Virtual Sandtray®© Storytelling Technique
By Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S Storytelling has a rich, vast history. Passed down from generation to generation, stories have informed, taught, warned, expressed, and so much more. Utilizing storytelling in therapy has been highlighted in everything from narrative therapies to play therapy to bibliotherapy. When integrating storytelling into therapy it is important to have…
Read MoreAnimal Crossing: The Modern Hundred Acre Wood – Guest Blog
by Rachel Altvater, Psy.D., RPT-S Escape for a moment to your island oasis, your own magical, connecting space for solace and replenishment. Animal Crossing is a Nintendo game available on the Switch console. While the game has been around since 2001, the latest edition, New Horizons, surfaced at the start of social distancing and quarantine…
Read MorePodcast: Lessons From the Playroom: Wrapping Our Minds Around Digital Play Therapy with Lisa Dion, LPC and Jessica Stone, Ph.D.
Virtual Sandtray®© Underworld
by Jessica Stone, Ph.D., RPT-S One of the powerful benefits of using the Virtual Sandtray App (VSA) is the ability for multi-level, multi-dimensional depiction of one’s world. As we know, sand therapy was created by Dr. Margaret Lowenfeld to provide “a way to allow children to share their inner worlds” (Homeyer, 2020). The World…
Read MoreSelf-Care: The Power of Saying ‘Yes’ to Yourself – Guest blog
By: Fiona Hill, MTS, MA, LPC Sometimes caring for yourself seems like a daunting all day-everyday task that’s unmanageable. We are a sum of all our parts and when it seems all parts are needing care at the same time, it can become overwhelming. As mental health professionals, we know caring for ourselves is important,…
Read MoreTOMMI: A virtual reality gaming experience for medical stress management in children – Guest Blog
By: Valentino Megale, Ph.D. Undergoing medical procedures and hospitalization is often a meaningful source of stressful experiences for paediatric patients such as anxiety, pain, social isolation, and uncertainty. The hospital setting ends up disrupting children’s life, removing from their daily routine the means they use to cope with risk, fear and unpleasant events. These aspects…
Read MoreYou’ve got dragons…we all have dragons! – Guest Blog
By Tara Moser, LCSW, RPT-S, CAAPT-I You’ve got dragons…we all have dragons! Many of those dragons have shown up this year for so many of us. I love bibliotherapy. One of my must have books is Kathryn Cave’s “You’ve Got Dragons”. Children, teens, and adults all love and connect with this book in their own…
Read MoreThe Merging of the Mind and Body: EMDR and the VSA – Guest Blog
Fiona Hill, MTS, MA, LPC Sandtray…..sand……tray…what comes up for you when you see these words? Hear these words? Think these words? Before March 2020 I would literally have feelings of excitement. What about after March 2020? Honestly, sadness. I am a lover of sandtray and all the healing properties it affords. When we all started…
Read MoreJackie Flynn Podcast #78: The Profound Healing Power of Virtual Sand Tray Therapy with Jessica Stone Ph.D
Please check out this podcast! What a great time to speak with Jackie Flynn about telehealth, Digital Play Therapy, and the Virtual Sandtray App®©. Check it out here, along with so many other great speakers: https://playtherapycommunity.com/2020/09/29/78-the-profound-healing-power-of-virtual-sand-tray-therapy-with-jessica-stone-ph-d/?fbclid=IwAR13VjYjqYyUefhpqvAkML–DgdpjCLms0UdW5SyinCXpwYQg1r5_frHYfQ
Read MoreUnlocking Growth in Autism Spectrum Clients through Technology and Play – Guest Blog, Part III
Pulling Themes and Metaphors from Play Using Technology to Instill Self-Worth, Create Coping Skills, and Create Perspective-Taking, Part 3/3 Kevin Hull, Ph.D., RPT Gregory and his play therapist have been playing Minecraft over several sessions. Gregory is diagnosed with ASD and struggles with feeling good about himself and often feels that he “isn’t good enough.”…
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