Does your idea of a great night after work include coming home, kicking off your shoes, and settling into a stack full of notes? No?

What about during your weekends? Wait, you don't want to do that either?

I totally hear you! Nobody goes into this field just chomping at the bit to dive into the paperwork of the practice.  You go into this field because you want to help people achieve mental wellness, move forward, heal, and grow.  The paperwork just happens to be part of the deal. 

AND I don't know about you, but my graduate school classes came nowhere near close to preparing me to write progress notes.  I had never heard of insurance audits or compliance let alone got the training or support I needed to start my note writing practice confident and prepared. 

All of this usually leads to cumbersome notes, trying to get it all in, and feeling frustrated and out of control. 

I wanted to take you through this 5 Step Roadmap to Faster Progress Notes that I used to write a fast and seamless progress note, between sessions! Check out the free mini webinar HERE! The webinar and free companion worksheet will help you develop the framework to shrink your progress notes. 

PS: Also check out some of my best tips on writing Play Therapy progress notes HERE!  Annnnnd if you are behind on your notes (like, really behind) check out this resource HERE! 

Who here has ever been behind on your notes?  *looks around at nearly everyone raising their hand*
 
It happens, one note turns into five.  Those consultation calls (or let’s get real – crises and things that need your attention, like NOW) eat up your precious note time. OR maybe you are so burned out you are scrolling Facebook, mindlessly looking out the window, or toggling between three windows to figure out what emails to answer.
 
Somehow those couple notes that you are “just going to finish up” turns into 30, 50, maybe even 100? Or more? AND are likely paired with guilty, anxious, and panicked feelings.  No judgement here. I know it feels so awful, and, you don’t have to stay here.
 
If you are a therapist that wants to gain control over their paperwork flow, but you're so behind you don’t know how to take the first step The Progress Note Catch Up just might be the kick you need to get back on track.
 
This six part mini course and companion worksheets will guide you through the intentional process of getting back on top and in control of your paperwork – one note at a time. Each video is a couple minutes long with companion guides and worksheets to help guide you through step by step. 
 
AND I’ll be hanging out with you, cheering you on through this six part pre-recorded mini course to help you take back control over your notes. 
 
And guess what….I am offering The Progress Note Catchup for FREE  with this 100% off coupon HERE.  Because everyone needs a little good this year. Imagine being able to enter the new year free from the mountain of paperwork! AND with excellent habits before the cliché of New Years Resolutions!
 
What would you do with that freedom? Find out and get started HERE!

One of my favorite topics in supporting Play Therapists is the work that happens at the edges of the practice.  Like, all the tasks that you need to do when the client leaves the office (or the camera is clicked off)! The notes, the documentation, the scheduling, and coordination.  All. The. Things. 

One thing I have realized is that most therapist really hate progress notes. 
 
Okay, so here’s a secret, I actually kind of like doing my notes.  I get so much rich insight during my documentation that I might not have realized due to high levels of attunement and presence during the session. 
 
Like true lightbulb moments.
 
I also realize that I am in the minority here and that most therapists despise notes. I think I have the uncomplicated relationship with notes because I get them done within my workday without any paperwork hours.  No late nights, no weekends, just tucked into my regular therapy day! 

I wanted to share some of my Play Therapy documentation tips for progress notes that might have you reevaluating your relationship with your notes….like from completely stressed out to seamless?
 
Here are my top 4 tips on more efficient notes for play therapy:
 
Know your theory
The content of your note is going to come directly from the theory you use.  My Child Centered Play Therapy Notes sound completely different than my Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy notes.  It makes sense, right? Different theories are going to use different interventions and different techniques.  Go back to your foundational trainings/texts and identify the top interventions from your theory that you use in your practice and use that exact language in your notes.
 
Include the “What” and “How”
Identify the top toys the client engaged with during the session.  Include information if they focused on one toy/type of toy or multiple.  Did they play in the doll house for the entire time?  Did they switch between 15+ toys including the dart guns and the swords? This is not meant to be a narrative of the entire play session, but include important information about the feel and the flow.  Was the energy high or low? Were there periods of chaos followed by calm?
 
Get clear on your top interventions and techniques
After going back to the basics write down your top 5-10 interventions that you use most frequently and separate list of what goals you may be wanting to accomplish.  Why is the child engaging in a sand tray? What is the purpose of playing Candy Land? How does all of this tie to therapeutic goals?
 
Keep it simple, keep it short 
Spoiler alert – my notes are very boring.  Well…maybe not to an auditor who is introduced to the turtle that was viciously attacked by a lion, but they are pretty cookie cutter.  I have a lot of the same types of sentences altered for the specific client content.  I created this training HERE on writing seamless notes as efficiently as possible and reviewed tons of my notes to come up with the basic phrases I use most often.  I guarantee if you do a note audit you will quickly identify your top statements you use with clients to begin to compile your own list.
 
Check out some of these examples of my most used phrases in my Data section of my notes:
 
Child Centered Play Therapy:

• Client engaged in CCPT to work on [goals].
• Client selected [number of toys] and engaged in [activity]
• Client initially engaged with [activity] then transitioned to [activity]
• Therapist utilized [tracking/reflecting content/limit setting, etc.].

