Lisa Dion

The Embody Lab – Foundations of Trauma and Healing in Children
2022-10-12 | Online
This two-hour session will offer students a foundational understanding of what the healing of trauma looks and feels like in children from a somatic perspective. Although this course is geared towards children, the content is applicable to clients of all ages. It will draw on lecture and class discussion to support a developing understanding of the content.

This is a private workshop. If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Colorado: Mental Health Center of Denver - Aggression in Play Therapy: A Synergetic Approach for Integrating Intensity
2022-10-10 - 2022-10-11 | Mental Health Center of Denver
Although aggression and death are a common part 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 play room.
This workshop is designed to help play therapists understand aggression and death play from a neuro-biological perspective and a Synergetic Play Therapy lens. With the help of neuroscience and theoretical bases in Experiential and Relational/Humanistic theories, therapists will learn how to effectively work with this type of play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and decreases compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
This workshop will take therapists to new possibilities as they explore a science based process for working with children at the deepest, most profound levels while staying safe and sane. They will learn how to make aggressive play therapeutic while understanding what it takes to maximize growth and integration for their clients and themselves.
This is a private workshop. If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® June 2022: Class 4- Working with Caregivers
2022-09-23 | Online
Working with Caregivers (Class 4) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, June 14th, 2022 – November 11th, 2022.
Class 4 Objectives:

Discuss the implications for caregivers being in their own grief process when they bring their children to play therapy.
Describe how to have a successful play therapy intake.
Discuss the importance of setting goals and speaking in terms of what is important to the caregiver.

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.

Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program 3.5-Day Online Retreat (North America)
2022-08-29 - 2022-09-01 | Online
This 3.5-Day Retreat is part of the 10-Month Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program. The Certification program consists of 2 online retreats – one at the beginning (3.5-day retreat) and a second one (4.5-day retreat) half-way through the 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.
North America: August 29 – September 1, 2022, 9:00am – 4:30pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT) – (the last day ends at 12pm MDT)
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 Certification process includes 4 one-hour consultation sessions (pre-Certification consultation upon completion of your introductory course) and 9 one-hour consultation sessions (combination of group and individual) during the course with an SPT Consultant for a total of 13 consultation 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.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® June 2022: Class 3- Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn't
2022-08-19 | Online
Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn’t (Class 3) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, June 14th, 2022 – November 11th, 2022.
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.

Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program 3.5-Day Online Retreat (Australia/Asia)
2022-08-16 - 2022-08-19 | Online
This 3.5-Day Retreat is part of the 10-Month Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program. The Certification program consists of 2 online retreats – one at the beginning (3.5-day retreat) and a second one (4.5-day retreat) half-way through the 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.
Australia/Asia: August 16 – August 19, 2022, 8:00am – 3:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) – (the last day ends at 11am AEST)
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 Certification process includes 4 one-hour consultation sessions (pre-Certification consultation upon completion of your introductory course) and 9 one-hour consultation sessions (combination of group and individual) during the course with an SPT Consultant for a total of 13 consultation 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.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® June 2022: Class 2- Exploring the Nervous System in the Playroom
2022-07-22 | Online
Exploring the Nervous System in the Playroom (Class 2) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, June 14th, 2022 – November 11th, 2022.
Class 2 Objectives:

Explain the link between nervous system states and the symptoms that show up in the playroom
Describe the importance of regulation in the playroom
Demonstrate how the therapist can become the external regulator so that the child can begin to learn how to regulate
Explain what regulation is and isn’t according to Synergetic Play Therapy

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.

British Columbia: Revolutionizing Play in Therapeutic Practice with Children and Young People
2022-07-08 - 2022-07-09
Revolutionizing Play & Therapeutic Practice is designed to help practitioners understand therapeutic play from a neurobiological perspective. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, practitioners will learn how to effectively work with therapeutic play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and promote healing for the child. Through role play, discussion, and experiential exercises participants will learn practical techniques that can be used right away in the playroom. Topics such as boundaries, co-regulation, nervous system activation, emotional flooding and use of aggressive toys and play will be explored.
This training will also guide participants towards a deeper understanding of what it means to become a child’s external regulator during trauma play while practicing how to care for their own nervous system thereby decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. The result is the transformation of trauma play into ways of connecting, healing, and mutual trust.
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 practitioners 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 practitioner and child, providing a level of insight which supports the transformation of aggression into ways of connecting and mutual trust.
This in person, two-day event will take place on July 8th and 9th at the JIBC, New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

