Parts IV - VI Learning Objectives & Agendas

Part IV

Learning Objectives

Group Therapy
Participants will:

  1. Describe and be able to identify the advantages to children who participate in play therapy with groups.

  2. Be able to set appropriate goals for play therapy with groups.

  3. Describe and identify play therapy activities that work well in group therapy.

  4. Explain the dynamics of the group process using play therapy with groups.

  5. Explain the recommended size of play therapy groups per age level.

Adolescent Developmental Factors
Participants will:

  1. Describe why the common assumptions regarding adolescents are myths and how play therapy can address their developmental needs in an engaging way.

  2. Identify the reasons why adolescents are more likely to engage in at-risk behaviors, and how to engage them using play therapy. 

  3. Analyze the likely demographic of adolescent’s most likely to be bullied and play therapy approaches to manage this problem.

  4. Identify signs of adolescents who are being bullied, using play therapy techniques.

  5. Describe some executive functioning issues and challenges in adolescence, and how play therapy techniques can address them.

Happiness
Participants will:

  1. Explain the two reasons why children come for gestalt play therapy according to the principles of the Oaklander Model and why focusing upon Happiness is a worthwhile goal.

  2. Demonstrate how to promote Happiness and well-being using play therapy techniques.

  3. Explore how adults might block children’s expressions of happiness.

  4. Demonstrate how to assist children to identify, name and express their feelings of happiness, using play therapy techniques.

  5. Describe how to use play therapy to enable children to both contain and appropriately express their happy feelings.

Adolescence
Participants will:

  1. Identify and analyze the polarities typical of adolescence and how to use play therapy techniques to address these.

  2. Explain the main dilemmas for parents of adolescents and how to include them in the therapeutic process using play.

  3. Describe how to help parents redefine their roles with adolescents to correspond to their developmental needs using gestalt play therapy using the Oaklander Model.

  4. Identify the primary tasks of adolescence and how to facilitate healthy ways to accomplish them using play therapy techniques.

  5. Utilize several play therapy techniques that are applicable and appropriate for adolescents using the Oaklander Model.

Agendas

Day 1 Agenda:
8:00am - 8:30am – Welcome & check in
8:30am - 8:50am – Questions about recordings
8:50am - 9:20am – Drawing experience
9:20am - 9:45am – Break
9:45am - 10:25am – Break out rooms
10:25am - 11:00am – 6th Sense
11:00am - 11:20am – Break
11:20am - 12:00pm – Working with Parents
12:00pm - 12:30pm – Experience
12:30pm - 1:00pm – Q & A

Day 2 Agenda:
8:00am - 8:30am – Check in
8:30am - 9:50am – Group process experience
9:50am - 10:10am – Break
10:10am - 10:30am – Happiness presentation
10:30am - 11:00am – Drawing
11:00am - 11:20am – Break
11:20am - 12:40pm – Sandtray experience
12:40pm - 1:00pm – Questions and closure

Part V

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn how the Oaklander Model applies to:

  1. Learning and Emotions - demonstrate how addressing both using play therapy with the Oaklander model improves children's academic and emotional functioning

  2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - list and identify how to use play therapy using the Oaklander model to enhance the 4 contact functions, including the intellect to strengthens children and adolescent's sense of self a key goal in the Oaklander Model

  3. Executive Functioning (EF) - participants will identify and explain key executive functioning concepts and how they affect children's cognitive and emotional functioning. Play therapy techniques will be taught to address executive functioning skills.

  4. ADHD - participants will demonstrate how to engage children and adolescents with ADHD using the Oaklander Model and play therapy techniques. A general introduction of ADHD subtypes will be provided, and techniques to address them will be discussed and experienced by the group.

Agendas

Day 1 Agenda:
8:00am - 9:00am — Check in activity
9:00am - 9:30am — Learning and emotions
9:30am - 9:50am — Break
9:50am - 10:05am — Theory Divergent thinking
10:05am - 11:00am — Resilience experience using the dollhouse
11:00am - 11:20am — Break
11:20am - 12:20pm — Clay - demo
12:20pm - 1:00pm — Experience and closure

Day 2 Agenda:
8:00am - 8:45am — Check in Review executive functioning theory and quiz results
8:45am - 9:30am — Executive Functioning interventions
9:30am - 9:50am — Break
9:50am - 11:30am — EF experiences
11:30am - 11:50am — Break
11:45am - 12:30pm — Polarities
12:30pm - 1:00pm — Closure

Part VI

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn how the Oaklander Model applies to:

  1. Diagnose Depression and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents.

  2. Apply the principles of Play Therapy using the Oaklander Model to Treat Depression and Anxiety.

  3. Analyze and discuss the issues pertaining to Suicide in Children and Teens.

  4. Apply the principles of play therapy using the Oaklander Model to treat suicidal children and teens.

Agendas

Day 1 Agenda:
8:00am - 8:30am — Intro activity and questions
8:30am - 9:30am — Drawing Activity
9:30am - 9:50am — Break
9:50am - 10:45am — Working with emotions using clay
10:45am - 11:30am — Work with puppets
11:30am - 11:50am — Break
11:50am - 12:40pm — Cultural considerations experience
12:40pm - 1:00pm — Closing

Day 2 Agenda:
8:00am - 8:45am — Check-in and questions
8:45am - 9:30am — Case Study
9:30am - 9:50am — Break
9:50am - 11:00am — Working with Introjects sandtray
11:00am - 11:20am — Break
11:20am - 12:00pm —Theory
12:00pm - 1:00pm — Closure