 
Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy:

• Client shifted cognitions by [activity and purpose]
• Client practiced [skill] to [purpose of intervention].
• Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy was engaged in to [goal].
• Therapist provided psychoeducation by [reading book/watching video].

 
There you have it, some of my best tips to help you streamline your Play Therapy notes!  What are your favorite sentences?  Leave a comment below!

 
When creating my Play Therapy Kits for my clients, I wanted to make sure to provide solid structing so children and families knew what to expect and what they could (and could not do) with these kits.  I knew I needed to set important boundaries and limits, and at the same time also establish permissiveness.  I didn’t want families to feel anxious about holding and keeping the kits AND I didn’t want half of the items to make their way under beds, in personal toy collections, and in couch cushions. 
 
This was a lesson learned when some young people got so excited about Play Therapy kits earlier on in virtual work that some of the items got used before the first session.  AND I also learned that manila folders (that I sent out my first kits in waaaay back in March) weren’t as durable as I’d like.   
 
To create that balance I wanted to express something like…”you may do almost anything with these toys during our time together, but you may not add these toys to your personal collection OR play with them between sessions”.  Knowing exactly what to expect and structuring statements are essential for Child Centered Play Therapy and I wanted to carry some of those same principles over to the virtual Play Therapy kit. 
 
I wanted these boundaries to re-create some of the things that were unique to my Play Therapy office, such as clients only playing with my specific toys for therapeutic purposes.  I wanted to avoid any meaning attached to toys from prior play AND any play that might continue without the safety and security of the Play Therapy relationship. 
 
Think along the lines of a client continuing a therapeutic theme after the camera shuts off and a sibling storming in and taking their toys OR a parent or sibling coming in and trying to direct the play.  Even though we create rules and structure around this, it seemed to be a lot easier to achieve with the containment of the actual containers and several rules and boundaries about the Play Therapy kits.    
 
I came up with three of what I thought the most frequently asked questions parents and children may want to know like “What if something breaks?” and “Can I play with these kits whenever I want?” and gave specific and clear answers.  To create permissiveness I detail that just like in the Play Room toys may break, art supplies may get used, and the Play Dough will definitely dry up. 
 
Ethically it was also important to me that clients not feel financially tied to the kits.  Like if something breaks there is no pressure, need, or expectation to replace anything.  Just like if equipment or toys break in the office (and they sure do) it is definitely an expense of doing business and I didn’t want clients (or let’s be honest their parents) to feel responsible in any way if that happened.  AND I didn’t want that to trickle down to how they may play with the toys.   
 
I also wanted to create an atmosphere of trust and discussed that I trust that clients will take good care of these kits while they are away.  I also detailed out items that were included in the kit on the back incase an odd toy turned up here or there, it could make its way back into the kit. 
 
Also, for practical reasons, I have a sneaking suspicion I may be keeping these kits for a while (through the pandemic and integrating back into office).  It is likely that when clients transition I will need to re-stock kits and this list will help keep me sane regarding what needs to be added back…again definitely the Play Dough.
 
If you want to grab a copy of my Play Therapy Kit Bundle download your free copy HERE! The bundle includes a copy of the parent handout that orients to the kits with some rules, frequently asked questions, and an inventory kit. I laminated mine for durability.

I also included a copy of my graphics for numbering my kits AND the stickers I used to label the personal Play Therapy folders!  The labels were printed on Avery 15264 Labels (3 1/3'' x 4'') BUT you can also print on paper and just tape onto folders too!

I have included both the PDF copies and editable.  Sometimes with the editable the format can be off or fonts so make sure you have Century Gothic and Ink Free fonts.  

Let me know how you are orienting your clients to Play Therapy kits – drop a comment below!

​Playing while apart is hard.  Playing together with masks and cleaning procedures is hard.  Playing is pretty hard in general right now. To make it a teensy bit easier I put together a Portable Playroom In A Tote for my clients to use for play therapy sessions at home.  It is a comprehensive play kit that is just a bit smaller than the actual playroom.  One that fits in a tote, bag, or rolling suitcase for portability.
 
One of the most frequent questions I get asked by new play therapists is about what toys to buy, most of the time on a budget.  It is a struggle as a new play therapist to get a feel for what “should” be in the Playroom while balancing a pretty non existent budget. 
 
When it came time for me to start developing Play Therapy Kits for my clients (I talk about the process and pros and cons HERE) I felt like I was starting all over again.  I flashed back to my early days of trying to cobble together something that was comprehensive, but feeling very overwhelmed by the 80+ toys that are recommended for Child Centered Play Therapy.
 
Back I went to hours and hours of internet searching, scouring multiple Dollar Tree locations (because not every store has the same darn stuff), and attempting to match, to the best of my ability, the lists and categories of what my young people may need in a portable Playroom. It was definitely a lot of work, but easier this round than last.
 
This kit I created for my clients is pretty comprehensive and includes all categories from Garry Landreth’s categories of toys in his text HERE on Child Centered Play Therapy. Categories of Real Life Toys, Acting Out Aggressive-Release Toys, and Creative Expression and Emotional Release.
 
The kits are also not gendered and they are nearly identical.  There is no “boy kit” or “girl kit”, because we don’t want to make assumptions about what a child may or may not need to express themselves.  My female identified clients get the scary monsters, army toys, and trucks, and my male identified clients get the dolls, bottles, and princesses.   
 