UK Event hosted by PIP Solutions: Revolutionizing Play and Therapeutic Practice with Children
2022-06-25 - 2022-06-26 | Colchester Football Stadium
This two-day training will be delivered by Lisa Dion creator of Synergetic Play Therapy© and founder and President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. Revolutionizing Play and Therapeutic Practice with Children is designed to help practitioners understand therapeutic
play from a neuro-biological perspective. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, practitioners will learn how to effectively work with therapeutic play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and promote healing for the child. Through role play, discussion, and experiential exercises participants will learn practical techniques that can be used right away in the playroom. Topics such as boundaries, co-regulation, nervous system activation, emotional flooding and use of aggressive toys and play will be explored. This training will also guide participants towards a deeper understanding of what it means to become a child’s external regulator during trauma play while practicing how to care for their own nervous system thereby decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. The result is the transformation of trauma play into ways of connecting, healing, and mutual trust.
This two-day event will take place on June 25th and June 26th in Colchester, Essex.
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Alabama APT Workshop- Playing Perfectly: A Play Therapist's Guide for Working with OCD in Play Therapy
2022-06-17
Supporting a child struggling with obsessive compulsions and anxiety can be incredibly challenging as the desire to move the child out of their rigidity and rituals can overshadow the deeper issues and stressors driving the behaviors. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a complex disorder as the reasons behind the behaviors vary from managing anxiety to past traumas to focused energy inside of a child driving them towards their genius and that which is most meaningful. Due to the complexity, therapists often mis-label, mis-understand and mis-guide these children in how to work with and understand their rituals and need for perfectionism. Without an understanding of this disorder and how play therapy is able to support the integration of the underlying drivers of the behaviors, play therapists can inadvertently intensify the inner struggle that is often experienced by these children as they attempt to stop, control and even deny the urges in their bodies.
Drawing from Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioral, and Synergetic Play Therapy theories, this workshop is filled with non-directive and directive play based interventions to help support play therapists on a path to understand the perfection in these children’s patterns and rituals, while teaching the child how to do the same. Play therapists will take a deeper look at the regulatory function of the child’s behaviors that manage the internal conflicts and anxieties these children often carry. Through discussion and experiential exercises, play therapists will learn how to separate the underlying drivers from the wisdom of the rituals themselves. With this knowledge, play therapists will learn how to use themselves and many forms of play to help these children access an understanding of the greatest perfection that exists, the child just as they are.
This event will take place on June 17th, 2022 from 8am-4pm CST.
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® January 2022: Class 6- Aggression, Art and Sand in Synergetic Play Therapy
2022-06-17 | Online
Aggression, Art and Sand in Synergetic Play Therapy (Class 6) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, January 24th – June 17th.
Class 6 Objectives:

Explain how to use regulation as a way to help integrate aggressive energy in the playroom
Describe how to facilitate the use sand from a Synergetic Play Therapy perspective in the playroom
Explain how to facilitate the use of art from a Synergetic Play Therapy perspective in the playroom
Explain the concept of flooding in the playroom for both you and the child and list ways to create a neuroception of safety.

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.

Alabama APT Conference Keynote:Playing Perfectly: A Play Therapist's Guide for Working with OCD in Play Therapy
2022-06-17
Supporting a child struggling with obsessive compulsions and perfectionism can be incredibly challenging as the desire to move the child out of their rigidity and rituals can overshadow the deeper issues and stressors driving the behaviors. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a complex disorder as the reasons behind the behaviors vary from managing anxiety to past traumas to focused energy inside of a child driving them towards their genius and that which is most meaningful. Due to the complexity, therapists often mis-label, mis-understand and mis-guide these children in how to work with and understand their rituals and need for perfectionism. Without an understanding of this disorder and how play therapy is able to support the integration of the underlying drivers of the behaviors, play therapists can inadvertently intensify the inner struggle that is often experienced by these children as they attempt to stop, control and even deny the urges in their bodies.
Drawing from Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioral, and Synergetic Play Therapy theories, this workshop is filled with non-directive and directive play based interventions to help support play therapists on a path to understand the perfection in these children’s perfection, while teaching the child how to do the same. Play therapists will take a deeper look at the regulatory function of the child’s behaviors that manage the internal conflicts and anxieties these children often carry. Through discussion and experiential exercises, play therapists will learn how to separate the underlying drivers from the wisdom of the rituals themselves. With this knowledge, play therapists will learn how to use themselves and many forms of play to help these children access an understanding of the greatest perfection that exists, the child just as they are.
From perfectionism to anxiety to self-doubt, the world of a child struggling with OCD can be incredibly overwhelming. Come explore how to support these children in play therapy and discover how their need for perfection is in fact perfect.
This event will take place in person, June 17th, 2022 from 8:00am-4:00pm CST
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® June 2022
2022-06-14 | Online
This six-month online course 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.
Curious what this class is all about? Get more details here.
This course takes place from June 14th, 2022 – November 11th, 2022

Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Training Institute (Arlington, VA) Masterclass: Working with Aggression and Intensity in Play Therapy
2022-06-02 | Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Institute
This event is part of the Mid-Atlantic Play Therapy Institute Conference taking place from June 2nd -June 5th, 2022.
Although aggression and death are a common part 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 play room.

This workshop is designed to help play therapists understand aggression and death play from a neuro-biological perspective and a Synergetic Play Therapy lens. With the help of neuroscience and theoretical bases in Experiential and Relational/Humanistic theories, therapists will learn how to effectively work with this type of play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and decreases compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.

This workshop will take therapists to new possibilities as they explore a science based process for working with children at the deepest, most profound levels while staying safe and sane. They will learn how to make aggressive play therapeutic while understanding what it takes to maximize growth and integration for their clients and themselves.
This Masterclass will take place on June 2nd from 10:00am-5:30pm EST.
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Alberta APT Virtual Workshop: Working with Anxiety, OCD and Perfectionism in Play Therapy
2022-05-27 | Online
From perfectionism to anxiety to self doubt, the world of a child struggling with OCD can
be incredibly overwhelming. Come explore how to support these children in play therapy
and discover how their need for perfection is in fact perfect. Supporting a child struggling with obsessive compulsions and perfectionism can be incredibly challenging as the desire to move the child out of their rigidity and rituals can overshadow the deeper issues and stressors driving the behaviors. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a complex disorder as the reasons behind the behaviors vary from managing anxiety to past traumas to focused energy inside of a child driving them towards their genius and that which is most meaningful.
Due to the complexity, therapists often mis-label, mis-understand and mis-guide these children in how to work with and understand their rituals and need for perfectionism. Without an understanding of this disorder and how play therapy is able to support the integration of the underlying drivers of the behaviors, play therapists can inadvertently intensify the inner struggle that is often experienced by these children as they attempt to stop, control and even deny the urges in their bodies. Drawing from Gestalt, Cognitive Behavioral, and Synergetic Play Therapy theories, this workshop is filled with non-directive and directive play based interventions to help support play therapists on a path to understand the perfection in these children’s perfection, while teaching the child how to do the same.
Play therapists will take a deeper look at the regulatory function of the child’s behaviors that manage the internal conflicts and anxieties these children often carry. Through discussion and experiential exercises, play therapists will learn how to separate the underlying drivers from the wisdom of the rituals themselves. With this knowledge, play therapists will learn how to use themselves and many forms of play to help these children access an understanding of the greatest perfection that exists, the child just as they are.
This event will take place on May 27th, 2022 from 9:00am-4:00pm MST.
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® January 2022: Class 5- Understanding Attachment & The Self-Object
2022-05-20 | Online
Understanding Attachment & The Self-Object (Class 5) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, January 24th – June 17th.
Class 5 Objectives:

Discuss Synergetic Play Therapy’s definition and perspective on attachment
Explain and demonstrate how to use the self-object as a way to support the client attaching to self
Describe the link between a child’s attachment styles and their nervous system states

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.

