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Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S
Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training. Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, how to make sure you get great outcomes for clients, therapeutic toys and tools and strategies to use in sessions, addressing trauma and attachment issues, engaging parents, promoting emotional regulation, and nurturing resilience for children and their families.Whether you're an experienced therapist looking to refine your skills or a novice clinician venturing into the world of play therapy, the Next Level Play Therapy podcast equips you with the
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- Yesterday49 min
Is Trauma Really Stored in the Body? New Science for Play Therapists
Send us Fan Mail Is trauma actually "stored" in our organs, or have we been looking at it all wrong? For years, play therapists have repeated the mantra that "trauma is stored in the body," but a groundbreaking 2026 peer-reviewed article is challenging this foundational belief. If you’ve ever felt like the "storage" explanation didn't quite click, this episode is for you. Join me, Cathi Spooner, for this week’s podcast as we explore the evolution of trauma research and what it means for y...
- 1 weeks ago49 min
Beyond Labeling: Why Emotional Granularity is the Key to Resilience in Play Therapy
Send us Fan Mail Helping children and teens identify and label their emotions is a core therapeutic goal in play therapy, but simply naming a feeling isn't enough. In fact, an overfocus on "feeling good" can sometimes hinder the healing process. To build true resilience, we need to help clients move from basic affect to high emotional granularity. In this free weekly podcast, we dive into the science of how emotions are constructed and how play therapists can move beyond simple labe...
- 2 weeks ago42 min
The Missing Piece: How to Include Parents in Play Therapy for Children with Trauma
Send us Fan Mail Using play therapy with traumatized children and teens is complex, and many play therapists find themselves asking: "Where do the parents fit in?" “What do I do if my client is in foster care? How do I include parents?” Too often, parents or caregivers are left out of the process or integrated without a clear plan. This can lead to missed healing opportunities or accidentally triggering trauma. In this free weekly podcast, we’re diving deep into the critical r...
- 3 weeks ago43 min
Play Therapy Case Conceptualization: Trauma, Attachment & Behavior
Send us Fan Mail If you’ve ever left a play therapy session thinking… “I see the behaviors—but what’s actually driving them?” You’re not alone. And more importantly—you’re not supposed to stay stuck there. In this podcast episode, we break down how to use case conceptualization in play therapy through a neuroscience and attachment lens so you can finally understand what’s at the root of a child’s behavior — not just what’s showing up on the surface. Using a case study of a 7-year-...
- 4 weeks ago40 min
Polyvagal Theory Is Being Challenged… What Play Therapists Need to Know
Send us Fan Mail Is Polyvagal Theory still valid? And what does the latest scientific debate mean for your play therapy practice? Polyvagal Theory (PVT), developed by Stephen Porges, has become one of the most widely used frameworks in trauma-informed therapy. But recent critiques from neuroscientists and researchers are challenging key assumptions about the vagus nerve, autonomic nervous system hierarchy, and the evidence behind PVT. If you’re a play therapist using Polyvagal Theory — or tea...
- Apr 30, 202639 min
Sand Tray Therapy: Should You Interpret a Child’s Play? (3 Things to Consider)
Send us Fan Mail You just know what your client’s sand tray means… but should you say it? In this episode, we dive into one of the biggest clinical dilemmas in play therapy: 👉 Do you share your interpretation of a child’s sand tray scene—or hold it? If you’ve ever felt that pull—the moment where everything clicks and you want to connect the dots for your client—this conversation is for you. Because here’s the truth: What you say (and when you say it)… can either deepen the healing...
- Apr 23, 202635 min
Virtual Play Therapy Explained: Tools, Tips & Platforms for Play Therapists
Send us Fan Mail Virtual play therapy isn’t the future anymore… it’s already here. But let’s be real for a second— Most platforms weren’t built for play therapists. They weren’t designed to engage children using play therapeutically. For expressive play. For the kind of symbolic, relational work you do every single day. So what happens when a platform is built with play therapists in mind? That’s exactly what we’re diving into in this special podcast episode with Brendan Herjavec,...
- Apr 16, 202633 min
Sand Tray Therapy: How to Identify Themes in a Play Therapy Session
Send us Fan Mail How do you identify themes in sand tray therapy sessions? One of the most important skills for play therapists is learning how to recognize themes in play therapy, especially when working with sand tray therapy. Themes reveal the deeper emotional experiences children are trying to process through symbolic play. In this week’s free weekly podcast episode, you’ll learn how to identify themes in sand tray therapy sessions and what to look for when a child creates a san...
About Next Level Play Therapy: A Podcast for Play Therapy Excellence
Join me on Next Level Play Therapy, a podcast for child and adolescent therapists seeking to elevate your play therapy services. Hosted by Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S, at Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training. Each episode delves into the nuances of play therapy, exploring innovative techniques, evidence-based practices, and practical strategies for providing exceptional therapeutic experiences. These engaging discussions cover a wide range of topics, including building rapport with children, how to make sure you get great outcomes for clients, therapeutic toys and tools and strategies to use in sessions, addressing trauma and attachment issues, engaging parents, promoting emotional regulation, and nurturing resilience for children and their families.Whether you're an experienced therapist looking to refine your skills or a novice clinician venturing into the world of play therapy, the Next Level Play Therapy podcast equips you with the
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