Play therapy has historically centered around the use of hands-on materials and the face-to face interaction between therapist and client with a looming resistance to include technology by ‘traditionalists.’ However, given the increasing numbers of digital natives among our clients, the willingness of many clinicians to explore digital methods, and the ubiquity of technology, its inclusion in the therapeutic landscape has become inevitable. Based on her own personal and professional evolution, Jessica Stone has developed a creative trove of digital interventions with this technological trend in mind that have expanded the tools available to clinicians while honoring the empirical and theoretical foundations of change.
Effective therapy with clients depends upon the clinician’s willingness to enter their world. And when that world is largely comprised of a digital landscape, the therapist’s curiosity and a willingness to step into unfamiliar territory can deepen therapeutic inroads. But for therapists unfamiliar or uncomfortable with digital tools, incorporating apps, video games, and virtual reality in therapy can be daunting, especially with young clients. In this webinar replay, Stone works with Travis Heath to not only demonstrate IR technology but showcase how to be open to clients’ digital experiences, and a willingness to not just invite those interests into the therapy space but use them to help identify and accomplish therapeutic goals. Engaging in these immersive, full-bodied experiences with clients can have profound and lasting therapeutic effects.
So, join Jessica Stone as she demonstrates and discusses her pioneering work in digital play therapy, the virtual sandtray, and the therapeutic powers of immersive technology. After watching this webinar replay, you will be able to:
- appreciate the variety of digital tools and techniques available to clinicians
- utilize and adapt these techniques to fit your own style and model of clinical intervention
- work comfortably within the value system of the client and their family around the use of technology
- experience the therapeutic potential of immersion and full-bodied engagement inherent in digital play therapy
- bridge the therapeutic gap between the client’s virtual and lived experiences