In his text Play Therapy: The Art of The Relationship Garry Landreth also has a toy idea list for a “Tote Bag Playroom”.   A lot of those items are included in his kit, however there are many additional items that I selected due to what I find the children I work with are drawn to most.  There is also the addition of Sand Tray and miniatures (which represent the categories above as well as Sand Tray categories for miniatures) also making it a larger and more comprehensive kit. 
 
Lastly because I also do Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy I included more directive items such as cards, a dice, stickie hands, and a folder for art and projects.  However, as we know those items can also be used to do almost anything a child may want.
 
So without further ado here is the source list for the comprehensive Play Therapy Kits:
 
Containers:
 
Shoe Box Tote *these appear to be out of stock but most Target, Walmart, or Dollar Tree stores carry these for around $1.00.  Make sure the top is flat if you are going to create a stove on top. Check out this link HERE for a free printable to turn the top of the shoe box tote into a stove!
 
Sand Tray Tote *If you wanted to only have one tote this would likely fit it all BUT the top isn’t flat enough to be a stove, so if you want a cooking area you might print and laminate a sheet of paper to just sit on top or the floor.
 
Sand Tray and Miniatures:
 
Check out this post HERE for a comprehensive list of sources for all the miniatures and sand.  I included a dice in the miniature but BUT it is a great took to take out and use for Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy. Also, if you are transporting the sand tray, store the sand it a Zip Lock bag…trust me.
 
Toy Tote:
 
Dish/Pot and Pan set *these have enough for silverware, a cup, and a plate for 4 kits.  They only had a pot/pan for 2-3 depending on what you want in your kits, but the Dollar Tree had a set with a frying pan, egg, knife, and spatula all for $1.00 so I purchase several to supplement.   
Princess Kit (crown, wand, ring in a 10 pack)  *For the price and number of items you get, these were much cheaper than the Dollar Tree, where it was $1.00 for one crown
Babies *I LOVE that each of them has an outfit you can take off AND that they are multicultural.  When I purchased they were $28.00, so watch out for a sale! The Dollar Tree also has plush multicultural dolls, but they are all female.  These come in both gendered/neutral colors and the Dollar Tree ones are in dresses and not infant like.
Glue Sticks, Markers, Crayons, Play Therapy Folders  – at Target on discount for back to school, the BEST time to refill your art supplies!
Baby Blanket *I cut up one yard piece of fleece to make over 10 blankets.  You can choose any pattern or hit up a sale at your local fabric store!  
Doctor Kit (Stethoscope, Syringe (Dollar Tree 4 pack), cotton ball, tongue depressor, band aids (make sure if they are “skin color” all skin tones are represented.  If not characters are great!), and medicine bottles.  If you are only making one kit a used (empty) medicine bottle from your home or a friend/family member will work great!)
Toy Gun
Food (9+ items per kit)
Play Money *The Dollar Tree also has play money
Baby Bottle *these are meant to be party favors but you can get a TON for a great price.  I had my husband drill a hole in the nipple of the bottle to make that part less of a choking hazard, even though it is fairly big.  You could also hot glue the whole thing together!
Printable Doll House  *I designed a pop up free printable doll house that I laminated with a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room.  With laminated sheets it is also super wipeable.  Stay tuned for the link for the free download! 
 
Dollar Tree:
 
Playing Cards (2 pack)
Police Kit (badge and walkie talkie) * I choose to purchase these for the walkie talkies but decided to leave out the guns that came with it because although bright orange they appeared a bit too realistic
Bubbles (3 pack)
Pom poms (multipack)
Play Dough (8 pack, 2 per kit)
**Check out this post HERE for miniature items that also came from the Dollar Tree
 
Materials from my office:
 
I have a big craft supply at my office so I dug into the stash as well as my treasure chest for these items.
 
Balloons
Stickie Hands
Pipe Cleaners
Popsicle Sticks
Googly Eyes
Construction Paper
2 Envelopes
2 Paper Bags
 
The Breakdown:
 
Each kit comes in 2 containers, around 170 individual items and cost around $75.00 per kit.  The great news about these kits is that I wanted to make them as comprehensive as possible so I did include a lot of stuff.  It was an investment I was willing to make in my Play Therapy practice as I knew I would be playing apart for some time, and then when returning to office still likely using the kits for the first bit.

Here are some of my kits ready to be picked up by clients!  Seriously for how many hours I put into these I felt like I was giving away my first born child (I'm only kind of joking)!  But seriously I am hoping this source list saves you a boat load of time if you are thinking about creating these for your clients! 

Both totes are labeled with numbers (ie Kit 1, Kit 2, etc.) so the matches can stay together and I have a list of what client is in possession of what kit.  Also, the awesome thing about this source list is it is so easy to pare down.  You can select less to fit your budget.  Amazon also has fluctuating prices.  Sometimes if you keep an eye on something and come back there will be a sale and discounted pricing. 
 
Lastly, if you are making multiple kits you can hit that price point much easier than if you were only doing a single kit, because most come in multi-packs.  If you are just starting up and looking for a single kit, pair with other Play Therapists and cost share the price of the kits!
 
Have you started the journey of Play Therapy Kits?  What is your most loved item in the kit?  Let me know in the comments below!

Want to know more about setting up your play therapy office or practice?  Check out this training HERE! 

