Latest / The Play Therapy Circle / Episode 36- Holding Hope | Play Therapists in Times of Global Uncertainty

Transcript

Episode 36- Holding Hope | Play Therapists in Times of Global Uncertainty · The Play Therapy Circle

0:00
Hi there and welcome to the Play Therapy Circle.
0:04
Before we begin, Please note this podcast is for
0:07
informational and educational purposes only.
0:10
It does not provide therapeutic advice and listening does not
0:14
create a client therapist relationship.
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All views expressed are my own and any case example shared have
0:21
been de identified to protect privacy.
0:24
If you're seeking personal support, please reach out to a
0:27
qualified mental health professional in your area.
0:33
Hi and welcome to an episode of The Play Therapy Circle.
0:38
I'm Kylie Ellison, a therapist, clinical supervisor and play
0:42
therapy trainer and I'm so grateful you're here.
0:45
This podcast is a space for thoughtful, soulful
0:49
conversations about child centred therapy, play based work
0:53
and what it means to show up with presence and compassion
0:57
both for our clients and for ourselves.
1:00
Whether you're a seasoned play therapist, a student just
1:03
starting out, or someone deeply passionate about working with
1:07
children, you belong here. Hey everyone, and welcome back
1:13
to the Play Therapy Circle podcast.
1:16
I'm your host, Kylie Ellison, and I am so glad you are here,
1:22
guys. Oh my goodness, guys.
1:24
I am coming to you today with a big episode.
1:29
I've got some big things that I want to chat about, but first
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and foremost, how are you guys all doing?
1:37
Oh, how are we doing? How are we travelling this week?
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I'm recording this on Wednesday, which is kind of growth.
1:43
Like yeah, we had a busy week last week, so we did a Flashback
1:49
Friday episode. So I hope you guys enjoyed that.
1:53
It's the 25th of March, so like Easter is around the corner.
1:57
Like, how is that even possible? I feel like I said that to you
2:01
guys every week, but we are almost 1/4 of the way through
2:06
the year. Like for reals you guys, it is a
2:08
lot. How are you doing?
2:10
How are you all looking after each other and yourselves?
2:13
How are you travelling this week?
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This is going to be an interesting episode.
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I felt really cold to do this episode today.
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Oh, for so many reasons. And this feels a little bit like
2:27
a therapy session, I'm not going to lie.
2:28
You guys, let's go on a journey. Let's hold hands and make our
2:31
way to the end together because I feel like even from just a,
2:39
you know, affect perspective, you guys might be able to pick
2:42
up. Today has been a really heavy
2:45
day. So I really just wanted to do an
2:47
episode today because it had been kind of weighing on me the
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last kind of couple of weeks. I'm really for some time now
2:56
around how do we hold hope in the playroom?
2:59
This is such a broad and like complex topic to unpack, so I'm
3:05
going to try and do it in this episode.
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So bear with me and come with me on the journey while we do this.
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I'm really mindful and this is part of the reason why I wanted
3:14
to do this episode is that we have so many international
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listeners. So we have incredible listeners
3:21
in 51 or 52 countries now. So this isn't just Australia
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specific with this conversation I want to have today, but I
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really want to acknowledge that there is a lot going on in our
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world right now. And I just felt that
3:34
responsibility with so many international listeners that we
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really, and even just domestically, obviously here in
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Australia too, wanted to just pause and take a minute.
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Like my whole goal this year was like to have better balance in
3:48
my life. And for anyone who is on that
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journey of trying to find that balance, like, let me know how
3:53
that's going because like, I'm not there yet, that's for sure.
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I am still struggling with all of that.
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And I think that what I'm picking up on today and just
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what I wanted to talk about, and this is the work that we do
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guys, is that it's not just about the warm and fluffy.
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It's not about the great. And I know you guys all
4:11
listening aren't about that anyway.
4:13
But it's not about us getting in there, achieving those goals,
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working through those issues and coming out the other side.
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There is a human element to the work that we do and there is a
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human element in terms of that impact to us as play therapist
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and what that means in terms of US holding space and navigating
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for children and families who are struggling and our community
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that is struggling. So I just want to, I guess,
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highlight very broadly, I'm not very clear.
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I want to make this very at nonpartisan.
