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How to Use Sand Tray in Family Play Therapy Sessions? · Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence

• 0:02
  Cathi Spooner: Welcome to Next Level Play Therapy.
• 0:04
  Cathi Spooner: A weekly podcast dedicated to supporting the next generation of child and adolescent therapists to provide exceptional play therapy services.
• 0:14
  Cathi Spooner: We'll explore all things play therapy.
• 0:17
  Cathi Spooner: To elevate your work with children and adolescents using the therapeutic powers of play.
• 0:23
  Cathi Spooner: I'll discuss practical tips and ideas so you can provide a transformative experience for your young clients and make a real difference in their lives.
• 0:33
  Cathi Spooner: So get ready to take your play therapy skills to the next level and make a lasting impact in the lives of children, adolescents, and families.
• 0:47
  Cathi Spooner: Hello.
• 0:47
  Cathi Spooner: Welcome to this week's episode of Next Level Play Therapy, and today's topic is how do you include the TRE in Family Play Therapy sessions?
• 1:01
  Cathi Spooner: So if you've ever.
• 1:04
  Cathi Spooner: Used family play therapy and you had this amazingly awesome idea to include the San tray in the process, including a San tray activity, and then it went horribly wrong.
• 1:19
  Cathi Spooner: Or you think it went horribly wrong.
• 1:21
  Cathi Spooner: Anyway, um, then stay tuned'cause we are gonna talk about three tips for using.
• 1:31
  Cathi Spooner: Sant Tray in Family play therapy sessions effectively.
• 1:37
  Cathi Spooner: So we're gonna talk about, um, like what are some things you need to think about if you're using the Sant tray in family play therapy sessions, what do you need to think about if you're using Family play therapy sessions?
• 1:54
  Cathi Spooner: And then I'm gonna give you, I'm gonna share some of the.
• 1:58
  Cathi Spooner: Structure that I use when I'm using San Tray.
• 2:04
  Cathi Spooner: And then, um, just some things to think about in terms of using the San Tray in the plate therapy process.
• 2:16
  Cathi Spooner: All righty, so let's get started for today.
• 2:19
  Cathi Spooner: So welcome everybody.
• 2:21
  Cathi Spooner: This week's topic is how to use this, how to use Santra in Family Plea Therapy sessions, and I would love to know who's here, who's watching live, or those of you watching the video replay either on.
• 2:43
  Cathi Spooner: LinkedIn or YouTube, or even on Instagram.
• 2:49
  Cathi Spooner: So I'm gonna try something fancy schmancy today.
• 2:53
  Cathi Spooner: I, I, I did this before.
• 2:55
  Cathi Spooner: I don't do it very often.
• 2:57
  Cathi Spooner: For those of you that are listening on the podcast, you may wanna pop over to my YouTube channel and watch the video version of this, or I will tell you where to get this fancy little.
• 3:11
  Cathi Spooner: Graphic.
• 3:12
  Cathi Spooner: I'm gonna show you, for those of you watching on LinkedIn and YouTube, you'll, you'll see how I can pull it up on my screen.
• 3:20
  Cathi Spooner: For those of you watching on Instagram, I'll kind of pull over the graphic 'cause you won't be able to see it either.
• 3:28
  Cathi Spooner: Um, but anyway, so if you're, if you're watching or the video live or.
• 3:36
  Cathi Spooner: The replay.
• 3:37
  Cathi Spooner: I just realized I probably didn't finish my sentence'cause I got so excited about the graphic.
• 3:43
  Cathi Spooner: Um, go ahead and post your name in the comments.
• 3:47
  Cathi Spooner: Where are you from?
• 3:49
  Cathi Spooner: What population do you work with?
• 3:52
  Cathi Spooner: Are you using Santra?
• 3:54
  Cathi Spooner: Are you using family play therapy sessions?
• 3:58
  Cathi Spooner: Are you using Sandtray in family play therapy sessions?
• 4:02
  Cathi Spooner: And how is that going for you?
• 4:05
  Cathi Spooner: And, uh, if you're using family play therapy sessions, what do you love about that?
• 4:12
  Cathi Spooner: What do you love about Santra?
• 4:14
  Cathi Spooner: Go ahead and post those in the comments and let's get started for today.
• 4:22
  Cathi Spooner: So today's topic is how to use San Tray and family plea therapy sessions.
• 4:28
  Cathi Spooner: And the first thing I think is really important to think about, especially if you are using.
• 4:34
  Cathi Spooner: Family play therapy sessions is, um, what's your theore your, what's your theoretical model like?
• 4:44
  Cathi Spooner: I use attachment and neuroscience as my theoretical model with family systems theory.
