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It’s Magic! Integrating Neuroscience into Play Therapy for Healing (IN-PERSON)

CE Hours 3 3 Play Therapy Special Topics

About this live event

Integrating mindfulness, co-regulation strategies, attunement, and interoception in play therapy can help facilitate the child’s growth and healing. In order for play therapists to be able to provide this within the context of play therapy, they must first be attuned to self. It is also helpful to have a solid understanding of their own window of tolerance, what causes them to become emotionally flooded, and specific strategies to move themselves into regulation. Once a play therapist fully comprehends these concepts, then they have the foundation to support play therapy clients with the same. The integration of play therapy and neuroscience facilitates meaningful healing and growth in children facing complex emotional challenges. Play therapists can become the child’s “external regulator”, supporting the re-patterning of the activation of the autonomic nervous system, thereby helping the child move toward integration. This workshop will support play therapists in understanding the following concepts: nervous system regulation and dysregulation, the set up/offering in play therapy, attunement, congruence, and interoception (the 8th sense). Case examples will be offered to further explain how utilizing these neurobiological processes to address emotional dysregulation and trauma will facilitate healing in play therapy. Live demonstrations and experiential activities will also be provided to foster understanding. A Time for Play ACCESS workshops are provided in Hybrid format. Attendees may come in-person to United Way Houston venue or participate virtually via Zoom.

Learning Objectives

  • 1) Demonstrate at least three techniques for supporting nervous system regulation within play therapy sessions.
  • 2) Identify and describe at least two ways that the "set up" or "offering" is utilized to express a child's internal experiences during play therapy.
  • 3) Describe how attunement and interoception in play therapy can lead to healing.

Learning Levels

  • Intermediate

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.

Agenda

9:00 am - 9:30 am: Networking Breakfast (no CE credit awarded)
9:30 am - 11:00 am: Neuroscience in Play Therapy
11:00 am - 11:30 am: Break
11:30 am - 1:00 pm: Play Therapy Interventions for Healing

Live event Instructor(s)

  • Jennifer Cain, LPC-S, RPT-S, SPT, RST

    Jennifer J. Cain holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Texas A&M University and a Masters degree in Counseling from Sam Houston State University. During her education, she focused on counseling with children including play therapy (non-directive, CCPT, Adlerian, and Sandtray Therapy).

    Jennifer has extensive training and experience working with children ages 3-12 with a variety of presenting concerns, as well as with women who are grieving the loss of their child. Jennifer opened her private practice, Willow Counseling Services in July of 2006. Currently, Jennifer specializes in working with children ages 4-9 and their families, primarily with presenting concerns of anxiety, grief or trauma.

    Jennifer is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Texas and also a Supervisor for provisionally licensed professionals. She is a Registered Play Therapist and can supervise professionals who are pursuing this certification as well. She provides workshops in the community for parents, preschools, mental health professionals and supervisors. Jennifer is also a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist and a Registered Sand Therapist.

    She is an active member of the Texas Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (TACES), the Texas Association for Play Therapy, Association for Play Therapy, and the Texas Counseling Association. She previously served on the Texas Counseling Association Ethics Committee 2023-2025. She was the 2021-2022 President of the Sam Houston Chapter of the Texas Association for Play Therapy. She currently serves on the Credentialing and Continuing Education/Conference Committees for the World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals. Jennifer is passionate about play therapy, supervision, sand therapy and ethical considerations in counseling.

Disclosure

This Continuing Education event is acceptable for the purposes of license renewal for Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists in the state of Texas by fully complying with Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council guidelines and Texas Administrative Code RULE §781.501, RULE §681.142, & RULE §801.261 Professionals licensed outside of the State of Texas should check with their licensing board if CE credit hours will be accepted. The mission of A Time for Play is to promote access to effective mental health services within the community, primarily by educating mental health professionals on the theories, benefits, techniques, and skills of Play Therapy and ethical clinical practice. A Time for Play delivers mental health training services to local, state, national, and international audiences. The nonprofit expands access by providing continuing education workshops in-person, virtually, by request, and on-demand. A Time for Play is actively diversifying the profession of Play Therapy and expanding access to Play Therapy services through scholarship opportunities.