4:48
This is not about kind of a political episode at all.
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This is mental health. I want to just acknowledge the
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significant level of anxiety in our community and in our world
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right now and the instability that exists.
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And for for many of us who have navigated obviously COVID and
5:07
what that looked like back in 2020 and 2022 to 2022.
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I'm just noticing online and especially on social media, just
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kind of the panic and the anxiety for many in our
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communities. And for us as play therapist, we
5:21
are kind of on the front line of helping children and families to
5:25
navigate that, not only ourselves, but for our clients
5:28
and our families too. So I just really want to
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acknowledge, I guess kind of the heaviness collectively that
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we're all feeling right now. So if you've been feeling a
5:39
little bit awful, not really understanding, I guess why?
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And this again is not mental health advice at all.
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You guys, we put that caveat at the start of this podcast.
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If you are having a tough time, please, please, please reach out
5:52
to your local services and your local organisations because it's
5:56
always important to have that chance and that opportunity to
5:59
access mental health support. But I just want to, I, I guess
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highlight I'm, I'm that person, you guys, we were only talking
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about this earlier in another forum.
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We were talking about just naming kind of the elephants in
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the room, naming those things that certainly from a
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psychodynamic lens, we talk about in terms of that
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transference and counter transference, the projective
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identification theory, all of those things that go into our
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psychodynamic lens. Part of that is noticing and
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naming the uncomfortable right in that conscious and
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unconscious mind. So I just wanted to, if anyone's
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been feeling that way, kind of highlight that, notice that,
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acknowledge that because that's what we do in the playroom,
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right? Everything that I do in child
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centre play therapy, I then apply to many of those other
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settings in my life. And one of them is this
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community collective anxiety and instability that everyone's
6:53
feeling. And I think that that's really
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important to name and acknowledge so that we feel like
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we're less alone in this space, which exactly what we try and do
7:02
in the playroom as well. So I definitely wanted to, I
7:06
feel really cool to do this episode just to kind of put this
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out there. And I'm very keen for people to
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kind of share their reflections or I guess their kind of
7:15
feedback to us about this because I always want to make
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sure it's useful and helpful for everyone.
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And there's so many avenues for support.
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So this definitely isn't kind of an episode around, you know,
7:25
tips for self care or what you should and shouldn't do.
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I just want to have a conversation around the, I
7:33
guess, the responsibility and the work that we do in showing
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up each and every day in the playroom for the children and
7:40
families that we support and, and how we do that as play
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therapist. So this episode is for you, if
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it's for you as play therapists, not just your clients in this
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space. So what are we kind of seeing, I
7:52
guess, around how the world comes into the playroom?
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So one of the things that I've been having conversations with a
7:58
few families recently is about this idea that children are very
8:03
attuned to adults. And I don't say that in a way
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that I in any way want any parent to feel a certain way.
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That's definitely not the case. It's really about just
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normalising that kids are way smarter than we give them credit
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for. And they will pick up on, I
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guess, from an attunement perspective, if we are feeling
8:23
that anxiety or stress ourselves as parents.
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And certainly as a parent myself, like I'm telling you,
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we've been having conversations in our family about, you know,
8:31
kind of the state of the world and what that looks like.
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And I've been doing that purposefully, not in a sense of
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trying to scare my kids or increase anxiety, but I want to
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normalise those conversations around how we as a family are
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going to navigate that. And I found myself over the
8:46
weekend talking to my kids about locus of control because, you
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know, they're kids that have had a therapist for a mother.
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So like they're going to talk about locus of control before
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they talk about like other things in their lives because
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they've just, you know, had too much.
9:00
All of those concepts spoken about in our family because I'm
9:03
a therapist, so that's what I do.
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So talking about what's within our circle of influence and
9:08
what's outside. And that absolutely has been a
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big part of helping us as a family to regulate and be able
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to just kind of take day by day at the moment as well with
9:20
everything that's happening in the world.
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So research obviously shows that children pick up on parental
9:26
anxiety community stress, they're going to pick up on that
9:30
to and that collective mood when they're not necessarily told
9:34
directly about what's happening. They're very attuned to what's
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happening more sort of holistically.