• 4:52
  Cathi Spooner: So I've kind of integrated those together and come up, uh, with the model.
• 4:59
  Cathi Spooner: Called attachment focused family play therapy.
• 5:03
  Cathi Spooner: I also have a book called Attachment Focused Family Play Therapy.
• 5:09
  Cathi Spooner: This one is focused, uh, this is attachment focused family play therapy and intervention for, um, children and adolescents after Trauma.
• 5:20
  Cathi Spooner: So I talk about my, my model in there, and I do have a. Training coming up, um, in-person training, as well as you can attend virtually if you want.
• 5:31
  Cathi Spooner: So I'll talk a little bit more about that at the end.
• 5:34
  Cathi Spooner: I also have a sandre training coming up using a neuroscience and attachment lens.
• 5:40
  Cathi Spooner: So I'll talk a little bit about that one as well at the end.
• 5:44
  Cathi Spooner: So if you're interested, stay tuned for those.
• 5:49
  Cathi Spooner: The first thing you really need to think about is.
• 5:53
  Cathi Spooner: What is, what is your theoretical model?
• 5:56
  Cathi Spooner: What is your family play therapy model?
• 5:59
  Cathi Spooner: Because you wanna be intentional about using family play therapy to get the most benefit out of it.
• 6:08
  Cathi Spooner: Rather than just kind of on the spot, your client looks at you with their cute little face, with their cute little voice saying to you with such an innocent way, can my mom come in my session or can my dad come in?
• 6:26
  Cathi Spooner: Or can my friend come in?
• 6:28
  Cathi Spooner: It's usually a no for friends across the board.
• 6:31
  Cathi Spooner: No.
• 6:31
  Cathi Spooner: Um, can my sister come in or my brother come in and then 'cause, 'cause.
• 6:38
  Cathi Spooner: They've been asking to come in and then maybe you, maybe you have parents come in and it's kind of like doing individual play therapy session while the parent watches.
• 6:54
  Cathi Spooner: Um.
• 6:55
  Cathi Spooner: That usually ends up feeling awkward, and then you're kind of second guessing yourself about what the parent is thinking.
• 7:04
  Cathi Spooner: Parent usually is not sure what their role is or what they're supposed to be doing in there.
• 7:10
  Cathi Spooner: They might have questions about what you're doing.
• 7:14
  Cathi Spooner: So I, I don't find that to be particularly useful.
• 7:22
  Cathi Spooner: Maybe it can be beneficial.
• 7:24
  Cathi Spooner: I'm sure there have been instances when that's been beneficial, but if you wanna use it to its maximum capacity, that's, it's not been my experience that that is the most effective way of integrating parents and even family members into the plate therapy session because.
• 7:48
  Cathi Spooner: You don't have a framework guiding you through what you're doing in the sessions and what you're doing in each stage of the play therapy process, because your play therapy model is actually going to dictate who is in those family play therapy sessions.
• 8:12
  Cathi Spooner: For example, if you're using a Thera Play model, it's just gonna be.
• 8:18
  Cathi Spooner: One of the parents and the child and you, if you're using filial play therapy, then it's just gonna be the parent, one parent and one child.
• 8:30
  Cathi Spooner: And you may be observing through a two-way window, or maybe you're in there just kind of being silent witness to the process.
• 8:40
  Cathi Spooner: And if you're using my model, attachment focused family play therapy, then there's a specific framework that you're using and that's gonna influence how you're deciding who's in the play therapy session.
• 9:00
  Cathi Spooner: It is also gonna influence how you make sense of what's going on in the play therapy session.
• 9:07
  Cathi Spooner: So for example, if you're using Adlerian family play therapy.
• 9:12
  Cathi Spooner: Then it's gonna in, you're gonna, you're gonna, um, make sense of what's happening in the session based on Adler and play therapy.
• 9:23
  Cathi Spooner: The same would be for Gestalt play therapy.
• 9:26
  Cathi Spooner: So your play therapy model actually is a really important consideration when you are using family play therapy sessions in order to get the most benefit out of it.
• 9:41
  Cathi Spooner: So when you're looking at themes and you're making sense of behavior, it's gonna be influenced by those theoretical lenses.
• 9:49
  Cathi Spooner: So there are some theoretic, there are some themes that are, um, generic across all of the play therapy models.
• 9:58
  Cathi Spooner: And then how you conceptualize it is gonna be slightly influenced by your theoretical model.
• 10:04
  Cathi Spooner: So that part is really important, is making sure.
• 10:09
  Cathi Spooner: You are considering what play therapy modeler you're using for those family play therapy sessions.