Sand Tray is one of my favorite modalities for Play Therapy.  When the world came screeching to a halt during COVID-19 I blogged HERE about non-tech ways to do sand tray.  Although there are some programs out there that allow you to have a virtual sand tray experience, I could never give up the tactile and kinesthetic value of the sand.  In short…I couldn’t leave the sand behind.
 
I wanted to share with you my source list for putting together Play Therapy Kits, and this segment will focus on the Individual Sand Tray Kits I created including all the supplies such as the tray, sand, and miniatures.  I talked about the pros and cons of a play therapy kit HERE and how they are great for sending to young people’s homes for Tele-Play therapy, in the office to prevent OR to be honest if you are just starting out in Play Therapy and need a kit that is inexpensive and portable. 
 
If I am getting really real here, my office houses carefully selected toys gathered over 10+ years as a Play Therapist and at the end of the day it is a big investment to fully stock a Play Room. Want to know more about setting up your play therapy office?  Check out this training HERE!
 
I wish I knew the things I knew now when I was starting about how to gather a comprehensive but inexpensive (I mean inexpensive relative to a fully stocked play room) set of toys and play materials. This was the challenge as I faced the fact that I am not going back into office in the foreseeable future AND was feeling a desire to provide children with the tools needed to express themselves. 
 
As I said HERE the families that I work with have done a Rockstar job at gathering appropriate toys, BUT I can’t expect them to have all the toys and categories needed.  As Garry Landreth famously said toys are the children’s words, and play is their language.  I like to add to this that we need to make sure that we have enough words (ie toys) represented so children can express themselves.
 
I wanted to provide this source list (below) for my sand tray and miniature toys for my Play Therapy Kits.  I use categories drawn from this Sandplay text HERE (which is one of my favorite texts) including people, animals, plant life, minerals, environments, transportation, and misc. objects. These minis also fit nicely within Garry Landreth’s categories of toys in his text HERE on Child Centered Play Therapy.
 
Container:
I chose these containers HERE because they could house the sand tray on the bottom and have plenty of room on top for miniatures.  The case stacks together with a handled lid on top.  I was a bit remiss that the plastic wasn’t blue, but made sure that each kit contained blue vase filler to represent bodies of water if needed. 
 
Check out alternative Sand Tray container with 10 Low Cost Options HERE!
 
The Sand:
I chose the Sandtastik 25 Lb box, which had enough sand for 8 kits.  It's not a TON of sand in each, but enough. 
 
Amazon/Target Miniatures:  

• Disney Princesses
• Food Erasers
• Gems
• Wild Animals *I made sure each kit had at least one predator and one animal that could be preyed upon 
• Domestic Animals * I made sure there was at least three of one type of animal in each kit  (ie three chickens or three cows in addition to other domestic animals)
• Wooden people miniatures
• Bridge
• Hearts
• Fairy Pack
• Trees  *I cut the bottoms off to make them more stable
• Solid Colored People
• Multicultural Baby/Pacifier Set *yes these look a bit odd BUT my young people LOVE these
• Dragon
• Wooden People
• Dragon/Fairy/Unicorn Set
• Monsters *this beautiful monster is a fill in model as the sourced ones are taking a bit longer to arrive at my doorstep.  This big guy is one of my favorites!
• Fences *these were bigger than I intended but I LOVE that they can span the whole length of the tray if needed!
• Treasure Chests

 
Dollar Tree Items:

• Fire Fighter Set (One ambulance, 3 fire fighters, 2 fire dogs, 3 traffic signs)
• Construction Vehicles (2 pack)
• Skeletons (4 pack)
• Bones (10 pack)
• Shells (20+)
• Cars (3 pack)
• Army Men (multiple pack with two colors)
• Pet Set (mini dog, mini cat, pet carrier, pet bed, pet dish, comb and in one package)
•  Furniture (table and four chairs)
• Ponies/Unicorns (multi set)
• Trophy (6 pack)
• Superman
• Batman
• Dice (8 pack)
• Plane (2 pack)
• Skull (8 pack)
• Blue vase filler (large multipack - enough for 10+ trays)
• Flowers (one flower with multiple smaller flowers attached)
• Bugs

**The Dollar Tree also has many other objects and miniatures to purchase including little Lego type guys (2 pack), other single figures such as Finding Nemo, Barbies, Incredibles, Micky/Minnie Mouse, etc. Most of these aren’t found online and you might have to go to several stores to get everything you might want.
 
Crafted/Found Items:

• Wooden Houses (2) *whatever you choose for houses having two is very important.  Check out these ones HERE if making your own isn’t an option.
• RIP Signs (tutorial HERE)  
• Birch Bark
• Drift Wood
• Rocks

So here is the breakdown –each kit contains over 125 miniatures and cost just under $50.00. Although I didn’t base mine on this one HERE, it contains a lot of the same miniatures. However, this one only has 90 miniatures and costs twice the price. I'm a bit biased but I think mine is waaayyyy cooler. The other thing to note is that Amazon's prices can change and although I got some ahhhmazing deals they might not always stay that way!  I also bought for multiple kits which made the price significantly less per kit than if I had to buy everything for one kit. 
 
So there you have it, the complete source list for a pretty comprehensive sand tray kit for virtual, office, or wherever!
 
What is your favorite miniature that you couldn’t live without?  Drop a comment below!   