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So this isn't a failure of of adults or parents trying to
9:43
protect their kids. It's their part of their nervous
9:45
system. So we're kind of talking about
9:47
the neuroscience here as well, that they are wired to track the
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emotional states of their caregivers.
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That's how how they are connected to us.
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So it then brings back to us as parents what's within our circle
10:02
of influence and what's outside around how we can kind of, I
10:06
guess, hopefully be able to regulate and kind of support our
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emotional needs. But I also want to acknowledge
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that in this kind of level of uncertainty, that's a really big
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ask for us as parents and as play therapists because now
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we're also in that responsibility of connecting
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with kids in the playroom as a play therapist, noticing the
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kids are obviously attuned to their caregivers in terms of
10:32
that emotional state. So recognising that and
10:34
acknowledging that is important in the playroom and what you
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might see in the playroom right now.
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And again, I don't want this to be kind of country specific.
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I think that this is globally what we're seeing.
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So you may see in the playroom increased themes of chaos, of
10:52
catastrophe, of destruction, loss of control, increase in
10:56
anxiety. Kids asking big questions,
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wanting to know things about safety and about the future and
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having that kind of wandering and concern and anxiety.
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Parents arriving more activated, more fearful, more stressed,
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more depleted, kids showing more of that generalised anxiety as
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well. So this is some of the ways that
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it may be showing up in your playroom.
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There is so many complexities to all of the children that we work
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with, right? So that is not case specific in
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any way. This is definitely more
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holistically that I want to kind of plant the seed and start that
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conversation. As I said, the playroom in the
11:36
context, in this context especially becomes even more
11:39
important. Play therapy is something that
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is available to kids to be able to process these big feelings
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during this time. So for many children, the CCPT
11:49
sessions may be the most regulated, consistent, and safe
11:53
space in their entire week. That is such a huge
11:57
responsibility, right, to feel that sense of what Ioffer in
12:04
this space. I'm sitting for those of you not
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watching YouTube and listening via podcasts, I'm just looking
12:12
at this room as I'm saying that because my room is, you know, my
12:17
safe space. I love it.
12:19
It is pink, of course, because I love pink.
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And so I certainly have it as a welcoming space for kids.
12:28
That's always the intention. But you know, it offers that
12:31
space for me as well. I have these mellow pink, mellow
12:33
mats that I'm sitting on on the floor.
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You guys can't see in the video, but that really does help ground
12:37
me, help feel connected myself. And I need to be able to do that
12:41
to serve the children I see in the playroom.
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So I feel that responsibility, but it's also about creating
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that space that we can both work in and both be able to regulate
12:51
in for sure. And also obviously for us as
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play therapists, having that unconditional positive regard,
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it's not just therapeutic, it's, you know, across the world right
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now in terms of, you know, what we're seeing is challenges
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around that. So us being able to bring that
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to the playroom and bring that to that experience of the child
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each and every time we see them is so powerful and so important.
13:17
And yet, as play therapists, we are not bulletproof.
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We're not able to, I guess, weather any of the storms.
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We are human as well, and we are absorbing the same world that
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the children are living in, right?
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So we cannot be immune to that collective anxiety.
13:39
And the question is not whether it affects us, it's what we do
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with it that I'm really kind of mulling over and thinking
13:46
through at the moment. So I want to normalise that, not
13:50
in the sense of that it should be normal, but more than what
13:53
everyone is going through right now as a collective and as a
13:55
play therapy community, what we are absorbing.
14:00
And then I guess having the tools to be able to pivot, to be
14:05
able to use this in a way that's going to help support the
14:07
families that we work with. So what does it mean for us as a
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therapist? I want to lean into that a
14:13
little bit more. Now we're talking about
14:15
vicarious trauma, but the vicarious anxiety.
14:20
We know vicarious trauma happens as part of the work that we do
14:23
in this Human Services industry, but vicarious anxiety is maybe
14:29
less talked about. So we obviously absorb the fear,
14:32
the helplessness, the grief of our clients.
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That is certainly from that psychodynamic lens.
14:38
We do definitely acknowledge that alongside carrying our own.
