🎓 A training and practicum series

PRESENTED BY:  CHRISTINE HENSGENS, LICSW RPT-S  and ANNIE HOFF, LICSW RPT-S

HOSTED BY: Changes Counseling and Wellness Center

Experiential Play Therapy (EPT)

Experiential Play Therapy, a model created by Byron and Carol Norton, offers children a safe, child-led, and emotionally attuned space for healing through play. By honoring the natural connection between body and emotion, EPT helps children access experiences stored in their nervous system- allowing them to release and reintegrate stuck emotional patterns.

In this training series, we’ll focus on the core principles and techniques of EPT, while also supporting caregivers’ reflective capacity. You’ll learn how to help caregivers make sense of their child’s experiences, hold safe space for big emotions, and strengthen and repair attachment bonds.

Our training series covers:

  • The key tenets of EPT, including the use of metaphor in play
  • How to track nervous system responses in the child
  • Skills to deepen the caregiver-child relationship and promote secure attachment

Whether you’re new to EPT or looking to deepen your practice, this training will equip you with practical, experiential tools to support healing and connection for children and their families.

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Training Series and practicum

Session 1: Foundational Understanding and Practice of Experiential Play Therapy

Saturday, November 1st, 2025 – 8:30- 3:30  (IN PERSON)

In this training, you will learn about the seminal theories in Play Therapy as a foundational understanding of the theory of Experiential Play Therapy. You will also learn how Experiential Play Therapy works through attachment and the brain. You will then learn how to be a safe therapeutic figure to children and respond to children’s play through implementing Experiential Play and attachment. You will learn the tenants of play therapy and understand a broad overview of the model. 

*Meets the History of Play Therapy requirement for APT credential.
*Special Guest appearance by Byron Norton.   

Training Objectives:

  • Identify play therapy seminal & historically relevant theories that contributed to the development of Experiential Play Therapy
  • Describe the tenants of Experiential Play Therapy
  • Explain Experiential Play Therapy’s basic principles of repairing attachment and reprocessing trauma through non-directive play therapy.
  • Review how trauma is experienced and processed in the brain and the body
  • Described the functions of attachment and how attachment functions are different in EPT
  • Eligible for 6 APT Approved Contact CEs

Fee: $450
Early Bird rate (valid if registered before 9/30/25): $350

Session 2: Assessment, Treatment Plans and Case notes in Experiential Play Therapy  

Saturday, January 10th, 2026- 8:30-3:30  (IN PERSON)

Learn and practice how to assess the child and their environment to create a treatment plan, case notes and diagnostic assessment. Learn documentation that is informed by experiential play therapy.  Create documentation that is meaningful and measurable while also meeting the needs of state regulations, and insurance expectations.   

Training Objectives:

  • Work collaboratively with caregivers to understand symptoms and determine diagnosis in a way that meets state regulations and is thorough and meaningful. 
  • Co-create a treatment plan with caregivers that meets state regulations, ties to the symptoms/diagnosis, is meaningful and measurable
  • Document sessions with clients that meets state requirements, is brief but descriptive, and tailored to the most likely audience.
  • Eligible for 6 APT Approved Contact CEs

Fee: $450
Early Bird rate (valid if registered before 12/30): $350

Session 3: What is the Child Doing?  

Saturday, February 21st, 2026- 8:30-3:30  (IN PERSON)

Participants will experience hands-on learning and practice the therapeutic process of experiential play therapy. See from the child’s point of view through the use of metaphorical expression of toys, child responses and actions. Understand and identify developmental expression of needs and body-based expression so you can provide attuned, therapeutic responses that support the healing process.

Training Objectives:

  • Participants will understand the metaphorical meaning of toys in the playroom and the therapeutic importance of toys in the playroom.
  • Identify the 4 ‘S’ – as a tool to provide sensorimotor expression and exploration in the therapeutic process.
  • Describe therapeutic stage of therapy in coordination with client metaphorical actions (ie: this is stupid)
  • Reflect on therapeutic “compass” to understand parallel process as tool for therapeutic processing.
  • Practice how to identify client communication based on developmental and brain based responses.
  • Eligible for 6 APT Approved Contact CEs 

Fee: $450
Early Bird rate (valid if registered before 1/5): $350

Session 4: What am I doing?  

Saturday, March 21st, 2026- 8:30-3:30  (IN PERSON)

Participants will experience hands-on learning and practice of the therapeutic process of experiential play therapy. Understand how to provide therapeutic responses that support healing.  Identify the importance of honoring the child’s story, while creating a safe therapeutic environment.   