It is the week after Labor Day, which for Minnesota means that it is back to school time. AND that Halloween is right around the corner.  Seriously, there was a frost advisory last night. Stores don't lose much time and in between the back to school supplies you will start to see the spooky, scary, Halloween decor pop up! You can almost hear the creepy organ music in the background.
 
I believe that as a Play Therapist you have to learn to be a savvy seasonal shopper to take advantage of all the seasonal deals and offerings as you continue to select items for your play room to create a rich play experience for the children you see.  For some of these items I know I will only be able to find them in store (and at a reasonable price) seasonally.  Most of the time for me this means browsing the seasonal sections, the dollar spot, and the Dollar Store/Dollar Tree, and man, did this season deliver!
 
So, some pro tips I want to share with you are that not all Dollar Stores are created equal.  Sometimes one will have a huge selection of items, and the next will have just a few.  There is also some items that will be offered at one store, but not the next.  AND the frustrating part is if you order online you need to purchase a minimum number and a lot of items are not offered online.  The other tip is that sometimes, placement just doesn’t make sense. Two of these items I found back on an end cap by the freezer section, not at all by the seasonal display.  Don’t give up, keep looking!
 
Okay, so let’s dive in to some of my favorites from this season.  All of these items came from the Dollar Tree and one was created.  The bones came in a 10 pack (5 large, 5 small), the skulls were an 8 pack, and the skeletons were actually a part of skeleton garland.  Once you cut those little guys free you had a set of 4 miniatures.  Also, if you don't already have this is the PERFECT time to pick up some spiders and creepie crawlies! 
 
So….that’s 22 minis for a whopping $3.00 – pretty cool huh? These were really great and affordable for me as I am putting together my Play Therapy kits.  If you don’t need all these minis for your play room or sand tray then I suggest you get a mini buddy or have a mini exchange. A mini buddy is a Play Therapist that LOVES to select and gather items for their play room where you can split the cost of multi-packs of items between two or more therapists. A mini exchange is where each therapist brings a similar priced piece/pieces of a set and you swap, walking away with new items for your Play Room!
 
The last item is those mini grave stones.  I’m going to be really honest… I love these ones HERE, but couldn’t quite get myself to commit for the kits I am creating and wanted to keep it as low budget as possible.  Enter the 500 Popsicle sticks I have currently in my stash. They cut SUPER easily with regular scissors and I decided to make them in various heights.  This is like the simplest version of writing on them directly with a fine tipped sharpie marker.  If you have time the sky could be the limit with painting or creating designs!
 
Don’t worry, I’ll be adding those beeeautiful stones from Amazon to my collection eventually, but it’s all about pace!
 
So why is it important to grab these little minis while you can?  I mean, besides the fact that they are So. Much. Fun. Death and dying miniatures (especially if you do sand tray) play an essential and crucial role in helping children express their inner most thoughts and feelings in the tray and in the Playroom.  If I reflect on how my current collection of death and dying objects are used there is a lot of pain, meaning making, closure, empowerment, and processing that is done. Wheeww heavy stuff right? 
 
What are your favorite deals for this fall and Halloween season?  Where are you shopping?  Drop a comment below! 

The challenge: fit an entire play room into a small kit and make it cost effective enough where you can afford to create multiple different kits.  This has been on my mind since the start of summer, where I ebbed and flowed between safety, in office vs. virtual, and having the right tools to effectively do my job.  

Here is a peek at a fraction of how I am coming along with this challenge and what I am incluidng in these kits!  As I am assembling these kits I am LOVING opening the package and so far, everything fits *fingers crossed*.  So why play therapy kits? 

I talked HERE about children’s imagination and creativity in toy selection, BUT I was starting to wonder that for kids that are doing Tele-Play 100% of their sessions, if there was something unique, special, and magical about toys specifically selected by a play therapist.  Toys that are unfamiliar and toys that they do not have any history with.

Now, the families that I work with have been absolute CHAMPIONS for selecting toys by Garry Landreth from this list available HERE from the University of North Texas. However, over time the toys have begun to get a bit scattered or sometimes there are important figures or object the child just didn’t have. 

I’m going to be really honest.  When everything shut down, I transitioned my toys and materials home, set up my garage office, and began to prepare my clients for all virtual sessions. I thought “yea, I can do this for three or for weeks”. HA. HAHAHAH. Thank goodness that was my thinking because I think if I understood what was to come the overwhelm would have left me paralyzed.  I now look at this thinking as a humorous gift.

I also want to emphasize that there is no one right way when you are thinking about continuing your work as a therapist who serves children.

For me, the best thing that I can do for my clients is to continue virtual for the foreseeable future.  I do not have any outdoor space at my office (6th floor!) AND with being a Minnesotan – winter is coming.  I have also pondered the experience of play therapy with distance and a mask and am unsure if I will stay regulated enough if a client has told me about a large gathering they attended or being back in a classroom to be attuned and regulated as they need me to be.  And as for me, ethically I have pondered that if I come into contact with someone who is being tested (which has happened for me or someone coming through our office, and inevitably will keep happening) do I then transition to virtual sessions until the results come back? What will that transition be like for my clients?

