Getting Grounded 

Partnering with Parents in Play Therapy

Develop the confidence and skills you need to engage parents in the play therapy change process with you as therapeutic partners to facilitate healing for their child like an expert

Yes! I Want to Partner with Parents

Have you ever felt like you’re starting over in each play therapy session? Sometimes, progress made in therapy seems to fade when the child returns home. 

The key issue? Parental involvement

And it’s not your fault. Most training programs focus primarily on child therapy, leaving you wondering how to involve parents in a way that’s truly effective and supportive for their child.

But here’s the truth:

Parents are the real therapeutic agents of change for their children.

IF YOU WORK WITH FAMILIES THEN-

You've probably been in these situations:

  • Parents seem disengaged, and you’re left feeling like you’re the only one invested in the process.
  • Crisis calls between sessions leave you overwhelmed and unsure of how to help parents engage productively. 
  • You struggle to set and communicate clear expectations, and parent sessions often feel like “drive-through updates”, making it hard to build a successful parent-therapist partnership.
  • Imposter syndrome creeps in, making you second-guess your approach with parents and question your ability to guide them.
  • You’re not sure how to address complex family dynamics, how to protect a child’s privacy, or when to include parents in play therapy sessions.

Without a clear plan, these struggles can make working with parents feel like a frustrating challenge, keeping you from achieving the best outcomes for your young clients.

Yes! I Want to Partner with Parents

Picture the “Parent Partnership” You’ve Always Wanted

  • You’re able to communicate clear expectations right from the start, setting the foundation for a productive partnership.
  • Parents trust and understand the value of play therapy and are invested in their child’s progress.
  • You feel confident and prepared during parent sessions, knowing exactly what to cover and how to maintain the child’s privacy in play therapy.
  • Parents view themselves as active participants in their child’s healing, reinforcing changes at home. 
  • “Drive-through” updates at the end of sessions (that are never just five minutes) are transformed into meaningful, intentional meetings with parents that support the play therapy process.
  • Crisis calls decrease as parents gain confidence in their role and feel supported.
  • Imposter syndrome fades as you see real results as parents become the primary agents of change for their child in the play therapy change process. 



This transformation is entirely possible, and it starts with a strategic, theory-based approach to engaging parents. 

Introducing

Getting Grounded 

Partnering with Parents in Play Therapy

This self-paced online course combines neuroscience and attachment theory to give you a solid framework for working with parents. You’ll discover how to engage parents as key players in the play therapy change process and learn strategies to build therapeutic rapport. Through structured strategies and clear communication, you’ll support parents in becoming the primary therapeutic agents of change, helping children thrive both in and outside of play therapy.

Treatment Planning course mockup
Treatment Planning course mockup




Getting Grounded Partnering with Parents in Play Therapy teaches you how to confidently and strategically engage parents in play therapy.

01

Neuroscience-Based Case Conceptualization

Conceptualize the role of parents in play therapy through a neuroscience and attachment lens, helping you connect family dynamics to the child’s needs.

02

Client Dynamics

Create strong therapeutic rapport with parents, establishing a safe and supportive environment that allows parents to trust and engage fully in the therapeutic change process.

03

EngagE Challenging Parents

Recognize patterns in parent-child relationships that offer valuable insights into how to involve parents effectively in the play therapy process.

04

Navigate Child Challenges

Handle challenging situations, such as maintaining a child’s privacy, assisting children in separating from their parents, and managing tantrums.

05

Parent Inclusion Balance

Decide when and how to include parents in play therapy sessions, balancing the need for parental involvement with the child’s therapeutic boundaries.

06

Culturally Sensitive Interventions

Apply a culturally sensitive approach, allowing you to work effectively with families from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, making your interventions ethical and relevant.

Involving parents in the play therapy process has demonstrated significant treatment success for children and sustained positive changes for the child. And yet, integrating parents effectively in the play therapy process is often a struggle for many play therapists as they strive to find the best strategies for helping their young clients. This online course will help play therapists establish a culturally sensitive framework for successfully including parents in the change process as therapeutic partners for change with their children. Play therapists will learn how to use a neuroscience and attachment framework to establish therapeutic rapport with parents, communicate with parents about their child’s progress, structure parental involvement, and create a framework for confidently integrating even challenging parents in the play therapy process.

  • Play therapists will explain at least three ways neuroscience and attachment theory explain the role of parents in play therapy
  • Play therapists will apply at least two strategies to engage parents in the play therapy change process 
  • Play therapists will describe at least three maladaptive parent-child dynamics
  • Play therapists will explain at least two cultural intelligence strategies when working with parents whose culture is different from their own
  • Play therapists will explain at least two strategies to implement when working with high-conflict divorced parents
  • Play therapists will identify two strategies for effective communication with parents about the play therapy process and progress while maintaining the child’s confidentiality 
  • Play therapists will explain the concept of cultural formulation and its role in case conceptualization
  • Module 1: Course Overview 
  • Module 2: A Theoretical Foundation for Working with Parents
  • Module 3: Conceptualizing the Role of Parents
  • Module 4: Practical Tips: How to Integrate Parents
  • Module 5: Tips for Engaging Reluctant Parents
  • BONUS MODULE: Tips for Working with Children in High Conflict Divorced Families and Legal Forms Explained

I know you’ve tried various approaches to engage parents.