• 10:16
  Cathi Spooner: That includes when you're using Sant Tray because when you're introducing Sant Tray activities into the play therapy session, that's going to influence how you're using the San Tray in the session, who's in the session, and how you're making sense of what's going on in the San Tray.
• 10:38
  Cathi Spooner: So that's a really important consideration.
• 10:41
  Cathi Spooner: I talk about that one a lot.
• 10:43
  Cathi Spooner: So if you've been watching or listening to any of my previous episodes, you probably would've heard me say that nine bazillion times.
• 10:53
  Cathi Spooner: So the next thing to think about is what's the purpose of the session?
• 11:00
  Cathi Spooner: So if you are, this is where again, we're using intention.
• 11:05
  Cathi Spooner: So when you get the ask those questions in the lobby, when you go out there to get your client, when you get asked that question, can my mom come in?
• 11:14
  Cathi Spooner: Can my dad come in?
• 11:15
  Cathi Spooner: Can my brother come in?
• 11:17
  Cathi Spooner: Then you don't have to say yes.
• 11:21
  Cathi Spooner: Because you wanna think about what the purpose is.
• 11:25
  Cathi Spooner: So if you're going to be including family members, then think about what it is you're working to accomplish and how adding family members in there will accomplish that that goal.
• 11:40
  Cathi Spooner: I'm a firm believer in integrating parents as your partner in the play therapy process.
• 11:48
  Cathi Spooner: I'm a firm believer in getting the whole family system in there because if you wanna see in real time what is actually going on.
• 11:59
  Cathi Spooner: Then you're gonna have the opportunity to do that if you have family play therapy sessions, because you are gonna be observing firsthand what are those interactions going on.
• 12:13
  Cathi Spooner: So a lot of times what'll happen is.
• 12:17
  Cathi Spooner: Maybe you've suggested to parents to read a parenting book, or maybe you've had a parent only session and you've recommended different parenting strategies, and parents look at you and say, oh, I tried those.
• 12:31
  Cathi Spooner: They didn't work, or That didn't work for my child.
• 12:35
  Cathi Spooner: And maybe even a child is making progress in your sessions.
• 12:40
  Cathi Spooner: Maybe you're doing individual sessions.
• 12:43
  Cathi Spooner: The child seems to be doing well in there, but you're getting those frantic phone calls or frantic texts or emails saying all the things that going that aren't going well.
• 12:53
  Cathi Spooner: So you're kind of baffled, like puzzle.
• 12:56
  Cathi Spooner: What is actually going on.
• 13:00
  Cathi Spooner: The best way to figure that out is to get at least the parent and child in the play therapy session, or I say even the whole family system in there, and then you get a real idea of what's going on.
• 13:15
  Cathi Spooner: But to do that though, you wanna think about what is the purpose of doing that?
• 13:18
  Cathi Spooner: What is it that you're working on?
• 13:21
  Cathi Spooner: Again, your theoretical model is gonna influence that.
• 13:24
  Cathi Spooner: So for exam.
• 13:25
  Cathi Spooner: For example, I use an attachment focused family play therapy model that I. I that I created.
• 13:33
  Cathi Spooner: And so the purpose in my mind, the purpose is using that theoretical lens, is I'm looking at attachment patterns.
• 13:42
  Cathi Spooner: I'm looking at that serve and return response.
• 13:47
  Cathi Spooner: I'm looking at those, that intersubjectivity that's going on.
• 13:51
  Cathi Spooner: Of how are parents and child, how are parents and all of the kids, the siblings, how are they experiences?
• 14:04
  Cathi Spooner: How are they experiencing those interactions between them in that moment?
• 14:11
  Cathi Spooner: You're, you're looking at parents' ability to, if I use a circle of security term, how are parents able to lead and follow?
• 14:22
  Cathi Spooner: Can they read the cues of their child and respond to that need?
• 14:27
  Cathi Spooner: Are the children queuing accurately or are they miscuing?
• 14:32
  Cathi Spooner: So what is going on with all of those relationship interaction patterns and.
• 14:39
  Cathi Spooner: For me, that's the theoretical lens that I am using to make sense of what's going on in the session.
• 14:48
  Cathi Spooner: I'm also using that lens to figure out what are we working to accomplish in that session.
• 14:55
  Cathi Spooner: So let's say I'm, I'm, I wanna integrate, uh, tray activity.
• 15:01
  Cathi Spooner: Because I wanna, I wanna have an opportunity to either do some repair work.
• 15:07
  Cathi Spooner: I, I want an opportunity to be able to use that as a way for children to communicate what's going on and parents to be able to communicate.
