Latest / Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence / How Play Therapists Can Avoid Burnout
Transcript
- 0:02Welcome to Next Level Play Therapy, a weekly podcast dedicated to supporting the next generation of child and adolescent therapists to provide exceptional play therapy services.
- 0:14We'll explore all things play therapy to elevate your work with children and adolescents using the therapeutic powers of play.
- 0:23I'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.
- 0:34So 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.
- 0:49Hey there.
- 0:50Good morning.
- 0:52Oh, let me just check.
- 0:55Yep.
- 0:55Looks like I'm just checking to make sure my video is working.
- 1:02Good morning, everyone.
- 1:04Welcome to this week's episode of Next Level Play Therapy, where we talk about all things play therapy and becoming that play therapy of excellence.
- 1:18And today's topic is how to avoid burnout.
- 1:23Because if our goal is excellent, then the likelihood we, and I'm speaking to myself as well here, um, the likelihood we engage in perfectionism.
- 1:42Um, feel like that we have to do everything perfectly and we sit in sessions with our clients.
- 1:50We hear their hard stories.
- 1:53We sit with parents, we hear their struggles, we sit with kids, we watch them as they go through the healing process.
- 2:02We know their stories, we know their struggles.
- 2:05And we want to, we want to make a difference.
- 2:10A lot of times that often leads to, and I'm sure it's not just me, um, leads to a sense of feeling like we have to get everything right all of the time, feeling burned out actually.
- 2:26So that's what I thought I would talk about today.
- 2:30We're in the holiday season here in the US and probably around the world most places.
- 2:37This is our work where we've entered into Christmas season.
- 2:43For those of you celebrate Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, that's, um, those are, we're, we're entering into that season, the holiday season.
- 2:54So I thought it would be a good time to kind of take a step back and think about what we need as play therapists during this time.
- 3:07And when I thought about that, I thought, you know what, let's just talk about some self care and avoiding burnout.
- 3:15And for me, I'll be honest, the whole concept of burnout and it's been, we've talked, it's an important topic.
- 3:24Let me just say that.
- 3:25I know it's an important topic, but for me, after a while I would hear, Oh, burnout.
- 3:30And it would just, I'd be like, womp, womp.
- 3:33Um, even though I know it's really important, it's a lot of times it just felt like one more thing.
- 3:38Somebody was telling me I had to do and I had at the time I had two kids, I had two boys, very, very active boys trying to, trying to work and do private practice and take care of my kids and take care of a home and deal with running a business and marriage things and relationship things and family things.
- 4:12As well as co worker things and work, you know, what's going on with my clients.
- 4:19It honestly just felt like one more thing I had to do.
- 4:23And so for me, when we're talking about burnout, we're talking about Um, some it's I think of it more of like learning a way of being that sets us up for success that's going to reduce burnout.
- 4:43But at least identify when we're starting to get a little crispy and that I tell myself this too.
- 4:51I mean, I've, I've been, I started my master's degree in graduate school in 1990.
- 4:59Finish my degree in two years.
- 5:01So by 1992 I had I started this new journey in child and adolescent mental health because I've always wanted to work with kids.
- 5:10Prior to that, I was a special education teacher in a self contained classroom back in the 1980s.
- 5:18Um, I had worked at a um, it was a center.
- 5:23So we had elementary school aged children, all of whom who were not able to be in the classroom.
- 5:30And so because of, um, their emotional things going on for them, behavioral things.
- 5:38So talk about burnout, man, that that's a hard job too.
- 5:42So I went from one hard job to another.
- 5:45And somewhere along the way, I, I, I realized, over somewhere along the way, I realized I really needed to start making a shift.
- 5:58And for me that conversation started when I was in private practice and I was in a consultation group with some amazing women and I was this new play therapist on my journey, private practice, very excited.
- 6:17And wanting to save the world, right?
- 6:23And so my, my journey into kind of recognizing some of the things that I'm going to talk about today started with that group of amazing women.
- 6:38And, and they had been in the field a lot longer than me and some of the wisdom that they passed on to me.
- 6:46So I felt very blessed to, to be, be in that group with them.