From check-ins at the end of sessions and email/text updates to having parents join play therapy sessions. But these methods can feel disjointed or out of sync with a play therapy model, leading to inconsistent results. Without a structured, theory-based approach specifically for play therapy, it’s easy to feel stuck or overwhelmed.

And attempting to learn these skills on your own can leave you guessing and second-guessing, which often results in inconsistent outcomes, unnecessary stress, and a lack of clarity about how to approach diverse family dynamics.

Yes! I Want to Partner with Parents

Don’t get stuck in the “one-step-forward, two-steps-back” cycle.

This self-paced, online course is designed specifically for play therapists who want a practical, research-backed framework for engaging parents ethically and effectively.

Built on over 30 years of experience working with diverse families, it provides a structured, culturally sensitive approach with step-by-step guidance tailored to play therapy. You’ll gain tools and strategies that allow you to set clear expectations, communicate effectively, and build a strong therapeutic alliance with parents, empowering them to become active agents of change in their child’s life.

Hi there!

 I’m Cathi Spooner, LCSW, RPT-S

I’ve been in the child and adolescents mental health field for 30 years and play therapy is the absolute best way I've found to help children heal.

Consider me your wise guide (like Yoda!) to show you how to use a neuroscience and attachment lens to engage parents as your therapeutic partner in play therapy.

I’ve worked with parents in outpatient clinics, homeless shelter programs, intensive home-based programs, children in the foster care system and their guardians, court-involved parents, and parents with children in residential treatment programs. These families are often complex. 

I’ve witnessed the importance of strong parental participation when working with children in play therapy. It makes sense when you think about it - children exist within the context of their families.

That means families have a tremendous influence on each other and finding ways to support parents can bring about lasting change through several generations. Cool, right? 

"Cathi's experience and confidence in the model she developed plus her grounding energy helped in learning a whole new model. She brought it to life!"

COOPER S.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST

see what you collegaues have said about Cathi's trainings
"My biggest take away was to set clear expectations with parents and be more intentional about parent sessions."

Karolanne

"My biggest take away was to meet the parents where they are. This will help me when managing parents/caregivers of the children I work with by being able to see their acuity levels and work from that point. I hope this will make working with parents and encouraging them to assist, become an emotional coach for their children easier and less difficult/time consuming for me."

Nicola


"My biggest takeaway was highlighting the importance of parent sessions. I hope to be more intentional with this moving forward and helping parents understand the importance of meeting with me individually."

Christy D.


"My biggest takeaway was the reassurance of how important parental involvement is in our work with children. Being able to validate and show compassion to the parents we work with, while at the same time empowering them with new tools."

Nashmia

"I’m a LOT clearer on case conceptualization and clinical decision making."

-Julie Bleak
LMFT-S, RPT-S

"I learned the importance of being clear about expectations of therapy and my role as a therapist."

-Nashmia K.
LMFT

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

When you enroll, you'll also get these awesome Bonuses!

BONUS #1: Navigating High-Conflict Divorce in Play Therapy

Strategies for Working with Children from High-Conflict Family Systems

In this bonus module, you’ll gain practical strategies for working with children in high-conflict divorce situations. These cases come with unique challenges, and it’s essential to set clear expectations with parents and navigate complex family dynamics.

  • How to set clear expectations with divorced parents from the start. 
  • Effective strategies for managing challenging family dynamics and reducing parental conflict. 
  • Tips for keeping the child’s best interests at the forefront of the therapeutic process. 
  • Approaches for handling frequent parental requests and communications without disrupting therapy. 

BONUS #2: Essential Templates for High-Conflict Family Cases

Legal Policy Documents

I’m including templates to use to create documents to develop a policy when working with children of divorced parents to avoid sticky issues (and make you anxious), letters to send attorneys when you receive a subpoena for records, and policies for dealing with subpoenas. I developed these templates after years of challenging situations with high conflict family systems. I don’t often share these templates and I get asked for them ALL the time. So, I’m including them to provide more support to you when working with challenging families.

BONUS #2: Essential Templates for High-Conflict Family Cases

Templates and Policies for Streamlined Documentation and Legal Protection

This bonus module includes exclusive templates and policies for handling complex legal and documentation needs when working with children from high-conflict families. Developed from years of experience, these templates help you set clear policies for parents, protect the child’s privacy, and manage legal requirements confidently. 

  • Policy templates for working with children of divorced parents, helping set boundaries and avoid misunderstandings. 
  • Sample letters for attorneys to respond professionally to subpoenas and other legal requests.
  • Guidelines for managing subpoenas and protecting sensitive client information.
  • Policies that address privacy, confidentiality, and communication with parents in high-conflict situations.