14:42
So it's not weakness, it is absolutely an incredible part of
14:48
the work that we do, but it also is at the cost of that genuine
14:51
empathetic engagement. So it's, in a sense, evidence
14:54
that we're doing what we're doing and the work that we're
14:57
doing is being done well and it's being done properly when we
14:59
can connect with that or, or certainly absorb that fear,
15:03
helplessness and grief of our clients who may be going through
15:06
it. And that has a collective we're
15:09
going through. So the particular weight on
15:10
therapists right now, what does that look like?
15:13
We're trained to hold hope. This is what I'm grappling with
15:17
you guys. And I would love to hear your
15:19
thoughts. So please, you know, check us
15:21
out on the socials, leave a comment or a reflection.
15:25
Yeah. Or contact us via our email or a
15:29
website. I would love to hear from
15:31
listeners around, I guess this holding of hope right now in
15:37
this collective time of uncertainty, because this is a
15:41
real challenge for us. We're trained to do it, but it
15:44
requires a stable enough internal world to do it.
15:48
So when the external world is destabilising, holding hope is
15:54
genuine psychological labour, not just a professional stance.
15:58
It takes everything in us to be able to keep holding that space
16:02
of hope, of optimism for the future, an outlook where we can
16:07
see that the future will look bright.
16:11
All of those things are really hard to hold in kind of current
16:14
times. So there's quite a bit here when
16:18
we're talking about that potential shame in admitting I'm
16:23
struggling to feel hopeful when hope is part of your
16:27
professional identity. That's a really hard thing.
16:30
I want to just kind of like sit for a moment with that.
16:33
That holding hope right now is tricky and it's challenging.
16:39
And if you are struggling with it, you are not alone.
16:44
Because it is part of our professional identity.
16:48
It is how we serve kids in the playroom.
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But it is also a challenge. Right now, it's a big challenge.
16:55
So let's talk about the ways that this might show up for us.
17:00
It may be that we dread a particular session rather than
17:04
looking forward to it. We might be feeling flat or
17:07
disconnected. We might have intrusive thoughts
17:11
about client presentations outside of work, so we may not
17:14
be able to leave work at work. We might feel it kind of
17:17
bleeding into our personal lives in terms of that impact.
17:21
We might feel hyper vigilant. We might have difficulty
17:25
accessing unconditional positive regard genuinely because of
17:29
where we're at and how we are dysregulated in our own ways.
17:32
I want to normalise that though. If any of these sounds familiar.
17:37
You are not failing. You are human and you matter and
17:44
you are doing one of the most emotionally demanding jobs that
17:47
exists. This is not easy and you matter
17:52
as well. And I'm just really noticing.
17:55
Like in terms of the conversation, definitely feeling
17:59
the heaviness of it for sure. I want to, I guess kind of
18:03
caveat by saying that I've had some transitions with some of my
18:08
families recently and it's always, yeah, it's always kind
18:13
of a sad goodbye when we have those scenarios where we finish
18:19
up with a client. So not only is it feeling heavy,
18:22
but if you're doing heavy work in the playroom as well, not
18:24
even just globally, but just in terms of your work, it's just so
18:28
important. This is just like such an
18:30
incredible outlet for me to be able to chat it through with you
18:33
guys and, you know, connect with others who feel the same and
18:37
feel seen and heard because that's what we do in the
18:39
playroom. That's what we do with the
18:41
playroom. And so This is why we have this
18:43
beautiful podcast to be able to reach as many people as we can.
18:47
So I really, truly hope that this message reaches somebody
18:50
today who, whether you're in Australia or overseas, and I
18:55
genuinely feel like there are so many listeners overseas who will
18:58
likely resonate with this episode as well, that you matter
19:03
and you're not failing. You are showing up each and
19:07
every day for the clients in your lives.
19:09
And what you do matters. It really does.
19:12
So let's talk a little bit about compassion fatigue, my clinical
19:17
supervisor, Doctor Jodie Mullen. Hello, Jodie.
19:20
She's probably not listening. Let's be honest.
19:22
She did listen in the beginning, which was amazing, but she is a
19:25
busy woman. So if you're not listening, but
19:27
otherwise when you do, hi. She's definitely far more of an
19:31
expert in this space than me. So I hopefully will do a quick
19:35
overview because I definitely don't want to say in any way
19:37
that I'm an expert. But when we're talking about
19:39
compassion fatigue, I guess I just want to give another lens
19:44
for us to kind of look through here in terms of how you might
19:47
be feeling as a practitioner right now.
