Set Up” in the playroom
Demonstrate how to set boundaries without shaming or shutting down a child’s play

Ah! Why Aren't You Listening to Me? Working with Resistance in the Supervisory Relationship: Three-Hour Course at the Minnesota APT Conference - Minneapolis, Minnesota
2020-03-05 | CA
One of the hardest and often misunderstood aspects of being a play therapy supervisor is effectively working with resistance. This workshop takes a deeper look at what resistance actually is, its biology, and how to creatively work with it.
For more information or to register, click here.
Course Objectives

Discuss what resistance in play therapy supervision actually is
Examine the biology of resistance in order to more skillfully identify it and work with it as it arises in a play therapy supervision session
Describe at least 2 new ideas to help play therapy supervisees when they are feeling resistant in supervision

Healing Trauma and Abuse in Children and Adolescents: A Two-Day Workshop - Quezon City, Philippines
2020-02-14 - 2020-02-15 | CA
When children and adolescents come to counseling for support with trauma and abuse, clinicians can be at a loss for how best to work with the complexities and the intensity of that prior experience.
Without a clear understanding of what to do and how to facilitate the integration of trauma, children can stay stuck and unable to move forward in their healing. Clinicians can also find themselves anxious, exhausted, confused, overwhelmed, and dysregulated, which can – over time – significantly impact their longevity in the field. It can affect their ability to stay attuned to and present with the child as well.
With the help of neuroscience and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, this two-day workshop teaches clinicians how to effectively work with trauma and abuse in a way that supports integration and nervous system regulation, while decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
Register here.

Too Stressed to Play: A Two-Day Self-Care Retreat for Play Therapists - Melbourne
2020-02-07 - 2020-02-09 | CA
We’re sold out. New date coming soon!
This event includes two nights of accommodation in the Yarra Valley, healthy snacks and meals, and a welcome gathering. Saturday includes yoga, meditation, sound healing, and a discussion on “You, Me, and We: What You Must Know to Fully Understand the Therapeutic Relationship and the Importance of Self in the Playroom.” Sunday includes a mindfulness practice and a discussion on “Facing our Fears: Take a Look at the Blocks and Beliefs that are in the Way of Your Being Able to Show Up Fully in the Playroom to Connect with Yourself and Your Child Client.”

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 5-Day Retreat - Melbourne
2020-02-03 - 2020-02-07 | CA
Synergetic Play Therapy launches you on a personal journey towards discovering what showing up in the playroom truly means. Certification takes this journey one step further. Authenticity, congruency, attunement, camaraderie – this program helps therapists look even deeper while cultivating community and a connection to clients (and each other!). Embark on a revolutionary experience filled with magical, memorable moments! Learn to love YOU and support your child clients as they learn the same. Gain confidence, hone skills and transform your practice and yourself.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Six-Month Course - Spring Session Launches January 21
2020-01-21 - 2020-06-19 | CA
Learn from anywhere! The Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Six-Month Course launches you on a personal journey towards discovering what showing up in the playroom truly means. It explores what is happening in the play therapy process, how change occurs, and ultimately what it takes to help children heal at profound levels. It invites you to be you!
This course includes three, one-hour LIVE webinars with Lisa Dion, six 2.5-hour recorded videos, and monthly consultations** with a Synergetic Play Therapy™ Supervisor/Consultant to help you integrate what you are learning. It is designed for masters-level therapists and clinicians (or equivalent) and provides the chance to learn from anywhere. Connect without the commute!
Special topics such as facilitating sand, art, trauma, and aggressive play are covered from the perspective of nervous system regulation, attunement, attachment, mindfulness, and authenticity. Participants will also learn how to track their client’s changes for parents, teachers, agencies, and themselves.
“Lisa Dion truly has a gift and I cannot wait to learn more about the SPT model. The Intro to SPT course gave me a true understanding of what we all go through in being human and the importance to “come back home.” This was such a wonderful foundation for being a therapist in general and in learning more rationale behind working in this field.” – Liz Keator
For program details and to register, click here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 5-Day Retreat - Boulder
2020-01-16 - 2020-01-20 | CA