• 15:17
  Cathi Spooner: So maybe that's for an older child and I have a directive Santare prompt that I want to give them.
• 15:27
  Cathi Spooner: There's a purpose that I have.
• 15:31
  Cathi Spooner: In terms of who's in the session using that theoretical lens.
• 15:35
  Cathi Spooner: And there's a purpose that I'm using, there's a purpose that I'm focused on when I'm choosing those different activities.
• 15:46
  Cathi Spooner: And so the other thing to think about is Claire play therapy standpoint.
• 15:50
  Cathi Spooner: I'm gonna roll up my, you probably hear my, my notes here.
• 15:55
  Cathi Spooner: I'm gonna add my fancy schmancy little.
• 16:00
  Cathi Spooner: PDF here.
• 16:01
  Cathi Spooner: So for those of you watching on Instagram, it would be this one.
• 16:05
  Cathi Spooner: It's the therapeutic powers of play.
• 16:08
  Cathi Spooner: For those of you listening on the podcast, what I'm doing is I'm showing a graphic that the Association for Play Therapy created, and you can find it on their website.
• 16:20
  Cathi Spooner: It's called the.
• 16:21
  Cathi Spooner: Um, the therapeutic powers of play, it's a free PDF that they have on their website, and it talks about the four categories of the, um, therapeutic powers of play.
• 16:34
  Cathi Spooner: So when you are.
• 16:37
  Cathi Spooner: When you're considering what activities and what is the purpose, you're also kind of thinking about these therapeutic powers of play because that's what sets play therapy apart from other expressive arts modalities.
• 16:52
  Cathi Spooner: The therapeutic powers of play are access through a play therapy theoretical model within the context of a strong therapeutic relationship.
• 17:01
  Cathi Spooner: So if we're using.
• 17:03
  Cathi Spooner: Family play therapy, and let's say we're using attachment focused family play therapy, I'm going to use that theoretical model to help my client and their parent or family members access these therapeutic powers of play for healing.
• 17:20
  Cathi Spooner: And lo and behold, what are some of those therapeutic powers of play attachment?
• 17:26
  Cathi Spooner: Um, maybe direct teaching.
• 17:28
  Cathi Spooner: So maybe we're working on some skills in the.
• 17:32
  Cathi Spooner: Play therapy session, or maybe we are working on creative problem solving with the whole family system.
• 17:40
  Cathi Spooner: Maybe we're working on some conflict resolution.
• 17:43
  Cathi Spooner: How do you communicate your needs so we can, you can choose play therapy activities that are gonna access certain therapeutic powers of play, but also.
• 17:56
  Cathi Spooner: Um, the, the goals of your, the theoretical model.
• 18:02
  Cathi Spooner: So from an attachment focused play, family play therapy model, I, I wanna, I wanna work on improving attachment relationships because I, I use that theoretical lens to set the.
• 18:22
  Cathi Spooner: Goal of of treatment, which is I know facilitating secure attachment relationships and improving, and this is parts of the family systems, imp improve improving those family relationships.
• 18:39
  Cathi Spooner: I know that is gonna help to increase a sense of belonging for my client.
• 18:46
  Cathi Spooner: Increasing a positive sense of self and who I am.
• 18:50
  Cathi Spooner: Also learning about how are, how are you, how do you do relationship?
• 18:56
  Cathi Spooner: What are the ways in which I show up in re in relationships, and how do I act in relationships?
• 19:07
  Cathi Spooner: All of those are going to be things that I'm looking at using a neuroscience and attachment lens.
• 19:14
  Cathi Spooner: Of attachment focused family play therapy.
• 19:17
  Cathi Spooner: So that's when I'm using that theoretical lens.
• 19:21
  Cathi Spooner: Then I'm thinking about the purpose of this session.
• 19:25
  Cathi Spooner: Okay, so if you've watched any of my previous livestream episodes in the past, you will know that I have a dog.
• 19:34
  Cathi Spooner: My dog's name is Luna, and in the morning when my husband goes off to work, he lets Luna in my office because if he doesn't let her in my office.
• 19:44
  Cathi Spooner: Then she will scratch like a maniac at the door, like somebody's after her and that she's like gonna try and claw her way through the door.
• 19:55
  Cathi Spooner: But what happens is when Luna comes in, she hears me talking about her.
• 20:00
  Cathi Spooner: Hi Lou.
• 20:01
  Cathi Spooner: Yes.
• 20:02
  Cathi Spooner: Luna's an old girl now.
• 20:03
  Cathi Spooner: She's getting there.
• 20:04
  Cathi Spooner: Anyway, Luna digs and moans and.