19:49
So compassion fatigue is by definition, kind of that gradual
19:55
erosion of empathy and hope through sustained exposure to
20:00
others sufferings. Let me say that to you again, I
20:03
want to get this definition right.
20:05
So compassion fatigue is the gradual erosion of empathy and
20:09
hope through sustained exposure to others suffering.
20:16
If that sounds familiar for you. This might be something to
20:20
consider. So it's different from burnout,
20:23
where compassion fatigue is specifically about the cost of
20:27
caring. So this first kind of came about
20:31
in more of the healthcare industry and it definitely
20:35
deeply applies to therapeutic work as well.
20:38
So alongside compassion fatigue, we have the satisfaction fatigue
20:42
continuum, you guys. So I want to introduce this
20:44
concept to you as well around that compassion satisfaction.
20:48
The joy and meaning in the work sits at one end and compassion
20:52
fatigue at the other. So we have kind of this
20:55
continuum. So on one end is that compassion
20:57
satisfaction, the joy and the meaning of the work that gets
21:01
you up every day. And then on the other end is
21:04
that compassion fatigue where it's that erosion of that
21:07
empathy and hope. So in stable times, most
21:11
practitioners are able to sit, sit in that satisfaction end,
21:14
right? But in times of collective
21:16
stress, not individual, not an individual client or an
21:19
individual service and an individual practitioner
21:22
collectively, globally, the whole continuum shifts.
21:28
It takes more to reach that satisfaction and less to reach
21:32
fatigue. So this may be part of your
21:35
experience right now. So I'm really trying to reach
21:38
those practitioners out there who are in the trenches, who are
21:40
working with families who are feeling that compassion fatigue
21:45
from that erosion of that empathy and hope because of so
21:48
much suffering, not only locally but globally as well.
21:52
So what are those signs look like and what's important for
21:55
you to take notice of? It's different to just being
21:58
tired. So persistent numbness,
22:01
emotional numbness. That's something to really kind
22:05
of notice and be kind to yourselves about if you're
22:09
noticing it in your life. Difficulty being present in
22:13
sessions over multiple weeks. So it's not just kind of one
22:16
week or one day of a bad day, but it's across the board
22:20
difficulty being present and that loss of meaning or purpose
22:25
when you are present in the room, that loss of meaning and
22:29
purpose, physical symptoms, obviously that goes without
22:33
saying. So sleep disruptions, you know,
22:36
feed, you know, not feeling like you want to eat, loss of
22:38
appetite, somatic tension. You know, I often when I notice
22:43
that it's really kind of building for me, I'll feel kind
22:46
of sore in the back of my neck. You might clench your jaw.
22:50
You might feel like you've got that really kind of like ongoing
22:54
tiredness, chronic fatigue kind of level, so not being able to
22:58
get to sleep. All of those things, right?
23:01
Or cynicism or hopelessness about the impact of what you're
23:04
doing as well. When you're feeling that way,
23:08
it's not a character flaw. It's not something about you
23:12
personally, although it is really important that it's an
23:15
indicator of your system under, under pressure here.
23:20
And it's kind of a little bit like the analogy of like a car.
23:24
We need to kind of check the engine.
23:26
We need to kind of get, you know, that support, get that
23:31
access to services and resources to help us kind of get us back
23:35
on the road, get us back into feeling like we are coping
23:38
better again. And I really feel like with
23:41
mental health and vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
23:44
and all of those things that we talk about in the playroom, it's
23:48
never going to be perfect, right?
23:51
We're never going to have like a whole year where everything's
23:55
just like, I mean, and some people do like, I need to be
23:57
upbeat about this, right? I'm like second guessing myself
24:00
as I'm saying this, that there are people that will have an
24:03
incredible year this year. And I'm absolutely genuinely,
24:05
truly happy for them because I think that that's important,
24:08
that we celebrate our wins and we celebrate the good times and
24:12
we enjoy the good times. But what is life really like for
24:16
each and every one of us? There's good days and bad days,
24:19
so it's not always going to be amazing, but at the same time,
24:24
if it's persistent and it's over a long period of time, that's so
24:28
important for us to certainly access our own support as
24:31
practitioners to make sure that we can be those great and best
24:35
versions of ourselves in the playroom to help with that
24:37
emotional regulation and Co regulation and all of those good
24:40
things we do each and every day. So unconditional positive regard
24:46
lives everywhere, right? So it doesn't just live with our
24:49
clients, it needs to happen with us as well.
