{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"What is Play Therapy?: An Interview with Ofra Obejas, LCSW","description":"What is Play Therapy?: An Interview with Ofra Obejas, LCSW Curt and Katie interview Ofra Obejas, LCSW, RPT-S, about working with children in therapy. We look at what therapists often get wrong, important factors to understand, specialized training required (including play therapy), and what you actually do in therapy session with children.   Transcripts for this episode will be available at mtsgpodcast.com! An Interview with Ofra Obejas, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist - Supervisor Ofra Obejas, Registered Play Therapist - Supervisor level, is a professional player. She works with elementary- to middle-school aged children. She\u2019s been called by some of her clients a \u201ckid grownup.\u201d (That\u2019s her rapper name.) She\u2019s taught at the University of San Diego Play Therapy program and presents webinars and courses on clinical topics related to children\u2019s issues. In this podcast episode, we talk about Play Therapy We reached out to our friend, Ofra Obejas to talk with us about how to work with kiddos and what additional training is needed to work effectively with children. What do therapists get wrong when working with children? Treating children like mini-adults Not understanding the skill involved in play therapy What are important factors for therapists to understand when working with children? \u201cIt\u2019s more scary to the children when the adult is incongruent and not showing their true feelings. It's less scary to see somebody angry than it is to see somebody pretending that they're not angry, but they are.\u201d \u2013 Ofra Obejas, LCSW Children have a different culture (i.e., the tooth fairy is real) The therapist\u2019s role as translator for what children are saying Children will make you feel what they feel (e.g., powerlessness, never getting anything right) The importance of showing feelings to children as a therapist (versus remaining a blank slate) What do you do with children in therapy sessions? Psychodrama and re-enacting situations Therapists can use any theoretical orientation Ways to interact with the child Paying attention to transference and countertransference Case conceptualization, including family therapy and work with parents What specialized training is most effective for working with children? \u201cSo, what is the therapy on a bumper sticker? If you had to put it in three words, it's notice it, sit with it, and make meaning of it. Or in an experiential [play therapy] model, it's: you observe it, you name it, and then you model how to cope with it.\u201d \u2013 Ofra Obejas, LCSW There are specialized protocols for working with children with many different orientations Identifying which orientation suits you How to understand what is being reenacted and how to respond: Notice it, sit with it, make meaning of it; Observe it, name it, model how to cope with it What boundaries should therapists set when working with children and families? Unit of treatment (family, individual, who was showing up to the session?) Treatment goals (what are we working on?) What children are allowed to do in the session Interactions with caregivers and the responsibilities caregivers have during sessions What does online therapy look like with children? The challenges with working with children online Online sand tray, online dollhouse, online puppet theater Creating a virtual play room New trainings for VR therapy for children Watching children play video games online How has the pandemic impacted children? This was dependent on how well parents were able to self-regulate and stay within the window of tolerance (was there someone who could help the child to regulate) Lack of socialization and difficulty in having conversations Our Generous Sponsors for this episode of the Modern Therapist\u2019s Survival Guide: Thrizer Thrizer is a new modern billing platform for therapists that was built on the belief that therapy should be accessible AND clinicians should earn what they are worth. Their platform automatically gets clients reimbursed by their insurance after every session. Just by billing your clients through Thrizer, you can potentially save them hundreds every month, with no extra work on your end. Every time you bill a client through Thrizer, an insurance claim is automatically generated and sent directly to the client's insurance. From there, Thrizer provides concierge support to ensure clients get their reimbursement quickly, directly into their bank account. By eliminating reimbursement by check, confusion around benefits, and obscurity with reimbursement status, they allow your clients to focus on what actually matters rather than worrying about their money. It is very quick to get set up and it works great in completement with EHR systems. Their team is super helpful and responsive, and the founder is actually a long-time therapy client who grew frustrated with his reimbursement