This spring, the Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School Counseling & Social Work Department will host a useful and timely workshop on play therapy for those studying or serving in the field.
The in-person workshop, titled “Let’s Play! Using Play Therapy in Clinical Practice,” is set for 9 a.m. to noon April 1 in the Teague Learning Commons, Room 401, on LBC | Capital’s main campus at 901 Eden Road, Lancaster, Pa. The event is free for attendees and is open to students from both LBC and other colleges, community members, educators, counselors and social workers. Attendees can also earn three Continuing Education Units for a nonrefundable fee of $25. Those attending for free must still register at this link; the registration deadline is March 23.
Play is the language of children and is a developmental necessity for all children. Therefore, it is vital for therapists who work with children in their mental health offices to utilize this primary language to help children heal. The workshop will provide knowledge about the history of play therapy, the developmental importance of this modality, the variety of methods used and time to experiment with play therapy skills first hand.
Laurie Schein, LCSW, RPT
The play therapy workshop presenter is Laurie Schein, LCSW, RPT, who has been in the mental health field for over a decade with a prior 10-year experience working in the child welfare system. She is the owner and director of New Journey Family Center in Manheim, Pa., and has a passion for working with children, teens and adults who have experienced trauma and attachment wounds. She utilizes various experiential exercises to help clients communicate and find healing from their past experiences. These exercises include sand tray, art and movement-based activities. She is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Theraplay, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and completed an introduction course to Synergetic Play Therapy.
Learning outcomes of the workshop will include the following:
- Recognize at least two reasons that play therapy is a developmentally appropriate method when working with children.
- Identify three distinct types of play therapy.
- Describe five different play therapy exercises.
Dr. Day Butcher
One of the organizers of the workshop is Dr. Day Butcher, Assistant Professor in the Counseling & Social Work Department, who has a background in art therapy and completed an international exploratory art therapy internship in Tanzania, Africa, during her master’s work. She has also served at a branch of the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which serves 700 public school districts in New York, where she grew the art therapy program and worked with students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Butcher is a Board-Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC), Licensed Creative Arts Therapist (LCAT) and a Licensed Professional Counselor in PA (LPC).
“As counselors, we need to understand alternative modalities to connect with our clients, especially children in a non-threatening way,” Butcher said. “Increasing our understanding of this process helps increase our awareness and gives us tools to help individuals explore and express emotions.”
For questions regarding the workshop, contact Dr. Butcher at dbutcher@lbc.edu.