- 6:53Um, and so some of these things I'm going to share started there and kind of what I've learned over the last 35, plus, uh, 30 years, almost 35 years.
- 7:05Um, and I still have to do these today.
- 7:09So that is what I want to talk about today.
- 7:13If you're listening and, um, and watching live, I would love to know who's here.
- 7:21Post your name in the comments.
- 7:23What population are you working with?
- 7:26You know, what are some of the struggles you feel comfortable sharing in a public format?
- 7:32Um, you know some of the advice that you give people.
- 7:37Some of the advice you give yourself.
- 7:39What are some things that you do?
- 7:42And let's get started.
- 7:44That's today post your name in the comments if you're watching the replay, please feel free to post your name, your comments The only thing that I ask people not to do, um, during these live streams or if you're watching the replay videos or even if you're listening to the podcast, the only thing I ask is not to share specific client information because it is a public format.
- 8:13So we want to make sure to maintain that privacy.
- 8:17And let's get started.
- 8:20The first thing I think we need to talk about is letting go of perfectionism.
- 8:29And I am, I am a perfectionist.
- 8:33It is a blessing and a curse at the same time.
- 8:38I have to remind myself all of the time, let it go, let it go, let it go.
- 8:44Um, because here's the reality.
- 8:46Perfectionism is a trap.
- 8:48There's no way we can do everything right all of the time.
- 8:54Somewhere along the line, I came to terms with this when I realized, you know what?
- 9:00I'm never, I keep messing up.
- 9:02I'm not going to get it right.
- 9:03When I am super stressed out.
- 9:06And overwhelmed because I, I have some, there's not a doubt in my mind, I have like an attentive ADHD, which over the last, you know, several decades I have learned to manage, but my working memory can go to trash as soon as I start getting, getting overwhelmed.
- 9:29It is so frustrating.
- 9:32It, but I've, I've, I've realized I've had to come to terms with it.
- 9:35Like it's a thing.
- 9:37Um, I don't know what it is about visual processing.
- 9:41I can only read short paragraphs at a time before my eyes start crossing and I get this horrendous headache.
- 9:49The reality is this is my reality.
- 9:52And when I'm super overwhelmed, then my working memory and my organizational skills go right out the window.
- 10:01It is beyond frustrating.
- 10:04Like if you, if any of you guys can relate, any of, any of you guys kind of have these kind of struggles as well.
- 10:15I get it.
- 10:15And the minute I start messing up my schedule, forgetting appointments, double booking appointments, putting appointments in the wrong day, it is so frustrating.
- 10:30The minute I do that, I know I'm in, my brain is in meltdown mode.
- 10:35And so I've, I've just come to terms with it.
- 10:38It is what it is.
- 10:40This is me.
- 10:42Um, I can be mad and self critical all I want, but it makes things worse.
- 10:50I can get anxious about it.
- 10:51It makes things worse.
- 10:53And the minute I realize I'm doing it, then I start getting anxious again, even more.
- 10:58And I have to do myself talk, talk myself down to say, you know what?
- 11:03It is what it is.
- 11:04Let it go.
- 11:05Embrace imperfection.
- 11:07I have many more good qualities that, um, the kind of balance out some of these frustrations that I have and I, and, and I, I have learned perfectionism is a trap.
- 11:24There is no way we all have something.
- 11:27None of us is perfect.
- 11:29And here's the thing.
- 11:30We tell parents all the time, it's not, it's not about being the perfect parent.
- 11:36Nobody can be the perfect parent.
- 11:38We tell kids all the time.
- 11:39It's not about being perfect kids.
- 11:42Nobody can be perfect.
- 11:44And yet sometimes with somehow we, me, uh, we, we think we have to be perfect and it's not true.
- 11:56So embrace being good enough.
- 11:59Embrace being authentic.
- 12:02Embrace being real.
- 12:04Now, within the client relationship, we have to manage that and, and have it happen within, you know, professional boundaries, of course.
- 12:13And at the same time, the therapeutic relationship, I would say, is one of the most important things in our clinical work.
- 12:26A theory, learning a theory, learning how to apply the theory is very important.