• 20:09
  Cathi Spooner: Kind of, you may see her walking around in the background, see her little black and white tail moving around the office.
• 20:18
  Cathi Spooner: Anyway, my dog, Luna is in the office, so if you hear any really weird sounds, that's her in the background and nothing weird is going on in my office.
• 20:28
  Cathi Spooner: Yep, she's still doing her thing.
• 20:30
  Cathi Spooner: But anyway, she likes being in here with her mom.
• 20:32
  Cathi Spooner: And to be honest, I like having her in here except when she's digging like a maniac in the carpet.
• 20:39
  Cathi Spooner: And I'm trying, I'm trying to do these livestream and podcast episodes sometimes that's not so helpful.
• 20:47
  Cathi Spooner: Anyways, so that, so those, those are some things to think about.
• 20:52
  Cathi Spooner: If you think about the purpose and you think about your theory model, it helps you be more intentional and that honestly helps to cut down on some of the awkwardness of.
• 21:07
  Cathi Spooner: The sessions, some of the feelings of confusion or maybe it has the, uh, it will increase the likelihood that the session will go smoothly and decrease the likelihood that it's gonna feel like utter chaos in there.
• 21:30
  Cathi Spooner: Not a hundred percent, but it'll help.
• 21:34
  Cathi Spooner: So then the third thing to think about is, um, oh, let me get rid of my graph on, let me get my, I'm gonna remove the graphic on LinkedIn and YouTube.
• 21:51
  Cathi Spooner: So the third thing to think about is structuring your family play therapy sessions.
• 21:57
  Cathi Spooner: Just some tips for that, especially if you're including the sand tray in the.
• 22:04
  Cathi Spooner: Family play therapy sessions.
• 22:06
  Cathi Spooner: So, um, you're thinking about being intentional about who's gonna be involved in, that's included in the session.
• 22:14
  Cathi Spooner: So that's the first thing.
• 22:17
  Cathi Spooner: Also think about, um, why you're including them in the session, for example, um, what, what's the benefit to the child?
• 22:28
  Cathi Spooner: So the whole, so here's the thing.
• 22:32
  Cathi Spooner: Just for some clarity.
• 22:35
  Cathi Spooner: From a play therapy standpoint, the child is the client.
• 22:42
  Cathi Spooner: That means though, I think it's important to conceptualize the child within their.
• 22:50
  Cathi Spooner: Context within context.
• 22:52
  Cathi Spooner: So if we're thinking about them within context and we're thinking about them developmentally within context, then we really understand the importance of those family relationships.
• 23:04
  Cathi Spooner: We really understand the importance of the, the, those attachment relationships.
• 23:10
  Cathi Spooner: And so we're, and when we're thinking about what's gonna help the child to achieve those goals or.
• 23:19
  Cathi Spooner: Those things that parents want them to achieve, and maybe depending on the age of the child, what the child wants to achieve, then you're thinking about who's gonna be in the session and why they're gonna be there.
• 23:31
  Cathi Spooner: Which means then you're not gonna, you're gonna have an answer when your client looks at you with their cute little face and using their cute little voice saying, can my mom come in or can my dad come in?
• 23:43
  Cathi Spooner: You're gonna, you're gonna have a response to that.
• 23:46
  Cathi Spooner: Um, so the other thing is you, if you decide, yes, you, you, I'm using family play therapy.
• 23:55
  Cathi Spooner: So then you're, you may decide, well, who's gonna be in there?
• 23:59
  Cathi Spooner: Is it just gonna be the parent and the child?
• 24:02
  Cathi Spooner: Are you gonna start off with individual play therapy sessions and then add the parent and then add the whole family session?
• 24:10
  Cathi Spooner: Uh, whole family system?
• 24:12
  Cathi Spooner: Are you gonna start with the whole family right from the get go?
• 24:16
  Cathi Spooner: So these are the things that you're thinking about.
• 24:18
  Cathi Spooner: It'll be influenced by your play therapy model.
• 24:23
  Cathi Spooner: And at the, so let's say you've decided, yes, I want to use the sand tray in the play family play therapy session.
• 24:33
  Cathi Spooner: And you know the reason, you know what you want to accomplish.
• 24:37
  Cathi Spooner: You have identified how you're going to use the sand tray.
• 24:42
  Cathi Spooner: Like what?
• 24:43
  Cathi Spooner: Are you gonna use a prompt?
• 24:44
  Cathi Spooner: Are you.
• 24:45
  Cathi Spooner: That's gonna be very directive.
• 24:47
  Cathi Spooner: Are you gonna do some direct teaching using the sand tray?
