Play Therapy and the Anxious Child

Service Description

Childhood anxiety is one of the most common concerns in clinical practice. This 6-hour play therapy training explores how play therapy addresses anxiety from developmental, relational, and neurobiological perspectives. Participants will examine anxiety mechanisms through a play therapy lens, including the stress response system, attachment patterns, and avoidance cycles that maintain symptoms. The training differentiates developmentally typical fears from diagnosable anxiety disorders to strengthen play therapy assessment and case conceptualization. Integrating Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, and Adlerian Play Therapy, participants will learn practical play therapy interventions to increase regulation, reduce avoidance, and build resilience. Case examples and experiential play therapy exercises support application to clinical, school, and private practice settings. This play therapy training is designed for clinicians seeking foundational to intermediate competence in play therapy with anxious children experiencing dysregulation, avoidance, school refusal, separation concerns, or trauma-related anxiety. Objectives 1. Describe neurobiological mechanisms underlying childhood anxiety and explain their implications for play therapy practice, including the amygdala, stress response system, and autonomic nervous system. 2. Identify at least five common anxiety presentations in children and conceptualize them through a play therapy framework. 3. Differentiate developmentally typical fears from clinically significant anxiety disorders using DSM-5-TR criteria to inform play therapy assessment. 4. Apply play therapy interventions grounded in Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, and Adlerian Play Therapy to address anxious symptom presentation. 5. Demonstrate exposure-based and regulation-focused play therapy techniques appropriate for anxious children 6. Formulate a theory-informed play therapy treatment plan for a child presenting with anxiety symptoms using integrative play therapy interventions.