- 12:33And you can't have relationship with theory, right?
- 12:38You can't, I always, you can't have relationship with your intellectual thinking.
- 12:44You, you have to engage person to person.
- 12:47Now within the professional relationship of therapy, we have to do that within the professional context.
- 12:54And at the same time, our authenticity and our ability to sit with and engage in that therapeutic relationship in an authentic way is really, really important.
- 13:10And sometimes we can share, when appropriate, our own imperfections.
- 13:17Sometimes we have to say, sorry.
- 13:20Sometimes we have to apologize.
- 13:23I feel terrible when I mess up appointments, um, and I have to apologize and there's, you know, we'll, we'll see if we can work through it.
- 13:35So Amanda from, uh, Amanda says, good afternoon in Wales.
- 13:42I'm a play therapist working with CLA children.
- 13:46I find supervision and peer supervision very helpful in supporting me and letting go of perfection.
- 13:52Especially with unexpected or abrupt endings, right?
- 13:57Those are so hard when clients, uh, quit or when parents pull their kids from set, uh, therapy.
- 14:04Especially when you know there's something that can help.
- 14:08Um, I use mindful breathing to prepare myself for my clients and often take extra time to respond to emails from social workers and carers to ensure I respond ethically and as helpfully as possible.
- 14:22Yes, me too.
- 14:24I love that too, that mindful breathing.
- 14:26Absolutely.
- 14:28And I definitely think Amanda, I totally agree that group consultation, peer supervision.
- 14:37I have an online, uh, play therapy consultation program called Play Therapy Academy.
- 14:43And I will say that I, I love play Therapy Academy.
- 14:48I love our meetings.
- 14:50Um, in there.
- 14:52One of the things with like, you know, go through cases, we will staff cases will come up with strategies.
- 14:58The other thing is we support each other.
- 15:01It's not just my 30 plus years of experience.
- 15:05It's the wisdom of the group.
- 15:07It's the support of the group.
- 15:09We also have a group chat.
- 15:11So for in between meetings, people can go into the group chat.
- 15:15We get a lot of support in there because I feel like one of the things that I did what I I created Play Therapy Academy was I wanted a program that would provide support, right?
- 15:27Especially when you're learning play therapy and you're really wanting to make a difference in the lives of children.
- 15:35We can get into perfectionism.
- 15:38We can't imposter syndrome is, is a thing.
- 15:43It is real.
- 15:45And when we're learning something new, then our imposter syndrome is off the chain.
- 15:51And so absolutely, I wanted a way to be able to support people, support each other in that learning process.
- 16:02And build that confidence, right?
- 16:04Build in that self care, let go of perfectionism, kind of lean into professional authenticity, I'll call it, and learning what it means to be a good enough play therapist who can make a difference, right?
- 16:23We tell parents all the time, you just have to be good enough, more often than not, and that, that's, beneficial.
- 16:34That will make a difference.
- 16:37And the other thing is in our profession of mental health and working with clients, we do a lot of self reflection, right?
- 16:47Like we are, it's that therapeutic use of self.
- 16:52And so with therapeutic use of self, it's how am I showing up authentic, uh, professionally authentic in this therapeutic relationship in a way that is meaningful and establishes a sense of safety and security to build trust, to invite clients into opening up, being vulnerable.
- 17:17Allowing themselves to, to heal by going through that Um, change process, but that, that requires self reflection, exploration, vulnerability.
- 17:31Well, for, for therapists, we have to do our own self reflection.
- 17:37We have to recognize, you know, is this me going on in this session or is it my clients?
- 17:44Or is it both?
- 17:45Oh wait, my client just said something and I am triggered right now.
- 17:50I can feel it in my body.
- 17:52I know what that looks like.
- 17:54And so now I need to manage me so I can be fully present for my client.
- 18:01That's a lot of work.
- 18:02I am not kidding.
- 18:04Over the years, sometimes I've said to my husband, I, I wish I could do a job where I could just be a butthead.
- 18:12I could be a butthead, not feel guilty, not worry about how I've ruined my clients.
- 18:20Um, how I've damaged things, not really, but sometimes I just get tired of self reflection.
