Helping Kids & Families Navigate Screen Time Balance | Stacy Jagger (Best Of)
Release Date: 09/02/2025
Little Lessons Series: Authenticity in the Playroom – Q&A with Lisa (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Lisa is back with another episode of the Little Lessons Series, where she answers your insightful questions about the complexities of working in the playroom. In this episode, Lisa dives deep into the theme of authenticity and how it plays a critical role in the therapist-client dynamic. Tune in as Lisa responds to 3 thought-provoking listener questions, exploring how to stay genuine and present when navigating imaginative play, emotional congruence, and handling personal questions from clients. In this episode, you'll hear: Carolyn’s question: “When doing imagination play and a client...
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Back to Our Roots: A Deep Dive into Experiential Play Therapy with Nilüfer Devecigil (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
In this special episode, Lisa reconnects with a long-time colleague, Nilüfer Devecigil, who joins her from Turkey. Nilüfer completed her master’s degree in psychology in the US and worked closely with Byron and Carol Norton, the pioneers of Experiential Play Therapy. She’s also the lead teacher for Experiential Play Therapy in Turkey. With extensive experience in attachment parenting and trauma healing, Nilüfer currently practices as a play therapist for young children and an attachment parenting therapist for pregnant women and new mothers. Listeners, you might not know that...
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Reconnecting to Our True Nature: A Transformative Conversation with Marie José Dhaese (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Lisa welcomes back the remarkable Marie José Dhaese, a trailblazer in the field of play therapy and the original creator of expressive play therapies. Building on their previous conversation about Holistic Expressive Play Therapy, Lisa and Marie José dive even deeper into the profound journey of healing, attachment, and reconnecting to one's true nature. With over 50 years of experience as a registered clinical counselor, art therapist, and play therapy supervisor, Marie José shares her deep wisdom and heartfelt reflections on what it takes to create a therapeutic environment where...
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Beyond Labels: Cultivating Cultural Humility as Therapists with Liliana Baylon (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
In this insightful episode, Lisa welcomes back the incredible Liliana Baylon, a bilingual English and Spanish multicultural therapist and cultural ambassador for the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. Building on their previous conversation about the experiences of immigrants and refugees, Lisa and Liliana delve into the evolving language and understanding around newcomers, which includes migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Liliana, who has over a decade of clinical experience primarily treating LatinX community members, shares her expertise on the complexities newcomers face beyond...
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Crisis Play Therapy: Insights from Isabella Cassina & Claudio Mochi (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
In this special episode, Lisa is joined by two extraordinary guests, Isabella Cassina and Claudio Mochi, pioneers using play therapy in international crisis intervention. As co-founders of the INA International Academy for Play Therapy Studies and Psychosocial Projects in Switzerland, Isabella and Claudio have dedicated their careers to supporting children and families in some of the most challenging environments around the world. Isabella, Director of Project Management, and Claudio, Director of the Academy, bring decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge to the table. They have worked...
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Supporting Child Survivors of Sex Trafficking with Alejandro Castro Croy (Best of)
Lessons from the Playroom
In this especially important episode, we shine a spotlight on the harrowing issue of child sex trafficking and explore how we can support the young survivors of this modern-day slave trade. Join Lisa for a deeply insightful conversation with Alejandro (Alex) Castro Croy, a bilingual, bicultural Trauma and Addiction Counselor, and the owner/Lead Clinician of Transcending Consulting Group in Denver, Colorado. Alex brings his extensive experience from training law enforcement professionals and collaborating with the FBI on Crimes Against Children to the discussion. Together, they delve into the...
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Demystifying Minecraft in the Therapeutic Space with Brian Keating (Best of)
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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The Mind-Body Blueprint: How Body Symptoms Are Connected to Our Mental Health (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
In this episode, Lisa sits down with Dave Hompes, renowned author, nutritionist, and functional medicine practitioner, to explore the fascinating connection between the mind and body. Together, they dive into how mental health and physical symptoms are intertwined—looking at everything from nutrition and genetics to environmental influences and the stories people tell about their bodies. Dave shares insights from cases involving epilepsy, Autism Spectrum, Tourette syndrome, and more, helping therapists recognize subtle clues that point to mind-body correlations. This conversation invites...
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Emotional Flooding: When the Therapist Is Outside the Window of Tolerance (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
Emotional flooding is inevitable; it’s part of relationship. It’s not about shame, but connection—providing a platform upon which real repair can flourish. – Lisa Dion In this episode, Lisa explores emotional flooding from the therapist’s perspective and why finding ourselves outside our window of tolerance is not a failure—but a natural part of relational work. Through a nervous-system-informed lens, Lisa reframes emotional flooding as meaningful information rather than something to avoid or fix. When approached with curiosity, attunement, and repair, these moments of rawness can...
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Conflict In and Out of the Playroom (Best Of)
Lessons from the Playroom
“The more we try to avoid conflict, the more it shows up in our life.” – Lisa Dion Why does conflict feel so uncomfortable—and why do we work so hard to avoid it? In this episode of Lessons from the Playroom, Lisa Dion explores why conflict is not a sign that something has gone wrong, but a necessary part of growth and relational depth. Through a nervous-system-informed lens, she unpacks what happens internally when conflict arises and how our responses are shaped by regulation, protection, and connection. This conversation invites therapists to develop a different relationship with...
info_outlineOriginal Air Date: June 22, 2023
We are so excited about this hot topic and our incredible guest—Stacy Jagger!
Stacy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), and AAMFT Approved Supervisor. She is the founder and clinical director of Music City Family Therapy and the author of 30 Day Blackout and A Letter from Emma. You may have seen her as a regular guest on “Today in Nashville” or sharing her expertise on child development on local morning and evening news.
In this episode, Stacy and Lisa dive into how screens—phones, tablets, TVs, and computers—impact children and families. For many families, screens have become a distraction from connection or a way to avoid deeper issues. More importantly, excessive screen use is a major cause of dysregulation in kids' nervous systems.
💡 What you’ll learn in this episode:
📱 The impact of screen time on children—How excessive digital engagement can influence nervous system regulation and emotional well-being.
🔍 Assessing screen time use—How to evaluate a child and family's screen habits and connect it to their treatment goals.
🔄 Shifting focus to connection—Ways to help families disconnect from screens and rebuild relationships with themselves and each other.
⏳ The 30-Day Digital Detox—What it looks like to recalibrate a child and family’s nervous system through a screen-time blackout (or greyout).
🌱 Rebuilding a new normal—How to artfully reintegrate screens after a blackout period without returning to old habits. This powerful conversation will give you insights, tools, and practical strategies to help families find balance in their screen use and prioritize connection over digital distraction.
📌 Curious to see if your family (or your clients) might benefit from a 30-Day Blackout? Take Stacy Jagger’s Screen Time Quiz: Click here to take the quiz. 🌟
Listen now and discover how to help families reset, reconnect, and create a healthier digital balance.
Additional Resources:
📚 Explore Our Books and Read Aggression in Play Therapy
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