116. Liliana Baylon: Expand Your Cultural Lens When Working with Immigrants & Refugees
Release Date: 03/29/2022
168. Demystifying Minecraft in the Therapeutic Space with Brian Keating
Lessons from the Playroom
In this episode, Lisa is joined by special guest Brian Keating, a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist and Certified Group Psychotherapist. Brian specializes in tele-play therapy and is a contributing author to Advances in Online Therapy: Emergence of a New Paradigm. He's presented on topics including grief, childhood bereavement, and the therapeutic use of the video game Minecraft, which is the focus of this episode. Join Lisa and Brian as they demystify the use of video games in therapy, with a particular focus on Minecraft, the most popular and successful video game ever to hit the...
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Navigating the Impact of Trauma Exposure: Essential Insights for Therapists
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: March 28, 2023 Join Lisa for a crucial conversation addressing a topic often overlooked in the therapy community: the profound impact of trauma exposure on therapists and helpers alike. As therapists, we find ourselves on the front lines, intimately engaging with trauma exposure day after day, session after session. Despite the ideal of remaining objective observers, the reality is that we are deeply affected by the traumas our clients share. This episode sheds light on the inevitability of experiencing secondary impacts such as compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, or...
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Empowering Educators & Students: Transforming Education with Judy Norman & the Synergetic Education Institute
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: March 14, 2022 Join Lisa and Judy Norman, Certified SPT therapist/supervisor and SPT co-teacher, as they unveil the inception of the Synergetic Education Institute (). 🎉🙌 Years in the making, their journey highlights the profound impact of integrating Synergetic Play Therapy principles into school settings to empower educators, school-based mental health professionals, and educational leaders. Their success story has garnered recognition from renowned developmental trauma expert Heather Forbes, Founder of Beyond Consequences Institute and author of "Help for Billy",...
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167. Defying Expectations to Embrace Human Potential: Amit Chintan Ramlall’s Journey Beyond the Label of Autism
Lessons from the Playroom
Join Lisa in this inspiring episode as she sits down with Amit Chintan Ramlall and his father, Dr. Kumar Ramlall, for a heartfelt conversation about navigating life with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite facing challenges with independent speech, Amit shares his remarkable journey and how he has embraced his talents and gifts to defy expectations. Drawing from their personal experiences, Lisa, Amit, and Kumar delve into the misconceptions surrounding ASD and the importance of assuming competence in all clients. They explore the journey of self-discovery, highlighting the invaluable...
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Special: Why the Body Never Lies: Attuning to Body Language in Play Therapy
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: July 29, 2020 Discover the profound language of the body in therapy! In this episode, Lisa delves into the power of attuning to both our own and the child's body language, crucial for fostering co-regulation in therapeutic settings. Gain valuable techniques for staying within your window of tolerance to guide children through their discomfort. Join Lisa to explore the unerring wisdom of the body and learn to deepen your ability to listen and respond effectively to your clients. "The body never lies. The body is always revealing the truth relative to the individual's...
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166. Giving a Voice to Children with PANS/PANDAS with Dr. Montserrat Casado
Lessons from the Playroom
In today’s episode, we delve into one of the most requested topics of the past year. Dr. Montserrat Casado joins Lisa to shed light on PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome) and PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections), offering invaluable insights for supporting children, parents, and therapists. Tune in as Montse and Lisa engage in a captivating conversation, debunking misconceptions about PANS/PANDAS, and offering new ways of understanding and supporting clients and caregivers. Discover Montse's personal journey and...
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Special: Staying on Course: The #1 Thing That Will Get You Off Track As A Therapist
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: February 15, 2022 In this Lessons from the Playroom episode, Lisa discusses the #1 thing that will get you off track as a therapist ... and it's trying to be someone you’re not! Despite messages that might suggest differently, authenticity and "being yourself" is not easy and has so many implications for therapists. Join Lisa in a conversation to explore: How you know when you're trying to be someone you're not; Why it's so important to be yourself in the playroom; How to show up most like yourself and embody what feels true for you as a therapist; and How to access...