- 18:26I don't want to be a butthead, but sometimes I just don't want to have to self reflect.
- 18:32And that's not, that's not the profession we're in because that therapeutic use of self requires that we do the self reflection.
- 18:40Here's the key.
- 18:42It's self reflection over self criticism, recognizing what's going on setting that aside and letting go of perfectionism.
- 18:56So the goal is not perfectionism.
- 18:59The goal is to be the best version of therapeutic authenticity in a professional relationship that you can be in that moment in time.
- 19:11And here's the thing, to me, this is key, whether we have been doing therapy for decades, like myself, or we're just getting started, or we're somewhere in between, that ability to just be present, just be present in the session to provide that felt sense of being seen and heard.
- 19:41Even if you're still learning your theory model and you're still getting that down pat, or even if you're like not sure what to do.
- 19:50Sometimes I still get lost.
- 19:51I, I don't know what to do.
- 19:53I've even said to clients sometimes, I don't know, but let's figure this out.
- 20:00Just that sense of you're not alone.
- 20:03Somebody sees me.
- 20:05authentically cares about me, that in and of itself is healing.
- 20:11So if we remember that we are golden.
- 20:15So letting go of perfectionism, letting go of feeling like I have to do everything right all of the time and engaging in self criticism where you're just constantly criticizing yourself.
- 20:31Every session you have got to let that go.
- 20:34Learn from it, right?
- 20:37The next thing, and this is one of the most freeing things I learned from my circle of amazing women decades ago when I was just getting started.
- 20:53Um, these are the things.
- 20:57I remember sharing a story with the client.
- 21:00I'm kind of a perfectionist.
- 21:02I like want to make a difference.
- 21:04I want to help.
- 21:05That's my passion that drives me.
- 21:07It's what got me into this field and it's also my downfall, right?
- 21:14And understanding what I'm about to say was probably one of the most freeing things that I, I learned and it's the thing that I remind myself over and over.
- 21:27I'm, I'm.
- 21:28I'm probably pretty good at it by now and I still have to practice it over and over.
- 21:34Um, I would say probably my bigger struggle is the third thing I'm going to talk about.
- 21:43And also I've gotten a lot better about letting go of perfectionism.
- 21:47It still rears its little ugly head sometimes.
- 21:51The thing that I'm going to share now is who owns the problem.
- 21:56And I remember sitting with this group of women and I was sharing this struggle that I was having with the client.
- 22:04I was just so, um, worried about doing the right thing and keeping them engaged.
- 22:13And I was sure everything was my fault.
- 22:17And I don't know if anybody, if you guys can relate.
- 22:21And one of the women just asked me and said, Hey, I want to ask you a question or some version of that.
- 22:28Cause that's how they were.
- 22:29And they, they said to me, who owns this problem?
- 22:35Do you own it or does the client?
- 22:39And I was stumped.
- 22:41I had no idea what she was talking about because of course I owned it.
- 22:45I was responsible for fixing everything.
- 22:48It was all my responsibility.
- 22:50So I owned it.
- 22:52Right.
- 22:53And that's not wrong answer.
- 22:57The, what these amazing women kind of talked me through, I do not own the problem and really helped me to understand how this was um, a hindrance, a stumbling block.
- 23:13It was going to get in the way of really helping my clients.
- 23:17So it's really about boundaries and who owns the problem.
- 23:24The reality is, as helping professionals, we want to get in, right?
- 23:27We want to make a difference.
- 23:28So we take responsibility for it because we think we're the ones, we have all the knowledge.
- 23:34We have all the skills.
- 23:36The reality is we are guides.
- 23:40We are.
- 23:40It's not my journey.
- 23:43As a guide, my role is to walk alongside.
- 23:49That's my role.
- 23:50I am not responsible for making the changes.
- 23:55I am responsible for showing the way, making suggestions, being fully present, showing up with unconditional positive regard and empathy in the session, helping my client feel seen and heard, and holding boundaries sometimes because sometimes we need to hold boundaries.
- 24:16Sometimes our clients need to have us hold boundaries about what we will and won't do.