And others…well other therapists out there are mandated by agencies or schools to be back in person OR they have made the choice that in person is what is best for the treatment of their clients.  With this option comes the cleaning, sanitizing, outdoor sessions, masks (and the hunt for the perfect mask that is clear and doesn’t fog!) and other safety measures like researching UV light sanitizing. Ugh. 

Enter the Play Therapy Kit.  As I have started the process of building play therapy kits, my intention is to  send them out to some of my clients who need more or who have struggled with play with the toys they have in their own collections.  Also when taking on new clients I want the transition to play therapy to be seamless so some of the kits will go to new young people on my caseload.  I have been sharing some of my projects for the transition around the blog with my nearly free (with free printable) compact play kitchen HERE and low cost options for sand trays for sand tray kits HERE! 
 
I actually think play therapy kits are an awesome solution for both virtual and in office! The goal for the Play Therapy Kit is to have a comprehensive “play room” in a very small and portable kit so you can either send them to families OR have them in your office for children to use.  In office (or if you are between multiple offices or schools) you would either assign a child to a specific kit and have that child be the only one to play with that kit (I'm going to number mine) OR have only one kit used per client per day and sanitize them all at the end of the day.  For example if you had 5 play therapy clients scheduled for the day then each would select a different kit (all with identical items) and then that kit would be put aside to be sanitized at the end of the day.  

Play Therapy Kit Pros:
The biggest pro for me (with sending kits to kids) has been making sure they have a comprehensive set of toys to access for our sessions.  Some of the most impactful and meaningful work virtually has come when I had children create and play with modified sand trays, like I talk about HERE. These kits would help young people do Sand Tray work, if needed, AND open up the world to things that they may not have available at home. I also have wondered if play therapy is different with toys they have never seen before and have no prior emotional connection to.

I also felt like for virtual play, these kits offered significantly more containment ability (snapping lids).  Lots of my families stored sand trays open, toys in tote bags, etc. and the ending of the play therapy session just didn’t quite feel like the process of in office.  And by “containment ability” I was definitely more interested in visual and emotional containment rather than the actually cleaning up of toys for practical reasons, but for both it is a big pro!

Another pro with the kits (for in office) is that it lessens the burden on cleaning between clients.  For me when I was in office before things shut down, I cleaned and sanitized between sessions.  Even thought I had a designated “used toy” tote to place items rather than back on the shelf, I felt that practice was limiting.  I had young people who would dig through my miniatures (of course I couldn’t track the exact things they touched) and then I would have to sanitize ALL the contents of several bins. *face palm* Inevitably they would forget the rules and put things back on shelves, and I found myself constantly reminding or limit setting.  This seemed restrictive to the permissiveness play therapy is supposed to offer.  It also left a really strong odor of cleaning supplies in between sessions.   

I also found when we only took out several objects at a time it felt restricting to the permissiveness of play therapy as well.  With kits the limits seem significantly clearer – we can play with anything we want to in your play therapy kit! AND since the kits are comprehensive it doesn’t feel like they are limited to the types of things that they may play.

Another pro is that these kits are small enough where they can be easily stored by parents in home and don’t take a significant amount of muscle to take out, carry, or transport.  If you are going between offices these would fit nice in a tote bag or a rolling suitcase.  If you are transporting between office be sure to Zip Lock Bag your sand…trust me on this one.

Play Therapy Kit Cons:
The first con is that to get a comprehensive kit they can be spendy, even when you are cutting costs and creating the most cost effective kits possible.  After all the dust settled I was around $60 - $70 per kit, which is a small tiny fraction of what it takes to create a standard play room.  However, with 8 kits that I have created (with this round) it was a pretty big chunk of change.  AND anticipating they would be used at least for the next 6 ish months, likely more if you count the transition back to office, it seemed like a solid investment for my practice. You could absolutely decrease the number of kits made and then you would only need to sanitize one time per day or in the middle of the day, rather than between every client.

Other cons include the time to create and make these kits.  I have spent TONS of hours scoring the internet, at Target, and the Dollar Store, to get ideas, cost compare, and purchase all of the supplies.  Within the next weeks I will be sharing my entire source list – SO hopefully it makes it easier for you!  However, you still will put a large amount of time in, especially if you are making the play stove kits.  So. Many. Circles. 

Another downfall is storage.  A pro for portable and at home, but if they are all stored in your office, these kits will need space and you may need to rearrange your regular toys to make room.  You may also need to remove certain toys or all other toys, as to not have to put excessive limits on what can be touched and what can’t. 

Now, there are some things that won’t fit in the little kits.  Think pool noodles (some of my favorites!).  When I go back into office I am anticipating developing a small selection of toys (including the pool noodles) that can be touched by any child but are really easy to sanitize between sessions.  Meebie might go into this category (with fabric sanitizer of course).  However, depending on how these kits roll out, I may do individual pool noodles that sit on the shelves with the toy kits!

Lastly, if you are virtual the other con to this is getting the play room from you, to your client.  A great option is pick up at the office location (mine is still open with admin for therapist that choose to be in person or do virtual from the office).  The second way is shipping the kits, however that can definitely get costly to ship even one play therapy kit.

Play Therapy Kits won’t be for everyone – but maybe they will be right for you!

​Hopefully this introduction to the play therapy kit has got your brain going about whether this would be a good fit for your play therapy practice as we keep playing on in this pandemic! Have you already created kits of your own?  Drop a comment or link to your favorite toys that are MUST for inclusion! 

