198. Wounded Healers in the Playroom: How Attachment Histories Shape Our Work
Release Date: 08/12/2025
Giving a Voice to Children with PANS/PANDAS with Dr. Montserrat Casado (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
PANS and PANDAS are among the most misunderstood—and frequently requested—topics in the therapy world. In this episode, Lisa is joined by Dr. Montserrat Casado for a thoughtful, compassionate conversation on how these conditions impact children, families, and the therapeutic process. Together, they explore what PANS/PANDAS are, how immune responses and brain inflammation affect behavior and nervous system regulation, and why symptoms such as OCD, rage, regression, and restrictive eating require a broader, integrative lens. Dr. Casado also shares her personal journey and decade-long...
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Resurrecting Rogers: What Did Carl Rogers Really Want to Say? (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
“It is a sparkling thing when I encounter realness of another person… When this happens, I leap to meet it.” – Carl Rogers Carl Rogers is one of the most influential—and often misunderstood—figures in psychology. In this episode, Lisa returns to Rogers’ own words and teachings to explore what he was truly inviting clinicians to embody. Through a nervous-system-informed lens, this conversation highlights how authenticity, presence, and self-acceptance create the conditions for felt safety and relational connection. Lisa explores why Rogers’ emphasis on “realness” isn’t...
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Play Therapy Across the Lifespan: Nurturing Healing Through Symbolic Repair (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
What does play therapy look like beyond childhood? In this episode, Lisa is joined by Tara McDonald and Karen O’Neill of PIP Solutions UK to explore how play therapy can support healing across the lifespan. Together, they discuss how play adapts from infancy through adulthood, the importance of creating safety around play for older clients, and the powerful role of symbolic repair in psychotherapy. This conversation invites clinicians to expand their understanding of play, embrace developmentally responsive approaches, and recognize the healing potential of play at any age. ✨ Tara and...
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Are Your Decisions Coming From Alignment—or Habit? (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
“The dysregulation in our body is information about the congruency of our decisions.” – Lisa Dion How do you know if a decision is truly aligned with who you are? In this episode, Lisa explores how our nervous system offers critical information about the congruency of our choices. Moving beyond logic alone, you're invited to integrate left-brain reasoning with right-brain awareness to make decisions that feel grounded, authentic, and whole in this New Year. This episode isn’t just about therapy—it’s about learning how to plan, reflect, and choose in ways that honor both the mind...
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Supporting Gifted Children: Navigating Their Inner Worlds in Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: June 12, 2019 "When it comes to giftedness, one of the most important things to focus on is how these children manage their internal worlds." – Lisa Dion Gifted children are undeniably bright, but their intellectual abilities come with unique emotional and regulatory challenges. In this episode, Lisa Dion explores the nuances of working with gifted children in play therapy, highlighting how self-imposed high standards, perfectionism, and intense inner expectations can lead to boredom, frustration, or anxiety. What You’ll Learn: How gifted children differ from highly...
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Sibling Rivalry: Harnessing Conflict for Growth in Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: May 29, 2019 "Every family has both peace and war, dysregulation and regulation, support and challenge." – Lisa Dion Parents often wish for a home without arguments, but sibling rivalry is an inevitable—and often valuable—part of childhood. In this episode, Lisa Dion explores how conflicts between siblings can be opportunities for learning, growth, and empowerment. What You’ll Learn: Why disagreement is a natural and important part of sibling relationships How conflicts can foster emotional regulation, problem-solving, and resilience Strategies to support children...
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Villains, Heroes, and the Complexity of Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: January 02, 2024 Get ready to embrace the playful—and profound—world of villains in therapy! In this episode, Lisa Dion is joined by the amazing Maria Laquerre Diego, LMFT, RPT-S, as they explore how villain characters can offer clients a unique lens to understand themselves, their struggles, and their identities. Together, they dive into why villains aren’t “bad” or diagnosable, how heroes rely on their counterparts, and how children often see reflections of themselves in both roles. What You’ll Learn: Why villains are complex characters with their own...
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Breaking Language Barriers: Using Interpreters in Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: November 28, 2023 In this groundbreaking episode, Lisa Dion is joined by Ludmila (Mila) Golovine, CEO and President of MasterWord Services, to explore a topic rarely addressed in play therapy: working with interpreters. Interpreters play a critical role in helping children heal, but their experience and the challenges they face are often overlooked. Lisa and Mila dive deep into how therapists can collaborate effectively with interpreters to create safe, attuned, and trauma-informed play therapy sessions. What You’ll Learn: The role of the interpreter and how to honor the...
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Double Duty: Supporting Twins in Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: April 17, 2019 "Twins are master co-regulators but also susceptible to losing themselves. The key is to help them find the 'I' in 'we.'" – Lisa Dion Twins may be nature’s “2-for-1 deal,” but being a twin—or working with twins—comes with unique challenges that singletons rarely face. In this episode, Lisa Dion (a fraternal twin herself) is joined by Susan Stutzman (mother of identical twins) to explore the joys and complexities of supporting twins in the playroom. What You’ll Discover: How twins regulate each other and what happens when they struggle to find...
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Two Roles, One Room: Balancing Parenthood and Play Therapy (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Original Air Date: June 28, 2019 "It isn’t about being a parent or not. It’s about showing up in the playroom and being real." – Lisa Dion Being both a parent and a play therapist comes with unique insights—but it doesn’t automatically provide all the answers in the playroom. In this episode, Lisa explores the benefits and challenges of navigating these dual roles, highlighting why every parent—and every child—is different. Tune in to discover: How parenthood can inform your work with children Why having children doesn’t equal having all the answers in therapy Ways to show up...
info_outlineWhat happens when therapists bring their own attachment histories into the playroom—consciously or not? In this deeply validating and insightful conversation, Lisa welcomes back Dr. Clair Mellenthin—renowned play therapist, author, and professor—to unpack her groundbreaking dissertation research and explore how a therapist’s personal story shapes their clinical work, especially within family-based play therapy.
Together, they explore:
- Why many play therapists are drawn to the work as “wounded healers”
- Research that debunks the myth of needing to be fully healed to help others
- How personal attachment wounds show up in the playroom—and why doing our own work matters
- The power of mentorship and community in creating earned security and ongoing healing
- How support systems help therapists feel seen, grounded, and more confident with families
- Common struggles therapists face when working with parents, especially with limited training
- Practical steps for building confidence through integration, connection, and focused learning
- Moving stories that show the healing ripple from therapist to family
Whether you’re a student, seasoned therapist, or supervisor, this episode offers normalization, challenge, and inspiration—helping you reflect on your therapeutic presence, embrace your vulnerabilities, and cultivate authentic connection in the healing space.