- 24:25And also allow them to carry and change whatever it is that they need to change because the reality is I can't do it for them.
- 24:40If I do it for them, I rob them of the opportunity, to make these changes and get that deeper level healing.
- 24:51The way that that looks in play therapy is not all, don't go into grownup mode with your little client or maybe your adolescent client in the play therapy session.
- 25:03Don't jump right in to fix everything.
- 25:07Allow some opportunity to see how your client is going to work through it.
- 25:13Allow your client the opportunity to use that play therapy process to fix and solve whatever it is that's going on in your work with parents.
- 25:27I find that's a little more challenging for us as mental health, child and adolescent mental health professionals, because we want to get in there, we want to help, and we want to make a difference.
- 25:37And so a lot of times what will go in there is we'll make suggestions way too soon.
- 25:43Because the client, the parents only hear it as us judging them and telling them we're doing something wrong.
- 25:48I learned that one a long time ago too.
- 25:51One of my parents, parent, one of the parents of my clients.
- 25:55I did this amazing parent group.
- 25:57I thought was fit.
- 25:58I thought I was being so compassionate and empathetic sharing some of my parenting struggles as a mother of two neurodiverse.
- 26:09Yes I have ADHD kids as well.
- 26:10What a shocker right that I have ADHD too Um, and I thought I was just being so helpful and I had a good relationship with this mom.
- 26:21So she ended up sharing with me that all she heard was me telling her what a bad parent she was.
- 26:29And I, I was so grateful that she shared that I felt horrible.
- 26:33I was shocked too.
- 26:34Cause in my head, I'm thinking, that's what you got out of what I said.
- 26:39Um, and so we began to kind of explore that a little bit, but what I realized was, she had a lot of shame and guilt and I, I did not take that on for her.
- 26:54Uh, parents that's theirs to solve.
- 26:58I got my own, I got mine to solve.
- 27:01That's my responsibility.
- 27:03Um, and our responsibility to is to allow, uh, clients and parents to to own the part that they need to change in the play therapy process.
- 27:21I can, I can show up authentically.
- 27:24I can show up, um, with unconditional positive regard and empathy.
- 27:29I, I, I'll hold boundaries sometimes.
- 27:32Like sometimes I, if there's something that can't happen anymore.
- 27:38Um, then I, I'll say, Hey, this really needs to stop.
- 27:43And I'm not talking about mandated reporting things.
- 27:47That's kind of in a different category.
- 27:49I'm talking about things that are kind of getting up there to that line, but also are going to get in the way of the progress they, they need to make.
- 27:59So my role is to be the guide, to be support, to provide a safe space.
- 28:08But the healing work is really the client's responsibility.
- 28:12I always say they are the driver of the bus.
- 28:16I'm sitting on the bus with them, kind of helping them know where to go.
- 28:21In the end, it's their choice whether or not they go that way.
- 28:25And sometimes we go over and over and over.
- 28:28This is where we hold hard things, right?
- 28:30Sometimes we sit with our clients.
- 28:33and their parents while they kind of do the same thing over and over getting the same results while we kind of with compassion and empathy and boundaries kind of walk through that process with them and help them make the connections.
- 28:50And this is where we can use reflective questions.
- 28:54Um, to ourself even if we we ask reflective questions to clients so they can kind of help make these connections.
- 29:06If we find ourselves getting pulled in and getting, taking responsibility, then it's our job to ask ourselves kind of using those reflective questions, not getting into self criticism.
- 29:21Whose role is this?
- 29:22Whose responsibility is to fix this?
- 29:26And reminding myself it's not mine because I have to let go and that we have to practice letting go, um, holding on to somebody else's problems not only drains us and makes us more ineffective, but it also robs them of their opportunity to grow from it.
- 29:51And so boundaries are not a bad thing.
- 29:56It doesn't mean we're being mean.
- 29:57It doesn't mean we're not helping.
- 29:59It just means that we are honoring our client's ability to tap into their inner strength and inner wisdom to make these changes.
- 30:15So Amanda says, who owns the problem?
- 30:17Sometimes it is the client or their carers, but as a play therapist, we often feel we have to repair.
