190. When the Aggressor is You: Therapist Activation in the Playroom with Mili Shoemaker
Release Date: 04/08/2025
Special: Understanding Sexualized Play in Therapy with Dr. Jodi Mullen
Lessons from the Playroom
One of the most highly requested topics in play therapy is finally here—understanding sexualized play in the playroom. In this deeply insightful episode, Lisa Dion is joined by Dr. Jodi Mullen, a leading expert in play therapy and child trauma, to explore what it means when sexualized play emerges in sessions. 🔹 How to trust your felt sense as a clinician when sexualized play appears 🔹 Identifying red flags and themes that may indicate sexual trauma 🔹 Understanding transference and countertransference as clinical clues 🔹 The key differences between medical trauma vs. sexualized...
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195. When the Body Remembers: Psychosensory Healing, Play Therapy & the Wisdom Within with Kim Barthel
Lessons from the Playroom
She’s back—and the energy in the room just elevated. In one of the most moving and illuminating episodes to date, Lisa Dion reunites with internationally renowned occupational therapist, author, and teacher Kim Barthel—one of the most beloved guests in the podcast’s history. Together, they take us deep into the world of psycho-sensory interventions, a term Kim coined decades ago during a pivotal moment that forever changed her clinical approach. Through a powerful real-life case study, this conversation explores how the body holds the story of trauma, how sensation can unlock memory,...
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Special: The 3 Types of Relationships in Play Therapy with Parents & Caregivers
Lessons from the Playroom
What makes working with parents and caregivers feel smooth—or challenging—in play therapy? In this insightful episode, Lisa Dion explores three distinct types of relationships that shape our interactions with parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process. Understanding these dynamics can transform your approach, helping you create deeper, more conscious relationships that honor both you as a therapist and the parents you support. 🔹 Discover the three types of relationships that influence every interaction in and beyond the playroom 🔹 Learn how these relationship dynamics shape...
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194. Introducing Family Constellation Work: A Systemic Lens for Play Therapists
Lessons from the Playroom
🎙️ She’s back! In her fourth appearance, Lisa welcomes the deeply loved and returning guest Mili Sarmiento Shoemaker—bilingual therapist, teacher, and Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor and Trainer—to introduce a brand-new topic to the podcast: Family Constellation Work. Rooted in systemic and ancestral wisdom, this conversation explores how children’s symptoms often reflect unresolved family dynamics, not just their own inner world. Together, Mili and Lisa unpack key principles from Family Constellation theory—including the Orders of Love—and how therapists can...
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Special: Reflective & Relational Play Therapy Supervision: A Deep Dive with Lisa Dion & Guests
Lessons from the Playroom
What makes play therapy supervision truly effective? In this first-ever Lessons from the Playroom episode on supervision, Lisa Dion is joined by Polly Douglass, Kim Buller, and Khris Rolfe—three extraordinary play therapists and top supervisors at the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. Together, they explore the power of reflective and relational supervision and how it transforms both supervisees and their clients. Whether you're currently in supervision or serving as a supervisor, this episode will offer invaluable insights into: 🔹 What it means to be reflective and relational in...
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193. Unleashing your Creativity: A Conversation with Mama Owls Minis
Lessons from the Playroom
In this heartfelt and most inspiring episode, Lisa sits down with Catherine and Alicia Denham—the visionary clinical duo behind Mama Owls Minis, Licensed Clinical Social Workers and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisors with over 40 years of combined experience. Together, they explore the messy, meaningful, and magical journey of creativity in play therapy, inviting listeners to reconnect with their inner artist and trust their instincts. This episode dives deep into how therapists can embrace creativity—not as a quest to be “good at art,” but as a powerful process of authentic...
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Special: Ableism & Disablism in the Playroom: A Conversation with Marshall Lyles
Lessons from the Playroom
How does ableism show up in the playroom, and what can we do to create a more inclusive therapeutic space? In this powerful episode, Marshall Lyles (LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S, EMDRIA Approved Consultant) joins Lisa Dion to explore the often unspoken realities of ableism and disablism in play therapy. Marshall, a leading voice in attachment trauma and sandtray therapy, brings invaluable insights into how therapists can become more aware of the biases and systemic structures that impact neurodivergent and disabled clients. 🔹 Uncover how ableism—both personal and institutional—has shaped the...
