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• The Attachment Games (Component 2) - Core Attachment Therapy©

  • When
    27 Mar 2026
  •  
    9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Adoption Rhode Island, 290 West Exchange Street, Ste 100, Providence, RI 02903

  Register

  The Attachment Games (Component 2)

  Core Attachment Therapy© - A Prescriptive Play Therapy Model

  
  

  Core Attachment Therapy© is a therapeutic play-based process used in play therapy to secure the attachment of the adopted child or any child who has had a disruption in attachment development. Not knowing what do to with healthy relationships, children with attachment disruption bring chaos into their homes. Core Attachment Therapy© shows children how to utilize the love of their new parents through therapeutic games while highlighting the attachment power of play.
  

  Core Attachment Therapy© is a two-component process. Component 1 is The Nurtured Heart Approach®. It is a best practice approach for children with intense behaviors. It takes the intensity and channels it to achieve their potential. This shift in intensity is needed to start the seeds of attachment through play therapy.

  Component 2 is the attachment games. It is a series of progressive play-based games that replicate the three phases of attachment development. It allows the new parent/child dyad to form their loving bond at the core level. The modality is play therapy based as it is children's natural language and the therapeutic power of attachment is central to change. The play therapy modality also promotes enjoyment of the new relationship which is key to secure attachment. The directive games are followed with non-direct play therapy to help the children process any traumatic memories which may have arisen. The parent is in the playroom while the therapist assists the parents on how to respond in a loving, nurturing, and comforting way. This workshop will allow the play therapist to recognize and utilize neurobiological development patterns to improve attachment relationships through this play therapy approach.

  This is a two day workshop. The first day, the participant will receive training in The Nurtured Heart Approach® which is Component 1 in Core Attachment Therapy©. This is a virtual 6 hour training which teaches the important concepts of the Nurtured Heart Approach®, uses in play therapy and its purpose in Core Attachment Therapy©. 

  Day 2 is in person (March 27th in Providence, RI) and focuses on the play based attachment games in Core Attachment Therapy©. The learner will discover the importance of attachment games being presented in a developmental process which replicates the natural way children attach to their parents/care givers. 

  At the completion of this 2 day training, the participant will receive a certificate of completion for Level 1 of Core Attachment Therapy© and will be able to use this process immediately. 

  Space is limited, so please register early.

  Learning Objectives: After successful completion of the Component 2 workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. List 2 examples of how developmental trauma affects the neurobiology of attachment development.
  2. Explain the developmental task of each phase of attachment development.
  3. Critique how each attachment game addresses the emotional need of the child.
  4. Predict behaviors of attachment disruption in play therapy setting. 
  5. Explain how Core Attachment Therapy© is indicated when working with children with developmental trauma.
  6. Connect the 4 Therapeutic Powers of Play with the therapeutic outcomes of Core Attachment Therapy©.

  6 APT Contact CE | Advanced | Play Therapy Special Topics

  Schedule

  09:00AM - 12:00PM - Training

  12:00PM - 01:00PM - Break

  01:00PM - 04:00PM - Training

  About our presenter: Dorothy Derapelian, MEd, LCMHC has been in private practice in Meredith, NH since 1986 and specializes in play therapy. She is the creator and author of Core Attachment Therapy©, an advanced trainer for Nurtured Heart Approach®,  and is an international speaker on developmental trauma, attachment development, Core Attachment Therapy© and The Nurtured Heart Approach®. 

  NEAPT Members $100; Guests $120 

  NEAPT is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to Play Therapy. APT Approved Provider 02-123. NEAPT maintains responsibility for the program. 

  Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be requested in writing and received no later than March 2, 2026. Cancellations are subject to a $15 processing fee. Substitutions (someone else attending) or transfer of registration to another training date may be requested. No refunds or partial refunds after March 2, 2026.

  By registering for this training, you are giving NEAPT permission to add your email to our email list and you are giving permission for NEAPT to use any photographs or screenshots that are taken during the event containing your likeness for promotional purposes.
  

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• Treating Attachment Wounds: An Integrative Play Therapy Approach

  • When
    27 Mar 2026
  •  
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

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  Treating Attachment Wounds: An Integrative Play Therapy Approach

  Play therapists are often at loss when treating attachment wounds and managing dissociative symptoms. We will take a prescriptive approach to play therapy treatment of attachment wounds, using neurosequential thinking and dyadic play therapy techniques and attachment-focused modalities to support gradual change for the child with a fractured sense of self. 