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 5-Day Retreat - Vancouver
2020-01-09 - 2020-01-14 | CA

2019 Midwest Child Life Conference - Keynote in Springfield: The Need for An External Regulator During Child Life Interventions
2019-11-09 | Missouri State University – Plaster Student Union, 1110 E. Madison Street, Springfield, MO, 65897, United States
Join Lisa Dion as she explores external regulation in the Child Life Specialist.
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the Child Life Specialist to act as the external regulator supporting the child and their family to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration.
Without the ability of the Child Life Specialist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises, both the child, family, and the Child Life Specialist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a Child Life Specialist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to the child and family during care.
Break out session:
We are in this together: Understanding Nervous System States for Co-Regulation

This presentation explores the various states of activation of the nervous system in order to help Child Life Specialists understand new ways of working with a child’s fears and anxieties, how to recognize emotional flooding, and ultimately how to become the external regulator to co-regulate a child through their challenging experiences leading to a more adaptive and less overwhelming hospital experience. Register or learn more here.

Lessons from the Playroom - Working With Families in the Playroom
2019-10-22 14:00 - 15:30 | CA
The Lessons from the Playroom Webinar is a series of 75-minute LIVE webinars designed to further explore what is truly happening in the play therapy process. Interact with Lisa Dion and special guests around the world for an hour of power, purpose, and perspective. Curious what these webinars are about? Click here for a sample!
The October topic is Working With Families in the Playroom.
Register here. Watch live or via replay.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive - Littleton
2019-10-18 - 2019-10-27 | Play Therapy Inc, 8 W Dry Creek Cir, Littleton, CO, 80120, United States
October 18th – 20th and October 25th – 27th
The Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive allows you to jump in and really experience the magic of Synergetic Play Therapy! We hold these intensives regularly throughout the year, limiting this program to four people in order to permit extensive skill practice with individualized coaching and feedback. Each participant will be paired with a child client with whom they will work every day during the training under direct supervision as part of a therapeutic observation team. Dive into SPT and see if it’s right for you!
Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive Prerequisite Training:

Participants should have completed or be enrolled in a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) program in counseling, social work, or education.
Previous experience working with children and families is also required.
A basic understanding of play therapy and play therapy skills is required.

Six-Day Synergetic Play Therapy Intensive objectives:

Understand some of the neuroscience behind identifying a child’s states of dysregulation and how these influence the symptoms and play in the playroom
Learn how Synergetic Play Therapy tools such as the Nervous System Chart, The Process of Change, and explaining the Synergetic Play Therapy Stages can help a parent understand the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Begin to understand how to identify a child’s emotional age in their play
Understand how mindfulness and self-awareness in the playroom is an essential component to helping widen a child’s emotional window of tolerance
Understand how to work with parents in the play therapy process and keep them engaged
Understand how to use boundaries to help reduce emotional flooding and overwhelm in both the child and the therapist, as well as how to set them without shaming or shutting down the child’s play
Understand the projective process and how children engage in “The Set Up” as a way to integrate their perceptions of what is challenging them
Understand how the therapist’s authenticity and attunement supports the attachment process in play therapy
Understand the importance of being regulated in the midst of challenging play as an essential component of becoming the child’s external regulator in the playroom
Understand how to use regulation to support a child’s ability to learn how to regulate during play therapy sessions

For availability and registration details, please contact the Institute at 720-458-9597 or email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Fostering Kidz Conference - Keynote in Auckland: Creating Connection Through Play
2019-10-16 - 2019-10-17 | Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre, 58 Waipuna Rd, Mount Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand
Children don’t often have the words to communicate how they are feeling, yet they can communicate their thoughts and feelings fluently through their play. Without understanding the importance of play, the role of play in a child’s life and how to use play to create connection, caregivers may be missing one of the most important ways to establish relationship and connection with the young people in their lives.
Breakout Session
This workshop is designed to give caregivers pertinent information on how to understand the meaning behind children’s play, so that they can better understand what children are attempting to express. Participants will also learn how to assess a child’s nervous system dys-regulation patterns along with what signs to look for in a child’s play that indicate concern and possible need for intervention and support.
Registration is now open!