Training Objectives:

  • Participants will identify the stages of Experiential Play Therapy and common responses depending on the stage of play.
  • Using the experience to inform the therapeutic process, offering insight into opportunities to provide nurture, validation, or help.
  • Discuss the importance of boundaries for adults and children to maintain and support creating a safe therapeutic space, and when to shift or incorporate additional modalities.
  • Troubleshoot common difficulties that may arise in the work (ie: when to remain quiet, what to do when the child seems to “fall apart”)
  • Eligible for 6 APT Approved Contact CEs

Fee: $450
Early Bird rate (valid if registered before 1/31): $350

Session 5: Working with caregivers  

Saturday, April 18th, 2026- 8:30-3:30  (IN PERSON)

Participants will discuss the importance of caregivers in the therapeutic process of EPT.  Identify when it is helpful to include parents in the playroom, how to help bridge work in the playroom to the parent (caregiver) child relationship to strengthen the caregiver’s protective shield.  Additionally, review some of the modalities for child-parent play therapy, including Child Parent Psychotherapy, Theraplay, Filial, and PCIT. 

Training Objectives:

  • Understanding adult attachment and understanding your relationship with the adults – (step in- step back) which validates the importance of parent only sessions.
  • Participants will identify ways they can understand and learn about the culture of the family and how that can support the relationship so parents feel safe to participate in the therapeutic process.
  • Explore complementary models of family therapy to support the work in EPT.
  • Identify when (if) to include parents in the play therapy session, practice how to use metaphor as a way to support parents seeing from the child’s point of view so they can provide attuned responses.
  • Eligible for 6 APT Approved Contact CEs 

Fee: $450
Early Bird rate (valid if registered before 2/28): $350

DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
  • Register for all 5 training sessions today and get an additional $100 discount!
  • Pay for all 5 sessions today and get an extra 5% discount!
REGISTER NOW

Practicum: Putting EPT Into Action In Person

June 13-14, 2026 and June 20-21, 2026

Fee: $1,600

This training offers participants a hands-on opportunity to experience and practice the principles of Experiential Play Therapy. Participants will begin by building foundational skills through observation of therapeutic techniques, engaging in role plays, and reviewing video recordings of their own practice. These experiential learning activities are designed to deepen understanding and reinforce key concepts

Training Objective:

  • Develop skills to implementing Experiential Play Therapy (EPT)
  • Learn to observe and therapeutically respond to a child’s play
  • Understand how to effectively structure a play therapy session
  • Build competence in working with caregivers and children together within the EPT framework
  • Eligible for 24 APT Approved Contact CEs (pending) 

Diversity and Inclusion

It is important to consider how the meaning, use, and risks of play may vary across different cultures and individual experiences. Additionally, we must recognize and respect the diverse approaches to parenting and caregiving that exist within various cultural contexts. Being mindful of these differences is essential to providing culturally responsive and inclusive play therapy.

Meet your trainers

Annie Hoff, LICSW, RPT-S

Annie Hoff has been working in the mental health field for over 25 years in a variety of settings.  She received her play therapy certification from Kansas City Play Therapy institute and has had the opportunity to work as a play therapist in community mental health centers, private practice and school based services.   Annie has had the privilege of participating in supervision and learning from Dr. Byron Norton for over 13 years.  She is a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Endorsed Infant Mental Health Specialist.

Christine Hensgens, MSW, LICSW, RPT-S, EPT-D

Christine Hensgens has been working in the mental health field for over 25 years in a variety of settings. She received a bachelors degree in Child Psychology and her masters degree in Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She was trained directly by Dr. Byron and Dr. Carol Norton in 2009 and has been consulting with them since. Christine has worked with children and families in multiple settings including home based, outpatient clinics, private practice and therapeutic pre-school. She is experienced and enjoys cross cultural work. She is a Registered Play Therapy Supervisor, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Experiential Play Therapy – Diplomate.

Christine offers supervision for Play Therapy and LICSW licensure. APT Approved Provider 25-789.

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Cancellation refund policy: Cancellations received one month from the start date will receive a full refund, minus a $25 administrative fee. Cancellations received less than 7 days from the start of the course will receive a 50% refund.

Changes Counseling and Wellness Center (CCWC) reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to insufficient enrollment.  CCWC will email workshop participants at least 5 calendar days in advance of the scheduled workshop date to notify students of the cancellation.  Notice will be provided with the option to reschedule for a future course date or to receive a full refund of paid workshop fees.

CCWC reserves the right to cancel a workshop due to inclement weather, instructor illness or instructor family emergency.  If a workshop is canceled, participants will be notified via email prior to the workshop start time.  CCWC will notify the participants of a reschedule date for the workshop within 10 calendar days of the cancelled workshop.  Notice will be provided with the option to reschedule for the future course date or to receive a full refund of the paid workshop fee.

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