24:54
I don't know if that landed for anyone unconditional positive
24:58
regard for ourselves as well as our clients.
25:02
And what do we do when we do that with clients?
25:05
We have that non judgmental acceptance and that's what we
25:10
need to give ourselves right now as well to be able to kind of
25:14
navigate whatever it is that's up ahead for us.
25:18
So what are the ways that we can support ourselves so we can hold
25:24
hope, the real kind of practical ways we can support each other.
25:28
Supervision, clinical supervision, you guys, we need
25:32
to do it. We need to access it.
25:34
It's a non negotiable, not just case supervision either
25:39
Supervision that holds you, not just the cases.
25:42
That's like the true definition of clinical supervision, right?
25:46
Is the holistic person, not just the clients that we serve.
25:51
A space where you can say, I'm struggling to feel hope right
25:54
now and be heard without any judgement because that's what
25:58
clinical supervision is all about, right?
26:01
Oh, if your current supervision doesn't offer this, it's
26:04
definitely important to find that space where you can talk
26:08
through how you're feeling and and receive that acceptance and
26:13
non judgement in return, because that's so important to keep a
26:17
sustained regular supervision. You guys make sure it's a
26:20
priority and a non negotiable your community.
26:23
You're not meant to carry this alone. 100% connect with other
26:27
practitioners in this space who understand what you're doing.
26:30
Not necessarily. You're absolutely not talking
26:33
about cases, as you know, but it's really around just, I
26:36
guess, the weight of the work in holding space when we are living
26:41
in such an uncertain time. We have our circle community.
26:47
We have a community forum. I'll talk more about that at the
26:49
end, where we would love to connect with anyone who is just
26:54
needing to connect, feel seen and heard and accepted.
26:58
That's what it's all about in the work that we do, right?
27:01
Isolation amplifies compassion fatigue.
27:04
So connection is one of those ways.
27:05
It's the antidote. When we are connected, we feel
27:09
seen and heard and we can feel that sense of validation that
27:14
can always help. We know it helps in the
27:15
playroom, the kids that we see. So we know it'll help for you to
27:19
containment rituals, protecting the boundary between work and
27:23
yourself. Oh good Lord, I need to do this.
27:27
Having a transition ritual from work to home.
27:31
So whether that is that you get in the car and you listen to a
27:33
podcast, I do that on the way home.
27:37
So then you can kind of shift the gears.
27:39
I have a ritual this year where I then go home and sit with my
27:44
family and make dinner and get updates on the day and just
27:48
connect with our kids and we sit around at the dinner table
27:52
together. So we talk about the best part
27:57
of our day. We have done that every year,
27:59
every day, every night since the kids were like as old as they
28:03
could talk. So it's been a very long time,
28:04
years and years and years we've been doing that.
28:06
And I think that those rituals are so important to help us just
28:10
kind of ground ourselves, step out of the work that we're
28:14
doing. I have obviously my office here
28:16
and I work from home, but I really do like it when I can
28:19
come to the office, do my work, and then leave it at work.
28:22
That is very important for us and how we look after ourselves,
28:26
not to forget the work, but to signal that your nervous system
28:29
needs that that break. It needs some help at the end of
28:33
the day. So how are you kind of holding
28:36
that space after you finish at the end of the day?
28:39
One of the things I would say too is certainly limiting kind
28:43
of your kind of overload of information online.
28:48
I have found just in kind of the last couple of weeks, I've been
28:51
very intentional about turning that social media off for a
28:54
period of time because it definitely has so much material
28:59
and content that can be anxiety provoking for us as therapists
29:03
as well. So putting some of those
29:04
boundaries in place just so that you can obviously get the news
29:08
and the information that you need, but also then be able to
29:10
protect your yourself as well. Returning to your why, Why are
29:18
you in the space of play therapy?
