Recorded Webinar
This webinar is approved for 1.5 CEUs by the MN MFT Regulatory Board and the Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy.
$30 for MAMFT members, $45 for non-members
You need to register using the email associated with your active MAMFT membership to receive the member rate.
Refund Policy: No refunds are given for webinar recordings.
Workshop Title: Playing For Keeps: The Healing Power of Play In Adult Psychotherapy
Workshop Description: This year of pandemic-induced isolation has shined a light on something that we as professionals have long understood. Play, which we acknowledge is the “language of children”, is actually an integral function of the human species throughout our lifespans. At any age, play works to metabolize stress, and it is a critical crisis survival skill. Despite this awareness, clinicians continue to mostly use play therapy only with the young, the forever young (those with developmental delays), and to support parenting. It is long past time to accept that adults need play both in their lives and in their therapy. Sadly, social constructs around the “usefulness” of play have kept both adult clients and their therapists from recognizing its important potential. During the pandemic, social constructs have shifted to allow for more adult play, including gaming (video, tabletop games and RPGs), engaging with stories (TV, movies, and books), and creating art (crafts, painting, coloring books, TikTok and other digital storytelling). These pursuits, previously considered ‘wastes of time’, have become vital parts of daily life. Adults are realizing that play is helping them through this impossible global situation and is even providing their life with much-needed meaning. In this presentation, Appeldoorn and Mastin, leading thinkers in the field of adult play, will overview the science behind the healing powers of play, break down the social constructs that keep adults from playing, and ask clinicians to challenge their own discomfort around play with other adults. Attendees will walk out of this presentation with an understanding of the reasons and the power of adult play as well as interventions for using play with clients in sessions, even in the virtual world of telehealth!
Workshop Objectives:
1. Attendees will have a clear understanding of their own feelings and biases around using play with adult clients
2. Attendees will have a clear understanding of the science behind play as a survival skill.
3. Attendees will walk away with concrete adult therapy tools.
Presenter’s Name: Justine Mastin, LMFT LADC
Presenter’s Bio: Justine Mastin, MA, LMFT, LADC, E-RYT 200, YACEP is a therapist, yogi, writer, podcaster, and full-time rabble-rouser. As the owner/founder of Blue Box Counseling Justine specializes in working with clients who self-identify as being outside the mainstream—such as those in the geek, secular, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Justine is a board member of the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy and is recognized as both an AAMFT and MN board-approved supervisor. Justine loves to work with other therapists on how to find their authentic voice and to question the status quo of therapy culture. Justine is a charismatic speaker, committed to bringing humor and stories into the lives of everyone she serves. Justine literally co-wrote the book on Therapeutic Fanfiction, has contributed to numerous other books on pop culture and psychology, and regularly blogs about the healing power of fandom for Psychology Today and psychotherapy.net. Outside of the office, Justine is the captain/co-host of the Starship Therapise podcast, and appears at pop culture conventions around the country teaching yoga and speaking on geek wellness topics. Justine takes a holistic approach to healing: mind, body, and fandom. You can find her on facebook, instagram, and twitter @mindbodyfandom.
Co-Presenter Info: Marit Appeldoorn, MSW, LICSW, RPT-S
Marit has been in the field of children’s mental health for almost 25 years, working in early intervention, home visiting, and outpatient therapy. She is a licensed independent clinical social worker and registered play therapy supervisor with a private practice in south Minneapolis, and she provides supervision and consultation to students and clinicians interested in working from an integrative perspective. She is a past president of the Minnesota Association for Play Therapy, teaches on the adjunct faculty of Saint Mary’s and Augsburg Universities, and is a co-founder of Safe Haven, an organization dedicated to providing professional support, mentorship, and consultation to therapists. She frequently presents on issues related to integrative mental health, play therapy, and healing therapist burnout, and she is the co-author of the recently published book Moving Mountains: An Integrative Manual to Help Youth With Intensity,Reactivity, and Anxiety (2020).