  Involving the family/caregivers in these attachment focused play therapy activities will increase their ability to mentalize for the child and allow for improved relationships at home, school and in the community. We will also focus on developing an in-depth case formulation and treatment plan and apply Child-Centered, Gestalt and other play therapy approaches within a prescriptive framework based on the current literature on polyvagal theory, developmental trauma and attachment and discuss the complications therapists may encounter in incorporating trauma approaches such as trauma narratives, EMDR or TF-CBT to heal “attachment trauma.”

  Learning Objectives: After successful completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Utilize animal archetypes to identify 8 adaptation strategies children use to cope with complex trauma and explore ways to employ these in the playroom. 
  2. Analyze themes of play to amplify and suggest metaphors for gradually approaching traumatic material as a way of assessing the attachment and pre-verbal trauma targets/
  3. Describe a play-based storytelling method within a play therapy context to heal attachment wounds and preverbal traumas.

  3 APT Non-Contact CE | Intermediate| Play Therapy Seminal or Historically Significant Theories, Play Therapy Skills and Methods, Play Therapy Special Topics

  About our presenter: Ann Beckley-Forest, LCSW, RPT-S™ is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice in Buffalo, New York, USA.  Her specialties include using play therapy and trauma therapy for attachment wounds and child and adolescent trauma. She is an APT Registered Play Therapy Supervisor and Approved Provider of continuing education. Her primary interest is in the intersection of play therapy and EMDR and has published on this topic including as co-editor of EMDR with Children in the Play Therapy Room: An Integrated Approach.

  NEAPT Members $50; Guests $60 

  VIRTUAL: This will be a virtual meeting. NEAPT requests that video cameras be on and participants be visible throughout the presentation to facilitate engagement. Participants will be awarded APT Non-Contact CE upon successful completion of a post test. 

  NEAPT is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to Play Therapy. APT Approved Provider 02-123. NEAPT maintains responsibility for the program. 

  Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be requested in writing and received no later than March 6, 2026. Cancellations are subject to a $15 processing fee. Substitutions (someone else attending) or transfer of registration to another training date may be requested. No refunds or partial refunds after March 6, 2026.

  By registering for this training, you are giving NEAPT permission to add your email to our email list and you are giving permission for NEAPT to use any photographs or screenshots that are taken during the event containing your likeness for promotional purposes.
  

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• Treating Pediatric OCD~ Play Therapy & ERP

  • When
    10 Apr 2026
  •  
    9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
  • Location
    Virtual

  Register

  Treating Pediatric OCD~ Play Therapy & ERP

  Research shows us that Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is the most effective treatment for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. ERP involves the client and their parents having to face their fears and engage in very difficult tasks. Play therapy is the perfect complement to integrate in order to engage and motivate the child and their family members. This training will explore how to use play therapy techniques to help the child make sense of their OCD as well as how to use play therapy to create exposures and rewards. Participants will also be able to share case examples and brainstorm with the group for play therapy exposure ideas.

  Learning Objectives: After successful completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. define OCD and understand how to integrate the most effective treatment method (ERP) into play therapy sessions.
  2. identify 3-4 reasons why it is important to use play therapy techniques for engaging the child and family in the treatment of OCD.
  3. list at least five play therapy techniques for use in Exposure and Response Prevention.

  3 APT Non-Contact CE | Intermediate | Play Therapy Skills and Methods

  About our presenter: Tara Spurr, LMHC, RPT-S™ is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Licensed School Psychologist. After earning a master’s degree in School Psychology from the University of Rhode Island, Tara began her career in the Pinellas County Schools as a School Psychologist. In 2017, Tara decided she wanted to offer more and began her entry into therapy for children, teens and adults after earning a master’s degree in clinical Mental Health Counseling from National Louis University. She attended advanced trainings in EMDR, treating OCD, trauma, behavior and anxiety. Tara is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed School Psychologist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™, EMDR Certified Therapist and Consultant in Training and a Qualified Supervisor. She is also certified as a PCIT Therapist, Within Agency Trainer and PCIT for Selective Mutism Therapist.

  NEAPT Members $50; Guests $60 

  VIRTUAL: This will be a virtual meeting. NEAPT requests that video cameras be on and participants be visible throughout the presentation to facilitate engagement. Participants will be awarded APT Non-Contact CE upon successful completion of a post test. 

  NEAPT is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to Play Therapy. APT Approved Provider 02-123. NEAPT maintains responsibility for the program. 

  Cancellation Policy: All cancellations must be requested in writing and received no later than March 20, 2026. Cancellations are subject to a $15 processing fee. Substitutions (someone else attending) or transfer of registration to another training date may be requested. No refunds or partial refunds after March 20, 2026.

  By registering for this training, you are giving NEAPT permission to add your email to our email list and you are giving permission for NEAPT to use any photographs or screenshots that are taken during the event containing your likeness for promotional purposes.
  

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