Private Event for the Infant Parent Center: Becoming a Child's External Regulator
2022-05-18 | Online
This is a private/closed event for the Infant Parent Center.
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for therapists and parents to act as the child’s external regulator during states of dysregulation. When activated, children need to borrow the therapist’s and the parent’s regulatory capacity as they work through their challenging thoughts, feelings and sensations. Without the ability of the therapist or the parent to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises for the child, both the child and the adult are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their own nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist’s and parent’s ability to stay attuned and present to the child. In this discussion, from a Synergetic Play Therapy lens, Lisa will discuss what it means and what it takes to become a child’s external regulator.
This event and will take place on May 18th, 2022 from 10:00am-12:30pm MST.
If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Pennsylvania APT Conference Keynote: Aggression in Play Therapy- A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity
2022-04-29 - 2022-04-30 | Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, 215 Innovation Blvd, State College, PA, 16803, United States
Although aggression and death are a common part 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.
This workshop is designed to help play therapists understand aggression and death play from a neuro-biological perspective and a Synergetic Play Therapy lens. With the help of neuroscience and theoretical basis in relational therapy, therapists will learn how to effectively work with this type of play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, supports the reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain, and decreases compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma.
This fun experiential workshop will take therapists to new possibilities as they explore a science based process for working with children at the deepest, most profound levels while staying safe and sane. They will learn how to make aggressive play therapeutic while understanding what it takes to maximize growth and integration for their clients and themselves.
This event will take place Apr 29, 8:00 AM EDT – Apr 30, 4:45 PM EDT
To get more information or register, CLICK HERE.

AIRS Keynote Virtual Workshop- Too Stressed To Help
2022-04-26 | Online
As a front line worker you put in countless hours helping people through their fears and challenges, but let’s be honest- there are days when being fully present is not an easy task. Yes there are many moments that are rewarding, but the truth is that helping people through a crisis and life’s stressors can be hard work and taxing to your nervous system. As front line workers, you spend a lot of time learning about how to be of services to others, but what about you? What happens when you are too stressed to help?
This keynote will help guide you back to you. With the help of neuroscience, you will discover how to identify your own states of dys-regulation and burnout beyond the common warning signs that you may already be familiar with. The myth that your self care can only happen before and after work and on the weekends will be challenged as we look at ways to regulate during your interactions with those you are helping and deal with stress in between interactions. You will learn that it is possible to leave each day with a deeper connection to yourself and with more energy.
This virtual keynote will be held on April 26th, 2022 from 12:00pm-12:45pm EST.
For more information click HERE.

Private Event for Jefferson Center for Mental Health: Becoming an External Regulator for Trauma Integration in Play Therapy
2022-04-22 | Online
This is a private/closed event for Jefferson Center for Mental Health.
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the therapist to act as the external regulator supporting the client to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration. This workshop explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons:
1) Clients need to borrow the therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings and sensations in therapy and
2) The therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for presence and attunement with the client, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system.
Without the ability of the therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the client and the therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a client in sessions.
This event and will take place on April 22nd, 2022 from 12:00pm-3:00pm MST.
If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® January 2022: Class 4- Working with Caregivers
2022-04-22 | Online
Working with Caregivers (Class 4) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, January 24th – June 17th.
Class 4 Objectives:

Discuss the implications for caregivers being in their own grief process when they bring their children to play therapy.
Describe how to have a successful play therapy intake.
Discuss the importance of setting goals and speaking in terms of what is important to the caregiver.

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.

Virtual Workshop: Becoming an External Regulator for Trauma Integration in Play Therapy (Hosted by: TPN.health)
2022-04-21 | Online
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the therapist to act as the external regulator supporting the client to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration. This workshop explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons:
1) Clients need to borrow the therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings and sensations in therapy and
2) The therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for presence and attunement with the client, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system.
Without the ability of the therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the client and the therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a client in sessions.
This event will be held on April 21st, 2022 from 12:00pm-3:15pm CST
For more details or to register, click HERE.

UK Virtual Webinar: Setting Up a Play Therapy Practice
2022-04-19 | Online
From paperwork to running a business to stocking the playroom, setting up a new play therapy practice can feel overwhelming. Join Lisa a she helps therapists navigate through the initial steps and mindset it takes to get a play therapy practice off the ground.
UK (London): April 19th, 2022 @ 6pm-7pm
For more information or to sign up click here!