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192. The Final Little Lessons Series: What to Do When You’re Overwhelmed in the Playroom
Lessons from the Playroom
Lisa is back with the final episode of the Little Lessons Series, wrapping up this heartfelt Q&A journey by answering your powerful questions including how to navigate moments when connection feels disrupted—whether by a child’s shutdown, caregiver dynamics, or those uncomfortable "I don't know what to do" feelings that arise in the therapy process. In this episode, you’ll hear: Tracy’s question: “What do you do when a child goes into shutdown mode?” Lisa explains how to recognize the signs of a shutdown, why it happens from a nervous system perspective, and how to stay attuned...
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Special: Mandalas in Play Therapy: A Transformative Tool for Healing with Tracy Turner-Bumberry
Lessons from the Playroom
Have you explored the power of mandalas in play therapy? In this episode, Lisa Dion sits down with Tracy Turner-Bumberry (LPC, RPT-S™) to uncover the transformative magic of mandalas—an incredible yet often unexplored tool in clinical practice. Tracy, a Certified AutPlay Trainer, Animal-Assisted Play Therapist, and DBT Therapist, shares how mandalas can create a safe, expressive, and healing space for children and families. 🔹 Discover what mandalas are and their deep multicultural roots 🔹 Learn how "circle art" and "circle play" can demystify mandalas for therapy 🔹 Explore...
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191. Little Lessons Series: Addressing Hesitation, Aggressive Play, and Emotional Boundaries in Play Therapy
Lessons from the Playroom
Lisa is back with another episode of the Little Lessons Series, answering your insightful questions about navigating the complexities of the playroom. Today’s episode focuses on how to handle those challenging moments in therapy where uncertainty, emotional flooding, and parents’ concerns come into play. In this episode, you’ll hear: Chrissy’s question: “What do you do when a child can’t decide on what to play with or doesn’t even play after coming for weeks?” Lisa breaks down how to navigate moments of hesitation, offering insights on how to remain present and supportive...
info_outline"Every part of us, even the ones we've been taught to reject, holds the potential for growth and healing." – Mili Shoemaker
Aggression in the playroom is a familiar topic—but what happens when it’s not coming from the child, but from within us as therapists? This is a conversation we rarely hear in the play therapy world, yet it’s a reality many therapists silently grapple with. In this eye-opening episode, Lisa sits down with Mili Shoemaker, a seasoned play therapist, Synergetic Play Therapy trainer, and clinical supervisor, to explore what it means when therapists feel their own aggression arise in session.
With honesty and compassion, Lisa and Mili unpack the discomfort, shame, and stigma that often accompany these experiences. They dive into the protective patterns that emerge when we try to suppress these feelings, and how true healing begins when we stop rejecting these parts of ourselves.
Together, Lisa and Mili explore:
✨ The taboo of therapist aggression – Why this conversation is missing in the play therapy world and why it needs to be heard.
✨ Recognizing therapist activation – How to notice when your own history, protective mechanisms, and triggers show up in the playroom.
✨ Befriending aggression – How shifting from judgment to curiosity about our own aggressive parts creates deeper therapeutic presence.
✨ Embodied expression vs. catharsis – Why aggression isn’t something to suppress, but also isn’t about explosive release.
✨ The unmet needs beneath aggression – Understanding what these feelings are signaling and how to meet them with self-compassion.
✨ Breaking free from shame – How to reframe aggression as part of our full humanity rather than something to fear or reject.
✨ Integration and authenticity – Why making space for all parts of ourselves strengthens our ability to hold space for our clients.
This episode is an invitation to step into a conversation that has been long overdue—to acknowledge, explore, and ultimately embrace a part of ourselves that holds the potential for healing and growth.
🔗 Tune in and take the next step toward deeper self-acceptance and authenticity in the playroom.
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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:
👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com
📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books
🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/
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👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/
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