CE Process Info

Each professional is responsible for the individual requirements as stipulated by his/her licensing agency. Please contact your individual licensing board/regulatory agency to review continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. Please note: You must attend "live" (in real-time) for the duration of the training to earn CE credits.

After the event, you will receive access to your evaluation and continuing education certificate via a personalized "attendee dashboard" link, hosted on the CE-Go website. This link will be sent to the email account you used to register for the event.

Upon accessing the CE-Go "attendee dashboard", you will be able to:

  • Complete evaluation forms for the event
  • Download your continuing education certificate in a PDF format

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the CE-Go platform, please contact CE-Go at 888-498-5578 or by email at support@ce-go.com Please Note: Emails for this event will come from "support@ceactivities.com".

If you have any continuing education related questions, please contact your event organizer.

Please make sure to check your spam/junk folder in case those emails get "stuck". We'd also suggest "Allowlisting" support@ceactivities.com. This tells your email client that you know this sender and trust them, which will keep emails from this contact at the top of your inbox and out of the junk folder.

  • Association for Play Therapy Approved Provider (APT)

    A Time for Play is an APT Approved Provider of Play Therapy Continuing Education. This event is structured to be in compliance with all Approved Provider Criteria and Standards of the Association for Play Therapy. * APT# 19-582 * Expiration: 6/30/2027 *

  • Association for Play Therapy Approved Provider (APT)

    A Time for Play is an APT Approved Provider of Play Therapy Continuing Education. This event is structured to be in compliance with all Approved Provider Criteria and Standards of the Association for Play Therapy. * APT# 19-582 * Expiration: 6/30/2027 *

  • National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

    A Time for Play has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP# 7296. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. A Time for Play is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

  • National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC)

    A Time for Play has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP# 7296. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. A Time for Play is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

  • Presented by (Workshop presented by)

    Dr. Sinem Akay-Sullivan, LPC-S, RPT-S

  • Presented by (Workshop presented by)

    Dr. Akay Sinem-Sullivan, LPC-S, RPT-S

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ACE)

    A Time for Play, #2424, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [09/09/25 - 09/09/2026]. Social workers completing this course receive 5.5 clinical continuing education credits.

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ACE)

    A Time for Play, #2424, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: [09/09/25 - 09/09/2026]. Social workers completing this course receive 5.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Sanctuary Space Policy

The stewards of this space intend for it to be a safe and respectful place for all persons regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, gender identity or expression, immigration status, sexual orientation or ability (or disability). This space respects the individual thoughts and beliefs of others by affirming their right to hold and maintain such beliefs. The stewards of this space will not use information gathered or received to intentionally harm persons and will make every effort to avoid and interrupt harm to others. Identifying information gathered or received will not be disclosed to law enforcement, immigration officials, or other external organizations/agencies except in the case of an imminent risk of harm to a minor or other vulnerable person. Participants in this space are asked to comply with and uphold this policy to the fullest extent of their capacity.




A Time for Play - Post-Test & Evaluation Policy

Participants will be given a post-test and an anonymous evaluation to complete at the end of each training.  Participants complete the post-test with a minimum score of 80% to receive Continuing Education credit.  Participants will be allowed up to 3 attempts to earn a passing score to receive their CE Certificate.  Participants must also complete an evaluation of the training.

A Time for Play Cancellation & Refund Policy

Refund requests must be receive at least 24 hours in advance of the beginning of the session.  Refunds do not include the fees associated with registration.  Registration refunds will NOT be made to parties who register but do not attend or do not request a refund from the organizer at least 24 hours in advance.


A Time for Play reserves the right to cancel any of these training in the event of unforeseen circumstances. If such a cancellation occurs, A Time for Play will attempt to notify registrants and refund all registration fees.

