Therapist Training Calendar

The Play Cafe – Monthly Lunch and Learn

October 7th, 12-1 PM,EST

This virtual, one-hour lunch and learn session will be held monthly. Earn one Play Therapy CE while discussing various aspects of play therapy, including techniques, theories, and the process of becoming a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). This is also a great opportunity to network with fellow and aspiring play therapists. Register for this month’s session using the link below!

October TOPIC: Play Therapy Strategies to Support Healthy Risk Taking for the Clients “Who Never Need a Limit Set” 

Play Therapists—we’ve all been there. Your new client enters the playroom like they’re arriving for inspection. They ask permission before touching the puppets, choose the “right” toy, follow every rule, and start cleaning up before you can even reach for the toys or the trash. They watch your face for clues, offer the answer they think you want, and somehow turn play therapy into a flawless performance. They’re thoughtful, verbal, cooperative—and really, really good at being the child everyone can count on. Maybe a little too good. Because beneath the tidy shelves and perfect manners may be a child holding their breath: afraid to disappoint, afraid to make a mess, and afraid that one wrong move could cost them connection—which may be exactly why they arrived in your playroom. The child who never needs a limit may be the child who has never felt safe enough to test one. In this Play Café, we’ll explore the anxious, approval-seeking play therapy clients who rarely push against boundaries and seem more interested in getting therapy (and life) “right.” We’ll identify play therapy interventions that support healthy risk-taking, help children find their own voice, and explore what happens when we return responsibility, make room for disagreement and imperfection, and allow children to discover what it feels like to make their own choices within the safety of the therapeutic relationship.

Objectives

1 Describe and recognize symptoms of compliance, perfectionism, and people-pleasing behaviors in the playroom using play therapy theory and developmental stages.

  1. Identify how their therapist’s own relief with an “easy” client may inadvertently shape the therapeutic process, and play therapy case conceptualizations can help clinicians identify this and adjust accordingly.
  2. Apply at least three specific play therapy theory based responses to case scenarios that support children in disagreeing, taking risks, making a mess, and discovering that the therapeutic relationship can empower and strengthen their autonomy.
Led by Jenni Showalter, LCSW, RPT-S 

CE’S: 1 hour for APT, NBC, ASWB

Cost $10.00

Location: Virtual Event-The Play Cafe- Monthly Lunch and Learn

Upcoming Training Sessions

Friday & Saturday, Sept 25th – 26th, 2026

Morning Sessions 9am-12:15pm | Afternoon Sessions 1:15-4:30pm
Location: The Moose Lodge in Fairfax, 3529 Chain Bridge Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030

5th Annual Playful Heart Conference

Multiple Presenters: Eliana Gil, Anne Stewart, Kristian Owens, Cathy Canfield

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