A Sand Tray Therapist’s dilemma in 2020…if I am returning to office how do I both keep my clients safe AND provide the optimal tools for emotional expression, processing, and healing?  I can’t tell you how many times that this has gone through my mind. 

For some therapists they are leaving the sand all together and finding alternative ways to engage with clients.  I can’t tell you how much this makes my heart hurt as I know there is so much POWER in the sand.  Check out my articles HERE for creative ways to use sand tray for virtual sessions.

BUT this isn’t about virtual, this is about the real life in office work of Sand Tray. Let’s focus! For some they are sanitizing between clients like this three part video series HERE, HERE, and HERE, or using UV lights or wands to disinfect.  A billion years ago when I was in office at the cusp of everything shutting down, that was me.  The disinfecting spray between clients that is.  I can tell you – it is truly exhausting and leaves your sand a bit wet and less than idea if you have back to back clients who want to work with the sand. Who can relate?

Enter a third option: individual sand tray kits!  I am a bit sand tray obsessed, so I actually have a stockpile of these AHHH-mazing square storage totes (the ezy Karton Storage Container 6.3QT to be exact) for $2.00 at Target. TWO DOLLARS! Okay, now you can understand why I grabbed 15 or so ish of these when they were still on the shelves.  But alas they are out of stock everywhere I have goggled. 

SO when the topic of how to navigate returning to in person sessions (now or in the future) came up in one of my group consults I wanted to create a round up of all the different ways to play (inexpensively of course) in the sand tray with individual sand tray kits.  I also LOVE this idea for sending kits home for children to engage with and am in the process of creating take home "loaner" sand trays. 

With this concept you could either have a mini-sand tray for each client that only they use or touch, or several kits that get sanitized at the end of each day.  Either way this seems like the happy marriage between safety and technique!  The cons to this approach is that the tray will likely be smaller than your large tray but the pros are that clients will get to touch, feel, and create with real sand. 

Okay so here goes!

The Extreme Budget
The first option I wanted to roll out is the cheapest option at $3.33 per tray.  These trays are actually 14” plant saucers (found HERE) with sturdy plastic.  These are a great economical option but they only come in clear plastic and not blue. It also has a smaller lip at 1.4 inches, so be prepared for the spillage!

The Rounds
On the theme of plant saucers the Classic Saucer HERE is both blue, sturdier plastic AND has a larger lip at 2.13 inches! It also comes in economical at $5.99 per tray.  If bigger is your game, these saucers HERE are larger at 14 inches and have a 2 inch depth.  These ones come in a four pack at $21.99, so around $5.50 they are also a less expensive option. The cons are the color is more earth/terracotta tone and not blue.
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The other mention-able rounds are the 13” blue activity tray HERE from Constructive Play Things (1 ½ inches deep) at $7.99 and the 13” (1.4 inches deep) Carlisle Bar Tray HERE at  $8.61.  The last one is the most expensive round, however all of the above have varying shades of blue, so it might be personal taste and style!

The Corners
One of the most economical and larger trays I found is actually a serving tray coming in at 15” x 10” and 1.5 inch depth. The serving tray, found HERE, is a beautiful blue and is $16.99 for a three pack, coming in at around $5.66 per tray! As the forth least expensive tray it is definitely a fantastic option if you want the classic square feel of a tray.

The Nice And Deep 
This one found at Walmart HERE is $14.44 for a 4 pack of varying shades of blue and is only around 3.61 per tray, which is pretty darn cost effective.  This tray is 11.75 inches by 16 inches and 5.25 inches deep. This one is by far the deepest and could be a great fit if you serve littles that might need a bit deeper of a tray for containment! 

The Double Decker 
This option HERE is pretty unique in the fact that the bottom can serve as a try and the top can hold miniatures.  It is really a compact option if you are like me and have a larger variety of miniatures that might go in the tray.  The downside to this tray is that it is clear and not blue on the bottom.  At $36.62 for a four pack is a bit more expensive at $9.16 per tray.  It measures in at 14.38 inches by 10.75 inches per tray and is in total 7.63 inches deep, so about 3.8 inches deep for each tray. 

​The MVP
I have saved the best for last!  This one is hands down my favorite (and I actually own five of these too *slight blush*).  I LOVE to use them for family trays or when I do a progressive tray series, so these have been in my collection for quite some time.   I have no doubt if these are the trays for you that they will become a valuable tool long after the need for separate trays.

The Really Useful Box tray from Office Max is a really great size at 14 ½ inches by 10 ¼ inches and at 3 ¼ inches deep it can hold sand in the tray pretty well.  Did I also mention this tray has a snap on lid?  At $8.99 with an additional 20% off coupon offer going on now it is a low enough price to add a bunch to your cart without breaking the bank.  Miniatures can be stored inside to make an efficient and stackable kit.  Its blue color is also a plus!

If you are looking for a bit better of a deal, check out these similarly sized Sterilite Totes at $39.99 for 6, coming in at $6.67 per tote.  The downside is that they are clear, however you could put a blue sheet of paper underneath to give it the blue color.

And there you have it - 10 great options for creating individual sand tray kits! Here’s to (safely) not leaving the sand behind!  At the end of the day you need to do what you feel is safe (including agency, CDC, state, etc. guidelines) BUT I wanted to offer another option for keeping true to the sand as well as safety! 