29:20
Why is it that you really what brought you here, why you're
29:23
here? Why you want to do this work
29:26
when hope is hard to access globally?
29:29
Return to the specifics. The child you remember, the
29:33
session that shifted you, the parent who said, I don't know
29:37
what you did, but my child is different.
29:40
Oh man, I feel this today. I feel this so hard.
29:45
Having finished up with a client, we had the opportunity
29:49
to kind of reflect on, you know, what they loved about coming to
29:53
play therapy, about playing here, about that connection,
30:00
about the journey that they had been on.
30:03
And that is what I'm going to hold on to because that is such
30:07
a privilege to be able to do that and to feel that and to
30:10
connect with that. And that reminds me why I'm here
30:13
and why I do what I do. So I hope that there is stories
30:17
or clients in your reflections that bring you that sense of
30:22
hope. And, and I will carry those
30:24
clients with me for the rest of my career.
30:27
And I think that that's so important.
30:28
Hope doesn't have to be global to be real.
30:31
It can be in your playroom that you find that hope that you're
30:36
going to hold onto and ground yourself to that will keep you
30:40
in this space of being able to be present and continue to do
30:44
the work that we do in, you know, such uncertain times.
30:47
Isn't that incredible what CCPT can offer us in terms of that
30:52
gift? Not only of the work that we do,
30:54
but how we can help inspire us and help us to still feel like
31:00
there's purpose. And everyone obviously does have
31:04
an incredible purpose in the work that they do.
31:06
But I think it's really about coming back to what's within my
31:10
circle of influence, what's within my control, and doing
31:12
those reflections on the clients that you've served or continue
31:15
to serve, who you know, make such a difference to your day as
31:21
much as it is that you do to them that inspire you to be part
31:25
of this work is absolutely what I'm carrying.
31:27
I'm literally talking myself out of this, you guys.
31:29
I am so like happy I did this episode because I think that I
31:33
needed that reminder. And I don't know if anyone else
31:35
listening needed that reminder as well.
31:37
Of returning to your why and holding onto and being so
31:43
grateful for and connecting with the child experiences in the
31:48
playroom that shaped you as a play therapist.
31:51
Who remind you of the power of this work, Who remind you why
31:55
you get up every day and do this work in the playroom because you
31:58
literally, literally make a difference.
32:03
That's incredible. And it's just so important.
32:06
And that's why we're here and everyone of you listening who is
32:09
doing this work in your playrooms.
32:11
I'm so proud of you for holding that space and for doing this
32:15
work when sometimes it can feel so heavy because you literally
32:20
would have those examples too, as I do, of those kids that have
32:24
made you a better person for being in the playroom.
32:27
So I want to talk about that self assessment, that check in
32:30
question. Ask yourself, am I currently
32:33
able to be genuinely present in the room?
32:38
And if the answer is no, that's important information to take
32:42
on. And that it's important not
32:44
necessarily to just push through, but to pause and take a
32:46
minute and really kind of connect yourself with what you
32:52
might be feeling and what you might need to support the work
32:55
in the playroom. So this has been a different
33:00
vibe of an episode, you guys, not the warm and fuzzies that we
33:04
normally do, although it's always warm and fuzzies.
33:08
But I hope that this has been helpful in starting a
33:12
conversation for those of you listening, working in this space
33:17
to be able to just notice how are you doing, how I started the
33:22
conversation saying that, and I'm going to say it at the end
33:24
as well. How are you doing?
33:26
How are you feeling? Are you able to be present in
33:28
the playroom? And if it's a no, there's so
33:31
many things we just talked about in terms of ways that you can
33:34
support yourself and reach out to others because that's really
33:37
important too. It's really important to feel
33:39
supported, to feel connected, to feel validated and heard, but
33:44
also never kind of forget, I guess those lessons and those
33:52
imprints that kids leave on us for the better, to help keep us
33:57
inspired and remind us why we're here every day in the playroom.
34:01
That is absolutely my motivation and my reason for why I keep
34:04
showing up every day. This is really important, you
34:09
guys. In a time when so much feels
34:11
like it's outside of our control, that therapeutic
34:14
relationship is one of those most amazing acts of hope that
34:19
can exist right now for the children and families that we
34:22
serve. You showing up, regulated,
34:24
present, and believing in that child's capacity to heal is not
34:29
small, you guys. It's absolutely everything right
34:31
now. What you do matters and you
34:33
matter as well. So I would invite you this week
34:37
to notice the little things. Take those breaks.