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165. The Mind-Body Blueprint: How Symptoms in the Body are Connected to Mental Health with Dave Hompes
Lessons from the Playroom
Join us in this enlightening episode as we delve into uncharted territory with guest Dave Hompes, a renowned author, nutritionist, functional medicine practitioner, and mind-body coach. With his extensive expertise in integrative approaches to health, Dave sheds light on the intricate connection between psychology and the dynamics of the mind and body. In this captivating conversation, discover: Insights into the profound relationship between nutrition and mental health through compelling case studies, including epilepsy, Autism Spectrum, Tourette syndrome, and more. The most important...
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Special: Engaging Children from the Start: Tips & Techniques with Liana Lowenstein
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: March 1st 2022 This next Lessons from the Playroom guest gave Lisa the most amazing surprise when she jumped on - it filled Lisa with so much joy, delight and an urge to connect … And this is totally what they’re talking about today - how to captivate, engage, be with (along with what to do), and create a playful connection with your child clients during the initial play therapy session. Lisa is joined by the one and only . Liana is a Registered Clinical Social Worker, Certified Play Therapist - Supervisor, and Certified TF-CBT therapist who has been working...
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164. Play Therapy Across the Lifespan: Nurturing Healing Through Symbolic Repair with Tara McDonald & Karen O’Neill
Lessons from the Playroom
Join Lisa as she hosts Tara McDonald and Karen O'Neill from PIP Solutions UK in an engaging discussion on the versatile practice of play therapy across the lifespan, with an added focus on the concept of symbolic repair. Prepare to be captivated by this episode, as it is filled with insightful content that you'll want to jot down or take notes! Key Insights: Discover the various forms that play therapy can take, spanning from infancy through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Embrace the notion of allowing oneself to be playful, whether interacting with a parent-child dyad or...
info_outlineJoin Lisa Dion for a most beautiful and eye-opening (and, unfortunately, so relevant to what’s happening in the world right now) conversation with someone very dear to her about understanding the experience of immigrants and refugees.
Liliana Baylon is a bilingual (English-Spanish), bicultural therapist and Synergetic Play Therapist/Supervisor. And today she talks with Lisa about understanding the experience of immigrant and refugee families, and some really important things to be aware of that will widen your cultural lens and shape how you work with your clients.
Liliana will share insights from her own journey, as well as how this has led to her interest and niche in treating couples and children who have experienced trauma/abuse and multicultural issues from an attachment lens. Here’s what you’ll hear in Lisa’s conversation with Liliana…
- Understand the experience and challenges of immigrants and refugees;
- How to support immigrant and refugee clients with a process of grieving - becoming aware of their journey, perceived challenges, and giving language to organize what they are going through (e.g., their emotions, needs and hopes);
- Understand the nervous system experience of immigrants/refugees and what it means for their identity and their internal/external sense of safety;
- Learn the perceptions of immigrants and refugees from the SPT concept of the 4 threats to the brain - physical safety, perceptions of the unknown, incongruence in the environment, and shoulds/unmet expectations;
- How to hold the family when there has been intergenerational disruptions and support them in repairing the ruptures and coming back together;
- Understand the crisis that an immigrant or refugee is faced with regarding their "global perspective" - their view of self, view of others, and view of the world; and
- How to hold space for clients with the intention of helping them answer the questions: “Who am I?”, “What do I want?”, “What is important to me?”, “What are my values?”, and “How can I be myself in my many worlds/cultures?”
As you listen, you’re invited to pause and notice what comes up for you ... Noticing moments where you might feel a need to advocate, fix, or rescue ... And if you do, consider, as Liliana shares, what possibly might we be taking away from our clients including how this may impact their journey to empowerment - wow, just so powerful!
Listen to today's episode and expand your cultural lens when working with immigrant and refugee clients/families - Take what Liliana shares and become a bit more sensitive, aware, and curious, as well as feel more resourced with your clients when normalizing and speaking to what the experience might have been for them.
*Liliana Baylon holds a Master's Degree of Science in Counseling/Marriage, Family, and Child Therapy in addition to being an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Register Play Therapist - Supervisor, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, ICEEFT Certified EFT Therapist, EMDR Certified, Certified Synergetic Play Therapist - Consultant, Completed Level 2 Training in Gottman Method Couples Therapy, AF-CBT trained, and an Independent Facilitator of the Becoming a Love and Logic Parent Way.
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*Find more information and free resources to support you on your play therapist journey at https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/
* Interested in APT Approved CE credits and courses delivered to your living room? Take a look at all our play therapy training, available on our learning website: https://learn.synergeticplaytherapy.com/