• 24:50
  Cathi Spooner: Are you gonna use some indirect teaching?
• 24:53
  Cathi Spooner: What are you gonna work on?
• 24:54
  Cathi Spooner: You've got that settled.
• 24:56
  Cathi Spooner: So there are typically, these are the rules that I use.
• 25:00
  Cathi Spooner: You wanna think about these before you, you add families and do this family play therapy session, especially if you're using the S tray.
• 25:11
  Cathi Spooner: So at the beginning of the session.
• 25:15
  Cathi Spooner: I go over the rules and the rules that I use are the sand stays in the sand tray.
• 25:22
  Cathi Spooner: And the rule is, uh, if you didn't put the sand tray miniature in the sandbox, then you can't take it out or move it around without permission from the person who put it in there.
• 25:37
  Cathi Spooner: So you have to ask first, and that person is allowed to say no.
• 25:42
  Cathi Spooner: And if that person says no, then you have to honor that and be respectful of that because everybody in the play, the family play therapy session using the San Tray gets to have an opinion and they get to have, um, an opinion about what they're gonna include in there and who gets to move their miniatures around or not move it around.
• 26:08
  Cathi Spooner: So if you didn't put it in, you can't take it out or move it.
• 26:11
  Cathi Spooner: Family members are allowed to pick the miniatures that they want to include in the family play therapy session without somebody yelling at them.
• 26:25
  Cathi Spooner: And if you get offended or you don't like it, you have that right as well.
• 26:33
  Cathi Spooner: But the other person who put it in there has the right to keep it in there.
• 26:37
  Cathi Spooner: And then, um.
• 26:40
  Cathi Spooner: Family mem.
• 26:41
  Cathi Spooner: Uh, the other thing is family members need to use kind words with each other and they need to use kind behaviors toward each other.
• 26:50
  Cathi Spooner: So I go over those rules at the beginning.
• 26:53
  Cathi Spooner: And then here's the final thing for you to think about when you are structuring your family play therapy sessions, especially if you're using the sand tray in there, is prior to even including.
• 27:09
  Cathi Spooner: Parents or family members in the session you will have, it'll be important to have a conversation with parents in a separate parent only session.
• 27:19
  Cathi Spooner: Typically, what's their role gonna gonna be in the session?
• 27:25
  Cathi Spooner: What is your role gonna be in the session, especially when it comes to addressing behavior and meltdowns?
• 27:36
  Cathi Spooner: So.
• 27:37
  Cathi Spooner: I, I don't do behavior, uh, limit setting.
• 27:45
  Cathi Spooner: I, I mean, typically I don't, if the parent can't just, if they just can't get it done, and it's in the beginning of the family play therapy process, meaning we're really in the initial stages, I might kind of step in.
• 28:02
  Cathi Spooner: Do some structuring in there around enforcing the rules and, but I also, the, the goal is that parents are gonna do that because you want parents to practice some of that, those new ways of limit setting and using the, um, whatever play therapy model you're using.
• 28:25
  Cathi Spooner: Then you want parents to practice.
• 28:28
  Cathi Spooner: Those types of skills or interactions in the session.
• 28:32
  Cathi Spooner: So if you are doing it, you're kind of robbing parents of that opportunity.
• 28:37
  Cathi Spooner: So, and, and how you do that in the session is gonna be influenced by your plea therapy model.
• 28:46
  Cathi Spooner: And so the, the other thing is, so you wanna make sure you're having those conversations with parents about that so they know what their.
• 28:55
  Cathi Spooner: Requirements are.
• 28:57
  Cathi Spooner: So like when I use my attachment focused family play therapy model, one of the things that I'm doing is we are having regular parent only sessions.
• 29:09
  Cathi Spooner: So we'll have, we'll have like four family play therapy sessions, and then we'll have a parent only session.
• 29:17
  Cathi Spooner: Then we'll do like four family play therapy sessions and a parent only session.
• 29:23
  Cathi Spooner: Because one of the things that we're doing in those parent only sessions is I'm, I'm partnering with parents.
• 29:31
  Cathi Spooner: I'm building that relationship with them, and also we're working together to figure out what we're doing in the sessions as well as I'm kind of coaching parents how to navigate some of the behaviors.
• 29:47
  Cathi Spooner: That show up at home, that will probably also show up in your, in your family play therapy sessions.
• 29:55
  Cathi Spooner: So then I'm also kind of coaching parents how to address those behaviors using some attachment based parenting skills.
• 30:04
  Cathi Spooner: I'm, I'm coaching them how to do that so they can practice in those family play therapy sessions as well as.
• 30:11
  Cathi Spooner: At home.