34:41
Celebrate the winds when you see them, you know, first in the
34:45
playroom, noticing when you've been able to stop and pause and
34:49
regulate yourself, when you've been able to take some time for
34:53
you to look after yourself alongside the work that you do.
34:57
Let those be enough right now. Let those things be enough for
35:00
you. So if this episode has been
35:05
helpful for you, I'd love for you to share this.
35:09
I want to get this message out to our community, not only in
35:12
Australia, but globally, of course.
35:15
So let's get the word out there. Let's share this podcast and the
35:19
play therapy love and our CCPT love that we want to share to
35:22
everyone. So I hope that this connects
35:24
with somebody new today or to those of you who listen every
35:27
week, thank you so much for your support.
35:29
It genuinely means so much. And I just love hearing all of
35:32
the feedback of how helpful people have found the episode,
35:35
which I'm so, so glad is the case.
35:39
And before I go, if you are looking for a community, we've
35:44
got you. We have a free circle
35:48
subscription, our community subscription level that we would
35:52
love you to connect with. Our subscription service has a
35:57
community forum where you can connect with others for free.
36:00
And you know, just find your, your tribe, your CCPT community.
36:05
So we'd love you to join us and check it all out.
36:10
So the link will be in our show notes if you would like to
36:12
connect with me and others in the CCPT space and just feel
36:17
seen and heard, but also validated because what you do
36:20
matters. As I said, I can't say that
36:22
enough. I literally want to put that on
36:23
AT shirt. You guys, I'm not even kidding.
36:25
Like I've got so many T-shirt ideas at this point.
36:27
I just have to like find out if it's actually a thing that I can
36:29
do Truly, I think I want to leave you guys with this kind of
36:36
thought around. How are you going to show up for
36:40
yourself this week? I think for me it's probably
36:46
just about maybe being a little bit slower because I like to
36:51
live at, you know, very past fast pace.
36:53
I can't even say it right, you guys fast paced life.
36:58
I'm constantly, you know, new ideas and, and things and
37:01
projects on the go, but I think that it's important to look
37:05
after ourselves and I think that that is such a superpower if we
37:09
can do it. So that's going to be my goal
37:11
this week. So what is your goal of kind of
37:14
looking after yourself this week in some way?
37:18
How are you going to take care of you and be kind to you and
37:20
give yourself that unconditional positive regard that we give to
37:22
our clients? Hey, thank you for being here.
37:27
Take care of yourself and each other.
37:30
There'll be another episode next week.
37:31
There will be an episode next week.
37:33
And then we've got the Easter break for a week.
37:35
So you might notice from time to time we will have a flashback
37:40
Friday episode. If I've had a massive week and
37:43
haven't had a chance to do the podcast.
37:46
April. Yeah, like I said, we have a
37:48
week of Easter break, but May. I am on the road, you guys.
37:52
So like all of the things I'm going to be doing, all of the
37:55
travelling in May. So we'll be on the road for
37:59
episodes in May, but we will definitely have an episode next
38:02
week. So thank you so much for
38:04
listening. I'm going to wrap this up.
38:05
I'm going to head back into work.
38:09
Please, as always, look after yourselves.
38:12
I'm so proud of each of you. Thank you for the work that you
38:14
do in your community. I'm sending all of my love to
38:17
everyone listening across the globe.
38:20
We've got this, you guys, we've got this.
38:22
We're here and we're serving each day in the playroom doing
38:25
CCPT and that's what matters. Take care of yourselves and each
38:28
other. And I will see you guys next
38:29
week. Bye.
38:32
Thank you so much for being here for another episode of The Play
38:36
Therapy Circle. If anything resonated with you
38:39
today, I'd love it if you could follow the podcast, share it
38:43
with a colleague, or leave a short review.
38:45
It really helps others find our circle.
38:47
And if you have a topic or question you'd love me to
38:50
explore, I'd love to hear from you.
38:53
This space is for you, and I want it to feel like a
38:56
conversation. Until next time, take care of
38:59
yourself and remember you belong here.