- 30:24But we can only repair with clients when they and their cares are open to repair.
- 30:29That's right.
- 30:30We act as the guide.
- 30:31Ultimately, we can't do it for them.
- 30:34It's not going to make a difference.
- 30:36We do our work.
- 30:38They do their work.
- 30:40I have to do my own work.
- 30:42Otherwise I won't get to that deeper level of change and become that amazing person like Gandalf.
- 30:50Any of you who are Lord of the Rings fan, my goal is always to be the most amazing Gandalf.
- 30:56I see myself as the Gandalf of play therapy in the mental health world.
- 31:01I walk through and guide.
- 31:03Sometimes I get in there and battle with them, but ultimately, Frodo had to make the journey by himself, right?
- 31:10Frodo and Sam.
- 31:13Which brings me to the next thing to think about, which is taking time away to connect with self and others.
- 31:22So if I stay, I love Lord of the Rings.
- 31:25Um, I, I probably have watched that movie, all, all the series.
- 31:28I probably watch it like 80 times.
- 31:31Um, it's the metaphors in Lord of the Rings are amazing.
- 31:36But just Frodo, right?
- 31:38He's the hero, hero of the story.
- 31:40Frodo's the one that actually was able to get the ring in the Lake of Fire and get rid of all the bad things that were going on.
- 31:49But he his friend, he had a friend along the way, along the journey, and we can't do this alone.
- 31:56We can't be in this world, and exist, and hold hard stories, and work through challenging situations on our own.
- 32:07We, we need community, we need connection.
- 32:10I think for Play Therapy Academy, that's one of the things, to me, that's really important to provide the, the play therapists in play Therapy Academy, which is that support as well as some wisdom and the group wisdom, not just mine, but everybody's where we kind of help people along the way, but also kind of lightens the load a little bit when you know, you're not in it by yourself, that you know you have some people walking alongside kind of helping you along the way.
- 32:43Ultimately, though, we have to make, we have to do it.
- 32:48Nobody can do it for us.
- 32:50Clients have to do it.
- 32:51We can't do it for them.
- 32:53But in order to do it with the level of, um, skill and effectiveness that we want to do it, we really have to understand that we can't do it alone.
- 33:09So we have to take time away.
- 33:12We have to connect to ourself and connect to others.
- 33:15So how do you do that?
- 33:17And to me, I have to do this in a way that doesn't add one more thing to my list of things to do.
- 33:23And sometimes it is.
- 33:25Sometimes I will have to, I schedule a break, I put it on my work calendar, I will put it on my, uh, weekly calendar.
- 33:35I, I pencil it in because if I see it on my calendar, then I'm more likely to do it.
- 33:40So I try to take a break.
- 33:42For me, what grounds me is getting outside.
- 33:45Breathing in some air.
- 33:47So, you know, what is it for you?
- 33:50What is it that you do that kind of refreshes you and does a little bit of a reset?
- 33:59Amanda said that she'll do some mindful breathing in between sessions.
- 34:04I love that.
- 34:05I think that's awesome.
- 34:07Um, and also nurturing our relationships.
- 34:12Who are the people in our lives that we can go to and talk to and get support and, and know that we're not alone, that we have people that see us and hear us and support us and we can have really good conversations.
- 34:34I have a couple of people in my really inner circle that I know I can go to and they will, they care about me, they love me and they will give me honest feedback.
- 34:47One of those people is my husband, uh, and I have a couple of really good friends who will do that with me as well.
- 34:56And that, that helps.
- 34:59I always feel so much better after I've done that.
- 35:03So who do you go to?
- 35:05What relationships are you cultivating that are people in your inner circle that kind of help you along the way.
- 35:15And then the other thing is, um, what are your passions?
- 35:19What are things that you love to do?
- 35:22I, so I live in the desert now.
- 35:24I used to live on the East coast and we had over a couple of acres.
- 35:28And when I had a couple of acres, I had these awesome gardens that I loved and I would get in there and do weeding.
- 35:36And my kids would always laugh because we'd have like 10 yards of mulch in our driveway.