• 30:13
  Cathi Spooner: So again, this is where your plea therapy model matters.
• 30:18
  Cathi Spooner: And then the other thing is, especially when you're using the sand tray.
• 30:23
  Cathi Spooner: As you're thinking about, um, sensory issues, is there anyone in the family that really has significant tactile, sensory or maybe even smell depending on what San miniature, I mean, what sand you're using?
• 30:40
  Cathi Spooner: Meaning is it really dusty?
• 30:43
  Cathi Spooner: Um, so you're thinking about those things and if.
• 30:48
  Cathi Spooner: If there's a family member that gets really distressed by using sand, then you probably don't wanna use the sand tray.
• 30:57
  Cathi Spooner: If you're including that family member in there, maybe you do something else, um, in the session.
• 31:06
  Cathi Spooner: So that is it for today to, um, lemme do a quick recap and then I'll talk a little bit about some of the trainings I have coming up.
• 31:14
  Cathi Spooner: As well as Play Therapy Academy if you have been struggling to use play therapy.
• 31:19
  Cathi Spooner: I do have some openings.
• 31:20
  Cathi Spooner: I don't have openings all the time, but I have openings now.
• 31:24
  Cathi Spooner: So let's just do a quick re recap for today's episode where we are talking about how to use santra in play therapy sessions.
• 31:35
  Cathi Spooner: And the first thing is you're really thinking about what is your family play therapy model and.
• 31:44
  Cathi Spooner: And that because that's going to influence what you are doing in those family play therapy sessions and also how you're using the sand tray.
• 31:54
  Cathi Spooner: Those play therapy sessions, because your model influences what you're doing in the sessions.
• 32:01
  Cathi Spooner: How are you making sense of what's going on in the sessions through each stage of the change process?
• 32:08
  Cathi Spooner: And then the second thing is, what's the purpose of that?
• 32:11
  Cathi Spooner: Session.
• 32:13
  Cathi Spooner: So what therapeutic powers of play are you accessing?
• 32:16
  Cathi Spooner: What does your theoretical model focus on?
• 32:20
  Cathi Spooner: And how can you use the sand tray to accomplish those goals?
• 32:26
  Cathi Spooner: Uh, which is also gonna include who's gonna be in there, how are you deciding who's in there?
• 32:33
  Cathi Spooner: And then the third thing is, the third tip is really about structuring family play therapy sessions, especially when you're using the Sant tray.
• 32:44
  Cathi Spooner: What are the expectations?
• 32:46
  Cathi Spooner: Make sure you're.
• 32:48
  Cathi Spooner: Meeting with parents prior to including them in the sessions or a family in the sessions.
• 32:54
  Cathi Spooner: Make sure you're having a conversation about roles and responsibilities and also when you are using the sand tray, make sure at the beginning of the session when you have the family members in there with your client, make sure to go over the expectations around how.
• 33:13
  Cathi Spooner: We're gonna be using the Sant tray and what are the rules around that so that everybody's clear.
• 33:21
  Cathi Spooner: And then also you're thinking about any sensory issues that might mean it, it's not a good idea to use the Sant tray in that session.
• 33:32
  Cathi Spooner: So that is it for today.
• 33:35
  Cathi Spooner: Um, if you're interested.
• 33:38
  Cathi Spooner: I have, um, a sa uh, attachment focused family play therapy training coming up.
• 33:44
  Cathi Spooner: It's gonna be on Saturday, November 8th.
• 33:47
  Cathi Spooner: There's a virtual option to attend as well as an in-person option in the beautiful St George, Utah area.
• 33:56
  Cathi Spooner: So if, if you are looking to get out of the cold in your neck of the woods and you wanna come join us in St. George, then.
• 34:06
  Cathi Spooner: Um, register soon because registration closes.
• 34:10
  Cathi Spooner: November 6th, the we're gonna go over the neuroscience and attachment to lay down that theoretical foundation, and that's an important piece of your conse case conceptualization.
• 34:25
  Cathi Spooner: So you're using that theoretical model of attachment neuroscience with some family systems in there.
• 34:31
  Cathi Spooner: To conceptualize what is going on in the session and what needs to happen in order for healing to take place.
• 34:41
  Cathi Spooner: And then we're gonna go over the model.
• 34:44
  Cathi Spooner: I'll go over roles and responsibility.
• 34:47
  Cathi Spooner: What's your role?
• 34:47
  Cathi Spooner: What's parents' role?
• 34:49
  Cathi Spooner: What are you working to accomplish in each stage of the play, family play therapy process?
• 34:55
  Cathi Spooner: How do you choose activities?
• 34:58
  Cathi Spooner: In each stage.