A Time for Play Continuing Education Credits Policy

This Continuing Education event is acceptable for the purposes of license renewal for Social Workers, Licensed Professional Counselors, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists in the state of Texas by fully complying with Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council guidelines and Texas Administrative Code RULE §781.501, RULE §681.142, & RULE §801.261

In Texas, A Time for Play Continuing Education hours are recognized towards the 50% rule under the criterion (5) religious or charitable organizations devoted to improving the mental or behavioral health of individuals;

It is the responsibility of mental health professionals to check with their state board to determine if credit issued through an NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider or an Association for Play Therapy approved provider is accepted for credit by their state licensing board.
 
The Association for Play Therapy sets the credentialing standards for Play Therapists and approves applications for the Registered Play Therapist Credential.  Please review their credentialing standards for full list of the requirements to obtain a Play Therapy credential by visiting the Association for Play Therapy website here: www.a4pt.org

A Time for Play Disability Accommodation Policy

Participants requiring accommodations must submit a medical professional’s note specifying the required accommodations to Steven@ATimeforPlay.org at least 7 days prior to any training for which they have registered.

A Time for Play Grievance Policy

Participants or potential participants that have a concern or complaint about marketing materials, course content, speakers, facilities, or other miscellaneous issues may contact Steven Parks via email at Steven@ATimeforPlay.org

If a participant wishes to file a specific grievance pertaining to continuing education activities or processes they may do so by emailing Board@ATimeforPlay.org.  Grievances will be sent directly to the Board Chair of A Time for Play and reviewed by board of directors and applicable CE consultants.  The board of directors will investigate the grievance and address it in a timely fashion.  A Time for Play will keep a record of all formal grievances including the actions taken to address the grievance and any resolution.

A Time for Play - Conflicts of Interest Policy

A Time for Play is committed to the identification and resolution of potential conflicts of interest in the planning, promotion, delivery, and evaluation of continuing education programs. Consistent with concepts outlined in the APT’s Approved Provider Standards and other CE Credentialing bodies, potential conflicts of interest occur when an individual assumes a professional role in the planning, promotion, delivery, or evaluation of continuing education where personal, professional, legal, financial, or other interests could reasonably be expected to impair their objectivity, competence, or effectiveness.


A Time for Play requires that professionals participating in the planning of continuing education identify any potential conflict of interest they may have in the review, selection, development, delivery, or evaluation of that program and disclose the conflict or recuse themselves from any decision-making concerning that program. In the event of a potential conflict of interest, that particular individual will recuse themselves from the planning process.


A Time for Play is responsible for identifying, declaring, and resolving any potential conflict of interest they or an instructor may have when offering any specific program of continuing education on behalf of A TIme for Play. In the event of a potential conflict of interest, the Executive Director inform the Curriculum Committee and determine with the committee how best to resolve the conflict of interest.

A Time for Play Copyright

All A Time for Play training materials, handouts, and activities are copyright protected © Steven L. Parks, LCSW-S, MBA, RPT-S.
Participants may use materials received in their practice.  Participants may not use materials for training others without written consent or authorization.

A Time for Play Charitable Giving Policy

A Time for Play is an independent 501c3 nonprofit organization.  The mission of A Time for Play is to promote access to effective mental health services within the community, primarily by educating mental health professionals on the theories, benefits, techniques, and skills of Play Therapy and ethical clinical practice. A Time for Play delivers mental health training services to local, state, national, and international audiences. The nonprofit expands access by providing continuing education workshops in-person, virtually, by request, and on-demand. A Time for Play is actively diversifying the profession of Play Therapy and expanding access to Play Therapy services through scholarship opportunities.


5% of all profit from every A Time for Play training will be transferred to a scholarship savings account.  This account will be used to fund scholarship programs to expand access to Play Therapy training for clinicians and access to Play Therapy for clients.

It’s Magic! Integrating Neuroscience into Play Therapy for Healing (IN-PERSON)
You Have Completed This course
$10.00 - $50.00
You are enrolled
  • CE Hours
    3
  • Type
    In-Person Event
  • Location
    United Way Houston (50 Waugh Dr, Houston, TX 77007)
  • Date
    Sat Jun 6th, 2026
  • Time
    09:00am - 01:00pm CDT

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