Resistance

You feel stuck.

The door to the office shuts and you are met with folded arms, blank stares, silence, and the words “I don’t know” as the answer to every question. Every second seems to drag on as you hit the all to familiar roadblocks of difficult to engage kids and teens.

And progress? Well… it’s slow to say the least. Sometimes nonexistent.

And the worst part?

You know if they would just engage in the process that you have all of these interventions, techniques, and ahhh-mazing toys that could help heal the anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, and life difficulties that brought them into session in the first place. Things that can really make a difference in their lives.

And all that healing? Well…. It’s just beyond reach.

You start to question if you are a good fit for this client, and deep down if you're really even a good therapist.

You need the tools and framework to unlock resistance and increase engagement.

You need the specific steps, frameworks, and skills to take kids and teens from resistant to engaged. From a place of shut down and hesitation to being able to have the courage and trust to open up and begin their healing process.

What if resistance didn't have to equal stuck?

What would it be like to see resistance as a part of the therapeutic process? To understand that resistance shows up for a reason and has a story to tell?

What would it be like for you to have a clear understanding of how to sit with kids and teens in resistance and understand the specific steps and skills to move forward toward healing?

What would your sessions look like if you had...

Tons of play therapy ideas and activities to help move clients from resistant to engaged
Insight into why resistance shows up in therapy in the first place
A clear understanding of the specific frameworks, steps, and skills for moving through resistance and into engagement
The ability to spot the (sometimes surprising) signs of resistance quickly and easily so you can be proactive
The exact words to tell parents why resistance is showing up in therapy and are able to help them understand the path forward

This course Rolling With Resistance: Play Therapy Interventions For Your Most Difficult To Engage Clients holds your hand and creates a concrete roadmap for the specific steps to identify the root of resistance and the specific frameworks, skills, and play therapy theories and techniques to decrease resistance and increase engagement.

Inside the course you will learn:

25+ play therapy interventions to help move through resistance
How to spot the four categories of resistance in the playroom - and specific skills to work through each
Understand the four factors that contribute to resistance
The 6 frameworks and specific strategies to move through resistance
Strategies to minimize resistance, even before the first session, and at each stage through the therapy process
Specific skills to navigate parent resistance to the therapy process
3 play therapy theories and modalities that are the most effective for resistant clients
5 in depth case examples of resistance and how to work with resistance in the playroom

You also won’t walk away empty handed. Inside the course you get multiple handouts and downloads including:

Therapeutic Vision Board Guide
- This therapeutic vision and action board has the exact specific steps and prompting questions to help improve goal clarity and increase engagement through vision boarding
Therapeutic Check In Prompts for Teens That Won't Talk
- Grab these 13 ways to shake up your check in for teens that don't talk
5 Needs Handouts
- Identify the 5 basic needs that drive all human behavior
- Helps understand what needs are driving resistance
Getting to know you cards
- A printable card deck of 57 fun getting to know you questions that you can use with your favorite therapeutic games or on their own!
Therapeutic Scavenger Hunt
- A printable 5 pack of therapeutic scavenger hunts including Self Esteem and Emotions.
Therapeutic Values Sort
- A printable card deck of 102 values to help increase self insight and identity.

Want to learn more? Check out the details below!

CE Information:
This course is approved for 6.5 APT Non-Contact hours by Meehan Mental Health Services (APT Approved Provider 19-580).

Learning Objectives:

Describe the four categories of resistance in the playroom
Identify 6 frameworks to understand and work through resistance
List at least 10 therapist strategies to minimize resistance
Identify 25 play therapy interventions to help kids and teens move through resistance
Describe 3 play therapy theories and modalities that are the most effective for resistant clients
Describe 5 interventions to help resistant parents
Identify 5 strategies to help minimize resistance prior to kids and teens beginning therapy

Course Format: Train when it works for you! This course is a pre-recorded online self paced course where the modules are broken up into smaller digestible chunks that can be completed during a client cancellation, on the weekends, early in the morning, late at night - whenever! You can login at your own pace, re-watch content, and have unlimited access to the course. This course is designated "Non-Contact" by the Association for Play Therapy.

Who should attend: This program is a beginning to intermediate course for any Play Therapist who wants to increase confidence in working with resistance.

Cost: $159.00

Course Presenter

Hi! I'm Ann - or formally Ann Meehan, MS, LPCC, RPT-S, EMDRIA Consultant. I work as a private practice therapist in the north woods of Minnesota and specialize in working with young people ages 3 and up using Play Therapy and EMDR. I have a library of trainings and run The Playful Therapist Blog. Overall I am passionate about helping other therapists grow into competent and confident Play Therapists, trauma therapists, and child and adolescent therapists.

Please email [email protected] with questions or concerns.

Play Therapy Credit may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. There are no refunds for this recorded course.
See Meehan Mental Health Services full policies and procedures for online and in person trainings here.