• 34:59
  Cathi Spooner: And we'll also, um, do some experiential family plate therapy activities as well.
• 35:07
  Cathi Spooner: If you're interested and you love San Tray and you want to learn more about San Tray, especially if you wanna use a neuroscience and attachment lens to use the sand tray in play therapy.
• 35:20
  Cathi Spooner: I have an in-person only, and this one's very limited in size.
• 35:25
  Cathi Spooner: This is a really small group experience.
• 35:28
  Cathi Spooner: We do tons of San tray making and processing san trays.
• 35:33
  Cathi Spooner: We go over the neuroscience and attachment theoretical foundation to make sense of what's going on in the sand trays.
• 35:43
  Cathi Spooner: So we'll get lots and lots and lots of practice for that.
• 35:46
  Cathi Spooner: I kind of call it my retreat like training because it's, it's very small group with tons of hands on and lots of practice identifying themes.
• 35:59
  Cathi Spooner: And then the third thing is if you are interested in learning play therapy and you are struggling to.
• 36:09
  Cathi Spooner: Know what to, how to use play therapy effectively.
• 36:13
  Cathi Spooner: Maybe your imposter syndrome is off the change, uh, off the chain.
• 36:19
  Cathi Spooner: You would really like a ton of support.
• 36:22
  Cathi Spooner: Then I have openings right now in Plate Therapy Academy, which is, I call it like my VIP kind of membership where we meet twice a month.
• 36:34
  Cathi Spooner: We do case presentations, get some dedicated feedback, learning from each other in, in including.
• 36:43
  Cathi Spooner: My 30, almost 35 years experience, and I would say one of my superpowers is after all these years, is being able to get to the heart of the matter quickly and teaching people how to use really strong case conceptualization to get a sense to really hone in on what's going on.
• 37:06
  Cathi Spooner: But I would say the superpower of Play Therapy Academy is that.
• 37:12
  Cathi Spooner: Um, that group experience with peers and getting not only my, my years of experience, but also the experience of, of the members of Play Therapy Academy.
• 37:25
  Cathi Spooner: There's some courses in there.
• 37:28
  Cathi Spooner: Um, there's also a group chat feature to get tons of support.
• 37:32
  Cathi Spooner: There's some other benefits as well.
• 37:34
  Cathi Spooner: So if you're interested in any of these, then pop over to my website at rh plea therapy training.com.
• 37:45
  Cathi Spooner: That's renewing hearts plea therapy training.com.
• 37:49
  Cathi Spooner: RH play therapy training.com if you're interested in either of the trainings and pop over to the training page.
• 37:57
  Cathi Spooner: If you're interested in Play Therapy Academy, then pop over to the consultation page and schedule a 30 minute video call with me to make sure.
• 38:08
  Cathi Spooner: Play Therapy Academy is a good fit for you if it's not a good fit.
• 38:12
  Cathi Spooner: That's the whole purpose of the phone call and we will have had a chance to connect and say hi, and um, maybe Play Therapy Academy is the right fit for you and it is the right time.
• 38:24
  Cathi Spooner: That's the purpose of the phone call, so there's no obligation.
• 38:28
  Cathi Spooner: So just schedule a video call with me and we're also gonna post the links for all of these in the comments.
• 38:38
  Cathi Spooner: So feel free to look in the links or feel free to message me.
• 38:42
  Cathi Spooner: Uh, if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer any of those questions, and I will see you next week.
• 38:50
  Cathi Spooner: Bye for now.
• 39:02
  Cathi Spooner: Thank you for joining me on this episode of Next Level Play Therapy.
• 39:06
  Cathi Spooner: I hope you found the discussion valuable and gain new insights and ideas to support your work helping children, adolescents, and families heal.
• 39:15
  Cathi Spooner: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review.
• 39:21
  Cathi Spooner: Your feedback helps to improve and reach more people who can benefit from this information.
• 39:27
  Cathi Spooner: Remember, play therapy is a powerful tool for healing and growth.
• 39:31
  Cathi Spooner: Whether you're a new play therapist or experienced, I encourage you to continue your learning journey to unlock the potential of play in your own work in relationships.
• 39:43
  Cathi Spooner: If you have any questions or topics, suggestions for future episodes.
• 39:48
  Cathi Spooner: I'd love to hear from you.
• 39:50
  Cathi Spooner: Connect with me on social media and visit my website at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training to stay updated on upcoming episodes, trainings, and resources.
• 40:02
  Cathi Spooner: Thank you once again for listening to Next Level Play Therapy.
• 40:06
  Cathi Spooner: Until next time, keep playing, learning and growing.