Synergetic Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach to Using Play in Therapeutic Practice with Children - Auckland
2019-10-14 - 2019-10-15 | STOP Organization, 11 Whitmore St, Edgeware, Christchurch, New Zealand
Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy, a model of play therapy that uses a neuroscientific framework and emphasizes the critical role of the therapist. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and the Synergetic Play Therapy model, participants will explore in this 2- day workshop how to effectively use a way of play therapy that supports nervous system regulation and reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to identify various nervous system states in their child clients and understand how to support regulation in the playroom. They will learn how to work with intense or aggressive play without causing their own nervous system to shut down or triggering vicarious trauma. Participants will gain further knowledge and skills on how to support their clients to maximize growth and integration of their experiences through Synergetic Play Therapy. Come prepared to play and have fun!
The training is suitable for clinicians working therapeutically with children and their families.

Revolutionizing Play in Therapeutic Practice with Children and Young People - Alberta
2019-09-24 - 2019-09-25 | Alberta Health Services, 7910 112 Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, T5B 0C2, Canada
Lisa Dion is the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy – a researched-informed model of play therapy based on nervous system regulation, interpersonal neurobiology, physics, attachment, mindfulness, and therapist authenticity. It aims to replicate the delicate dance of attunement that occurs between a caregiver and an infant. It focuses on ensuring that the practitioner’s verbalizations and non-verbal activity are congruent during the play therapy sessions in order to transmit trust and safety. In doing so, the approach maximizes right-hemisphere to right-hemisphere communication and acts as an external regulator for children’s dysregulated states as they arise in the therapeutic process.
Lisa defines the therapist as the most important toy in the playroom. Her approach is applicable to all children, as the basis for her theory is rooted in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology. Her work is also effectively applied to work with children and young people who express aggression in their behaviour during the therapeutic process. This is a vital new area that has rarely been conceptualized. Lisa’s approach highlights how a compassionate and relational orientation is critical to be aware of the multiple layers of meaning that occurs in the exchanges between therapist and child/young person.
Participants will come away with a range of new skills and strategies that include:

Being able to describe how play therapy works from a neurobiological perspective
Learning how to set boundaries without shaming or shutting down the child
Learning how to make aggressive play therapeutic
Understanding how to work with the intensity of aggressive play without the therapist’s own nervous system shutting down resulting in compassion fatigue and burn out
Learning how to become the external regulator in a session to deepen children’s ability to integrate the challenging experiences they are working through

Using hands-on and practical techniques, Lisa will assist the group to trace the moment to moment shifts in regulation between therapist and child, providing a level of insight which supports the transformation of aggression into ways of connecting and mutual trust.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Retreat 3-Day Retreat - Vancouver
2019-09-20 - 2019-09-22 | CA

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 3-Day Retreat - Melbourne
2019-08-26 - 2019-08-28 | CA

Neurobiology of Leadership - Sydney
2019-08-24 - 2019-08-25 | Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch, 501 Wattle Street #485, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
The art and magic of facilitation – for facilitators and coaches! This is a 2-Day Workshop with Lisa Dion, Peter Bliss, and Erika Yeates that takes place at the Independent Education Union of Australia.
This course is designed for Facilitators and Coaches who want to learn HOW to facilitate in order to increase confidence, double their impact, increase their referrals and ultimately transform lives. Using a neuroscientific approach, combined with Mindfulness and Breathing techniques – Lisa, Peter and Erika – will equip you with powerful and sustainable skills you can use to maximize your ability to facilitate others.
Lisa has been working as a psychotherapist for over 15 years and is a Master Certified Demartini Method Facilitator.
Peter has been working as a Mindfulness, Qi Gong, Tai Chi and Meditation Teacher and Coach for over 15 years and is a Trained Demartini Method Facilitator.
Erika is a Medical Doctor, corporate consultant, coach, writer, speaker and Senior Certified Demartini Facilitator.
All three of them have been teaching and inspiring thousands to gain the ability and knowledge to live according to their highest values and achieve fulfillment and joy in what they do.
Register here.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapy 3-Day Retreat - Boulder
2019-08-16 - 2019-08-18 | CA