SECASA (Melbourne) Private Event: The Need for An External Regulator in Traumatic Play
2022-04-12 | Online
This is a Private/Closed event for SECASA (South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault and Family Violence).
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for therapists and parents to act as the child’s external regulator during states of dysregulation. When activated, children need to borrow the therapist’s and the parent’s regulatory capacity as they work through their challenging thoughts, feelings and sensations. Without the ability of the therapist or the parent to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises for the child, both the child and the adult are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their own nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a therapist’s and parent’s ability to stay attuned and present to the child. In this discussion, from a Synergetic Play Therapy lens, Lisa will discuss what it means and what it takes to become a child’s external regulator.
This event will take place on April 12th, 2022 from 9:30am-12:30pm (Australian Time).
If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Florida APT Virtual Workshop: Becoming an External Regulator for Trauma Integration
2022-04-08 | Online
Research in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology sheds light on the need for the play therapist to act as the external regulator supporting the child to move towards the intensity they are experiencing allowing for integration. This workshop explores this need during trauma integration for two primary reasons: 1) The child need to borrow the play therapist’s regulatory capacity as they work through their traumatic thoughts, feelings and sensations in play therapy and 2) The play therapist’s ability to regulate themselves during the intensity increases the capacity for presence and attunement with the child, while simultaneously supporting the health and longevity of their own nervous system.
Without the ability of the play therapist to become the external regulator for the intensity that arises during trauma integration, both the child and the play therapist are at risk for emotional flooding and high levels of dysregulation in their nervous systems. Over time, this can significantly impact a play therapist’s longevity in the field, as well as the ability to stay attuned and present to a child in sessions.
This event will take place on April 8th, 2022 from 12:00pm-3:00pm EDT.
For more information or to register, CLICK HERE.

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® January 2022: Class 3- Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn't
2022-03-18 | Online
Understanding What Regulation Is and What It Isn’t (Class 3) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, January 24th – June 17th.
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.

Hawaii APT Conference (Virtual): Revolutionizing Play & Therapeutic Practice with Children
2022-03-04 - 2022-03-05 | Online
This two-day virtual training will be delivered by Lisa Dion creator of Synergetic Play Therapy© and founder and President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute.
Revolutionizing Play & Therapeutic Practice is designed to help practitioners understand therapeutic play from a neuro-biological perspective. With the help of neuroscience, interpersonal neurobiology, and a Synergetic Play Therapy framework, practitioners will learn how to effectively work with therapeutic play in a way that supports nervous system regulation, reorganization of the child’s lower centers of the brain and promote healing for the child. Through video, discussion, and experiential exercises participants will learn practical techniques that can be used right away in the playroom. Topics such as boundaries, co-regulation, nervous system activation, emotional flooding and use of aggressive toys and play will be explored.
This training will also guide participants towards a deeper understanding of what it means to become a child’s external regulator during trauma play while practicing how to care for their own nervous system thereby decreasing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. The result is the transformation of trauma play into ways of connecting, healing, and mutual trust.
This event will take place on March 4th and 5th, 2022 from 9am-4:30pm HST.
For more information or to register CLICK HERE.

Crofton House Virtual Presentation (Closed)- To Rescue or Not: What to do when my child is struggling
2022-03-02 | Online
This is a private event for Crofton House.
When children face hardship, adults in their lives can sometimes fall into the role of fixer or rescuer. It is often the case that we have had similar experiences and knowing that our kids are struggling makes us feel uncomfortable and want to make it better. After all, isn’t it our job to protect our kids? I think we can all agree that we want our kids to be happy, but when we protect our kids from hardship and discomfort we can actually be doing more harm than good.
Please join us for a virtual discussion with Lisa Dion where we will explore important questions and learn coping techniques that will help us sit with discomfort and foster resilience in our children. Some topics to be discussed will include: How to help our kids learn how to tolerate uncomfortable feelings, why it is important for kids to not be happy all the time, what resilience is and how it is cultivated, and why it is hard for us when our kids are uncomfortable.
This event will be held on March 2nd, 2022 from 6:00-8:00pm PST.
If you would like your school or organization to receive training, please contact the Institute at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

UK Virtual Webinar: Navigating Goodbyes and Endings
2022-02-22 | Online
Whether the child’s termination of therapy was expected or unexpected, goodbyes and endings can elicit challenging emotions in both the clinician and the child. From preparing for the final session to dealing with the unexpected goodbye, Lisa will offer ways to support the many types of endings that occur in play therapy.
UK (London): February 22nd, 2022 @ 6pm-7pm
For more information or to sign up click here!

Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy® January 2022: Class 2- Exploring the Nervous System in the Playroom
2022-02-18 | Online
Exploring the Nervous System in the Playroom (Class 2) is part of the Online Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy™ course, January 24th-June 17th.
Class 2 Objectives:

Explain the link between nervous system states and the symptoms that show up in the playroom
Describe the importance of regulation in the playroom
Demonstrate how the therapist can become the external regulator so that the child can begin to learn how to regulate
Explain what regulation is and isn’t according to Synergetic Play Therapy

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.