- 35:44And I would, I would do the mulch, I would make them help too sometimes.
- 35:49Um, and we'd get out there and I would do the mulching.
- 35:51And that just, like that hard work and mulching and weeding and making my garden beautiful just filled my soul.
- 36:01I, I just loved getting out there and doing that.
- 36:05Going for a walk, going on a hike.
- 36:08I love, I have got to get back into nature.
- 36:12It just feeds my soul.
- 36:14Here on the West Coast, we have some beautiful mountains and hike and there's red rock everywhere.
- 36:21It's so beautiful getting out there, hiking, getting back to nature.
- 36:27And sometimes it's like for some of you, it might be just getting time to yourself, reading a good book, kind of curling up in your favorite chair with your favorite blankie.
- 36:39I call them blankies, um, tea or coffee, listening to music, turning on, uh, lighting a candle, having that scent, having that quiet time.
- 36:52And for, for me, I do that.
- 36:54I love doing that in the mornings, having my cup of coffee.
- 36:58I do my quiet time, my spirituality, my spiritual practice is what keeps me grounded, kind of helps me, um, be open and authentic.
- 37:11And the other thing is like I, I have, there's a really good book that I thought I would share.
- 37:17It's called, um, Stillness is the Key.
- 37:20I found this recently when I was on vacation and there was a coffee shop.
- 37:26And so that was my thing.
- 37:27I went down, my husband was sleeping.
- 37:29I went down to the coffee shop, got treated myself to a fancy little coffee.
- 37:33And I found this book and it is so, so good about being still.
- 37:39And just taking time to refresh.
- 37:42Journaling.
- 37:43I love journaling.
- 37:45I also love poetry and there's.
- 37:47There's this really amazing, I mean, if you're a therapist and you like kind of doing poetry things, this is the, this guy is amazing.
- 37:56Um, I'll hold it up there so you can see the, see the author, Young Pueblo.
- 38:03And it's poetry about clarity and connection.
- 38:07And I, I will go through this.
- 38:10I'll, I'll do some journaling.
- 38:13I'll draw some pictures in here.
- 38:16Um, I'm not giving this book away to anybody.
- 38:20I'll do journaling.
- 38:21It'll, it'll prompt some journaling, journaling, some self reflection, just a time to kind of clear things away.
- 38:29So what is it that you do?
- 38:31What are some things that you do to take time away, connect to yourself, connect to others.
- 38:39So that is it for today.
- 38:41Oh, got one more comment.
- 38:43Um, Oh, Amanda says, has anyone tried dancing around their kitchen?
- 38:48That works wonders for me.
- 38:49That's awesome.
- 38:50Yes.
- 38:51Movement, dancing.
- 38:52Sometimes I will be in my car singing the top of my lungs, man.
- 38:57Nobody, nobody else's around, uh, dancing around.
- 39:02That's awesome.
- 39:03Yes.
- 39:05Um, so let me do a quick recap.
- 39:08One is letting go of perfection, recognizing the importance of professional authenticity within your therapeutic relationships, but also have those times where you can be fully authentic with the people in your inner circle.
- 39:24Just connecting with yourself, being authentic, embrace your imperfections.
- 39:29Otherwise, if you beat yourself up about them, it is going to make them worse.
- 39:34The other thing is, who owns the problem?
- 39:38You don't.
- 39:39It is not your responsibility to make the changes.
- 39:43It is not your responsibility to fix the problem.
- 39:48It is your role to be that wise guide, to be authentically present, helping your client feel seen and heard in that relationship, that therapeutic relationship, helping your client, um, feel like they can be safe and open up and be vulnerable so they can make the changes that they need to make.
- 40:17That's our role, to give suggestions, to understand the theory model and how the theory model is applied for play therapy and what that looks like.
- 40:29But it doesn't mean we do it perfectly because nothing can ever be done perfectly.
- 40:35We are human beings, we embrace good enough and recognize that our clients are the ones who own the problem and they are the ones that need to make the changes.
- 40:49And then the third thing is take time away, like we're entering into the holiday season.
- 40:55I'm about, I'm not doing live streams for the next two weeks.
