How can clinicians help children move from knowing coping skills to using them during difficult moments? This experiential training explores how core principles and skills from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can be integrated into developmentally responsive play therapy. Participants will explore dialectical thinking, validation, mindfulness, emotion regulation—including the cycle of emotions—distress tolerance, radical acceptance, and interpersonal effectiveness. Case examples and play-based demonstrations will illustrate behavioral chain analysis, the DBT house activity, and strategies for addressing therapy-interfering behaviors. Participants will practice adapting skills through puppets, expressive activities, and therapeutic games while considering caregiver involvement and skill use beyond the playroom. Current literature and its limitations will inform discussion of this emerging integration.
Participants in this training will:
1. Explain how dialectical thinking, validation, and the balance of acceptance and change inform the integration of DBT skills into play therapy.
2. Demonstrate at least three developmentally appropriate play therapy interventions targeting mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, or interpersonal effectiveness.
3. Apply behavioral chain analysis to a child case example to identify emotion-cycle components, therapy-interfering patterns, and at least two intervention points for skill practice in play therapy session and for parent support.