This course is for you if:

  • You’re looking to improve parent engagement to achieve meaningful results for their child.
  • You want a structured, ethical, and culturally sensitive approach to working with parents.
  • You’re ready to move beyond imposter syndrome and develop expertise in engaging parents as partners in therapy.
  • You’re committed to creating lasting change in children’s lives by involving their families in a thoughtful, strategic way.
  • You’re looking to improve family engagement and achieve meaningful results for their clients.
  • You want a structured, ethical, and culturally sensitive approach to working with parents.

This course is not for you if:

  • You prefer shortcuts and don’t see the value in parental involvement.
  • You don’t believe parental involvement is crucial in play therapy.
  • You’re not interested in expanding their skills in cultural sensitivity or therapeutic engagement.

"I learned to set the expectations for parent participation and what to expect at the very beginning of treatment. And the importance of setting up a parent meeting time regularly."

-Carol Beth

"I love that you discussed the strategies and psychoeducation in general about working with parents with high acuity and why that might be- I think that is often overlooked. And just the information in general about working with challenging parents who may be involved with DHS and foster care."

- Aja R.
Therapist for Children with Trauma

Frequently Asked Questions

Mental health professionals who want to learn how to integrate parents when using play therapy with their child and adolescent clients – clinical social workers, school social workers, counselors, school counselors, marriage and family therapists, child psychologists.

This is a self-paced course that you can complete in your own time zone and when it’s convenient for your schedule. You’ll watch the recorded videos, read the handouts for each module, and complete the workbooks to apply the information learned in the module. You’ll complete a quiz with 85% accuracy and course evaluation.

This course is appropriate for beginner play therapists as well as intermediate play therapists. This course teaches the following foundational play therapy competency skills: 

  • Demonstrating knowledge of family and systemic theories in play therapy
  • Assessing family dynamics and conceptualizing the role of parents in play therapy for their children
  • Exhibit multicultural orientation to diversity, equity, and inclusion through a culturally and socially diverse play therapy process
  • Demonstrate relationship and rapport building skills

Yes, this course is approved for the following play therapy CE hours. Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training sponsored by Renewing Hearts Counseling & Consulting is an approved provider #20-621 for the Association for Play Therapy.

  • 11 Non- contact CE hours, APT Approved Provider #20-621
  • Play therapy CEs only available for mental health professionals
  • This training does NOT meet APT’s definition of a Live Webinar 
  • 11 CE hours approved by NASW UT Chapter for Home Study

*You may be able to use this course for your licensing board CEs specific to your discipline. Contact your licensing board to determine how to use this course for your licensing requirements.

There are no refunds for this course.

There are no refunds for this course.

By registering for this training, you are giving permission for Renewing Hearts Counseling & Consulting (RHCC) to use any photographs (screenshots) that are taken at the event containing your likeness for as long as RHCC deems appropriate and desirable. Photographs may be used on the RHCC website, social media pages, and/or newsletter for any purpose. By completing the registration, you are also consenting to waive any rights to the photographs indefinitely. You also agree to allow your feedback and comments in the chat and evaluation form may also be used for future promotions as deemed appropriate and desirable by RHCC. If you do not wish to have your photo used, it is your responsibility to notify RHCC of your request to be omitted.

Yes, this course will help you develop a strong foundation in skill building to obtain your RPT credential and play therapy CEs are available.

For mental health professionals pursuing a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential this training fits into Primary Area 3: Play Therapy Skills & Methods.  This course discusses how to work with parents in the play therapy process using cultural intelligence.  This course discusses the importance of using a seminal or historically significant play therapy modality when working with parents in play therapy.  Play therapy credit may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals 

Disclaimer: These forms, procedures, and policies are not legal or financial advice. You’ll need to ensure the information contained in these documents meets the local, state, and federal requirements for your location. These forms are based on years of experience overseeing mental health business practice and are merely recommendations that will need to be revised to comply with regulations and laws in your local area as well as complying with your state licensing board and ethics.

This course is $227 and you have unlimited access to the course even after you completed it as long as the course is being offered. Since your access is unique for you, please don’t share your access information with others. However – feel free to share the love with your colleagues and let them know how they can purchase this training for themselves (and get their play therapy CEs).

By registering for this training, you are giving permission for Renewing Hearts Play Therapy Training (RHPTT) to use any photographs (screenshots) that are taken at the event containing your likeness for as long as RHPTT deems appropriate and desirable. Photographs may be used on the RHPTT website, social media pages, and/or newsletter for any purpose. By completing the registration, you are also consenting to waive any rights to the photographs indefinitely. You also agree to allow your feedback and comments in the chat and evaluation form may also be used for future promotions as deemed appropriate and desirable by RHPTT. If you do not wish to have your photo used, it is your responsibility to notify RHPTT of your request to be omitted.

Don’t let your young client’s progress slip away

By implementing the techniques in this course, you’ll experience a smoother, more effective process for engaging parents in play therapy, giving you confidence in your sessions and leading to better outcomes for your clients.

READY TO LEVEL UP YOUR PLAY THERAPY SKILLS?

Click Enroll Now to Register!

GETTING GROUNDED 

Partnering with Parents in Play Therapy

$227

With Continuing Education Hours

Yes! I Want to Partner with Parents






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