P.S. This sand tray is one I whipped up this morning. Interpret as you see fit! 
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Do you have any products that you love for mini sand trays? Drop a comment and the link below!

Bubbles are SO FUN.  A bit of magic, whimsy, and excitement all rolled into one.  It also feels a bit like breaking the rules to blow bubbles inside BUT we can do almost anything in the play room, including blowing bubbles! 

Oh, and they are super cheap too!  Check out these ones HERE from Amazon.  At only $0.17 per bubble they are SO affordable for Tele-Play, individual play therapy kits (probably for outside use during these COVID times), your general play room supplies bin, or treasure chests! These are the ones I order for trainings and it is truly magical to look out over a conference room into a sea of bubbles! Pro tip for bubbles and Tele-Play, don't blow them directly into the camera - your picture might get real blurry for a bit. 

​Okay so without further ado here are my top three favorite Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy activities with bubbles: 

Bubble Feelings Psychoeducation: 
This activity is one of my favorites for starting out and learning about the experience of our feelings.  In metaphor we discuss and notice how feelings can be like blowing bubbles.  Some are big and some are tiny.  Some come out fast, some come out slow, and some get stuck.  Sometimes a lot of them come out all at the same time but sometimes it is just one.  Other times feelings can get stuck together like one, two three, or more bubbles!  Here I usually pause and give examples of feelings that might be stuck together.  Some might even be confusing - like when you are happy but a bit sad at the same time! 

Other ways feelings are like bubbles is that sometimes some stick around for a while (like the bubble that just floats in the air) OR some leave our bodies quite quickly (like the bubbles that drop immediately to the ground).  And sometimes....feelings and bubbles POP!  I like to pause to talk about all the ways that feelings can "pop" like crying, screaming, angry faces, having negative thoughts about ourselves, saying unkind words, being unsafe or out of control with their bodies, etc. You know, all the ways!  And young people usually have some great ideas about what it means for their bubble to pop! You can also use this to process warning signs of when their bubble is just about to pop!

The other thing with feelings and bubbles...is that bubbles always pop!  What we know about feelings, is that they come and go.  They aren't permanent states and just because we might have one GIANT feeling bubble, it isn't going to stick around forever! 

For some young people you can give an example or two and they will hop right in with ideas of how the bubbles you are blowing are like feelings.  For other young people you might need to give a ton of examples and then reverse roles and have them be the "teacher".  I love when young people come up with their own ideas to add to the list of metaphors that I usually suggest. You can also use this language, like having feelings "pop", to talk about moments of dysregulation in future sessions!

Bubble Breathing: 
This one is pretty self explanatory, but here goes.  One of the most important emotional regulation activities for young people, well anyone really, is deep breathing. If we want to get really technical when we are in a sympathetic nervous system state (flight/fight) usually associated with anxiety deep breathing lowers heart rate, stimulates the vagus nerve, and allows us to come back into a ventral vagal (ie more regulated) state.  It is here that we are able to engage in our prefrontal cortex to access both the emotional and logical sides of our brain, which engages in more critical thinking and logical reasoning.  Wheeww...it's just really important - okay? P.S. to regulate from a parasympathetic nervous system state we engage in a different kind of breathing.  

Now I don't know about you but the superpowers of deep breaths are some of the hardest skills to get young people to buy in to.  Some young people have a hard time believing that something we are engaging in every second of the day can be used in an intentional way (slow long deep breaths with the exhale twice as long as the inhale) to help with regulation. Some will say it "didn't work".  When I ask for a demonstration sometimes it looks like a fast shallow inhale with a quick burst of air to empty the lungs, all within a second or two.  Yes, this absolutely would not have helped with nervous system regulation. From here we can talk about the body, become detectives, and get clear about exactly WHAT kind of breathing leads to a calmer more regulated state.

I will also use a metaphor about practice being KEY.  We definitely do not show up after one dance lesson for the recital or one hockey practice for the big game.  Practice really does make perfect.

Okay, so the key to practice is to make it exciting and engaging. Enter bubbles.  I like to explain that we want to "extend the exhale" to past when the bubbles may all be blown.  You can make up SO many fun games such as who can blow the most bubbles, the biggest bubble, or breathe for the longest exhale.  The great news is these are so fantastic to send home for extra practice! I also will let young people know that their parents are in charge of where they practice - outside, in the bathroom, anywhere in the house!

Popping Maladaptive or Irrational Thoughts: 
This activity I usually use as an activity after I have engaged in playful psychoeducation about the cognitive triangle and engaged in identifying and shifting maladaptive thoughts and creating rational alternative thoughts.  When all of this has happened this play therapy activity can help bring it all together!

First we want to focus on those BIG bubbles.  For the next step you can do this spontaneously OR pull from an art activity or brainstorming sheet.  For each bubble identify a maladpative or irrational thought.  Using any move the young person would like - pop that bubble! Maybe it is a karate chop? A simple finger poke? Death by a sword?  Anything is fine!  

After the young person pops the bubble they can either say a rational alternative thought as a replacement, a calming self statement, or identify a regulating behavior they can engage in when having that thought.  

And there you have it - three ways to use bubbles in play therapy!! What other ways do you incorporate bubbles into your practice with young people?  Drop a comment below!