- 40:59That was my way of doing some self care for myself because I'm, I'm terrible at self care and I, and that's a constant thing that I work on.
- 41:11Um, so this year we're not doing live streams for next week or the week after.
- 41:16The next time we do a live stream will be in January.
- 41:21Um, and during that time, I plan to spend time with my family.
- 41:26My kids are going to be in town.
- 41:29We're going to go hang out with some friends, do some self care, take some time, reconnect to yourself.
- 41:39What is it that you're going to be doing that rejuvenates you and reconnects to yourself and with others?
- 41:52So that is it for today.
- 41:55If you're interested in Play Therapy Academy, I've talked about that a little bit during the live stream, um, and the podcast.
- 42:04If you're interested in Play Therapy Academy, then, uh, I'll tell you a little bit about it.
- 42:09It is a group of like minded play therapists.
- 42:13We come together twice a month for a group consultation call.
- 42:19We do case presentations.
- 42:21So that you know, you have a time where it's going to be you and you're going to get a dedicated time to focus on you.
- 42:28But also when it's not your time to present, you're going to be learning from others.
- 42:33You're going to be seeing videos or we're seeing how we identify themes and sandtray photos or art.
- 42:42Or, identifying themes in video sessions.
- 42:47We are going to be talking about strategies.
- 42:51How are you applying your play therapy model?
- 42:55And in that time we're also going to be giving support, helping each other know that being good enough and learning over time, making progress is the goal.
- 43:06Perfection is not the goal.
- 43:08We are kicking imposter syndrome to the curb and supporting each other and growing in confidence, giving ideas, supporting each other with different ideas in our private group chat.
- 43:23Also during the consultation calls and also there are courses to help you learn some foundational skills that you need in order to show up in a, in effectively and confidently and have the knowledge that you need in order to guide your client through that play therapy healing process.
- 43:49So if you're interested in Play Therapy Academy, I do have a few openings when they're filled up, they're filled up.
- 43:58Um, so if you're interested, you can pop over to my website at, uh, rhplaytherapytraining.
- 44:07com.
- 44:08You'll wanna go, it'll be slash uh, supervision.
- 44:13You'll wanna go to it's www.rhplaytherapytraining.com/supervision.
- 44:22Go over to that supervision page and you'll see Play Therapy Academy.
- 44:26It'll give you some more information about that.
- 44:29Also, if you're interested, if you're really thinking this might be something, then schedule a video call with me.
- 44:36It's a free 30 minute video call where we talk about, you know, what it is that you are struggling with and what Play Therapy Academy is and what play therapy can do to help mostly because I want to make sure that it's a good fit for you.
- 44:53So, um, that way you'll know whether or not it's a good fit and what needs to happen.
- 45:01So just go ahead and schedule a video call with me.
- 45:05Um, Amanda says, Thank you so much Cathi have really helped me to reframe my thoughts and processes.
- 45:14I hope you have a lovely break this holiday season.
- 45:17Thank you, Amanda.
- 45:18You too.
- 45:20Um, so schedule the video call with me.
- 45:23You will, you'll see a link for, for the scheduling the video call in the comments.
- 45:30Also a link over to my website.
- 45:34Again, the website is www.
- 45:38rhplaytherapytraining.
- 45:40com.
- 45:41That's Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training.
- 45:46And I will see you guys in the new year.
- 45:51Have a happy holiday season.
- 45:54Bye.
- 46:02Thank you for joining me on this episode of Next Level Play Therapy.
- 46:07I hope you found the discussion valuable and gained new insights and ideas to support your work helping children, adolescents, and families heal.
- 46:16If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review.
- 46:22Your feedback helps to improve and reach more people who can benefit from this information.
- 46:28Remember, play therapy is a powerful tool for healing and growth.
- 46:32Whether 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 and relationships.
- 46:44If you have any questions or topic suggestions for future episodes, I'd love to hear from you.
- 46:51Connect with me on social media and visit my website at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training to stay updated on upcoming episodes, trainings, and resources.
- 47:03Thank you once again for listening to Next Level Play Therapy.
- 47:07Until next time, keep playing, learning, and growing.