times The best part is you don't need to give up your rate. They charge a standard 3% payment processing fee! Thrizer lets you become more accessible while remaining in complete control of your practice. A better experience for your clients during therapy means higher retention. Money won't be the reason they quit on therapy. Sign up using bit.ly\/moderntherapists if you want to test Thrizer completely risk free! Sign up for Thrizer with code 'moderntherapists' for 1 month of no credit card fees or payment processing fees! That\u2019s right - you will get one month of no payment processing fees, meaning you earn 100% of your cash rate during that time. Simplified SEO Consulting Have you spent countless hours trying to get your website just right and yet, it's not showing up on Google and it doesn't seem like anyone's able to find it? Simplified SEO Consulting has a unique solution. They've been training therapists to optimize their websites, so they show up better on Google for the past 4 years. But let's face it, with the busy schedules we all keep it can be hard to find the time to optimize your website even when you learn how. So, they are hosting a 16-day cruise in July 2023 going from LA to Hawaii and back. When you join them, you'll get intensive SEO education and coaching during the 10 days at sea. Most importantly, you'll have plenty of time to sit next to the pool and implement everything you've learned and then ask their team for feedback. Yes, it's the perfect excuse for a Hawaii vacation. But it's also a time to both learn about SEO and actually implement what you learn. The upcoming cruise is a unique opportunity to learn to optimize your own website, have time to practice what you learn and the ability to get feedback from leading SEO professionals in our field. To reserve your spot before it fills up, go to https:\/\/simplifiedseoconsulting.com\/training-cruise-for-better-seo\/  Resources for Modern Therapists mentioned in this Podcast Episode: We\u2019ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links. Please note that some of the links below may be affiliate links, so if you purchase after clicking below, we may get a little bit of cash in our pockets. We thank you in advance! Ofra Obejas\u2019 website: redondovillagecounseling.com Ofra on YouTube UCSD - Play Therapy Program Relevant Episodes of MTSG Podcast: How Therapists Can Really Help Kids Who Are Being Bullied Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health: An interview with Dr. Barbara Stroud What is Parental Alienation and How Can Therapists Successfully Treat it? Rage and Client Self-Harm: An interview with Angela Caldwell, LMFT Let\u2019s Talk About Race: An interview with Stevon Lewis, LMFT   Who we are: Curt Widhalm, LMFT Curt Widhalm is in private practice in the Los Angeles area. He is the cofounder of the Therapy Reimagined conference, an Adjunct Professor at Pepperdine University and CSUN, a former Subject Matter Expert for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, former CFO of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, and a loving husband and father. He is 1\/2 great person, 1\/2 provocateur, and 1\/2 geek, in that order. He dabbles in the dark art of making "dad jokes" and usually has a half-empty cup of coffee somewhere nearby. Learn more at: www.curtwidhalm.com Katie Vernoy, LMFT Katie Vernoy is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, coach, and consultant supporting leaders, visionaries, executives, and helping professionals to create sustainable careers. Katie, with Curt, has developed workshops and a conference, Therapy Reimagined, to support therapists navigating through the modern challenges of this profession. Katie is also a former President of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. In her spare time, Katie is secretly siphoning off Curt's youthful energy, so that she can take over the world. Learn more at: www.katievernoy.com A Quick Note: Our opinions are our own. We are only speaking for ourselves \u2013 except when we speak for each other, or over each other. We\u2019re working on it. Our guests are also only speaking for themselves and have their own opinions. We aren\u2019t trying to take their voice, and no one speaks for us either. Mostly because they don\u2019t want to, but hey. Stay in Touch with Curt, Katie, and the whole Therapy Reimagined #TherapyMovement: Patreon Buy Me A Coffee Podcast Homepage Therapy Reimagined Homepage Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube   Consultation services with Curt Widhalm or Katie Vernoy: The Fifty-Minute Hour Connect with the Modern Therapist Community: Our Facebook Group \u2013 The Modern Therapists Group Modern Therapist\u2019s Survival Guide Creative Credits: Voice Over by DW McCann https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/McCannDW\/ Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano https:\/\/groomsymusic.com\/ ","author_name":"The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy","author_url":"https:\/\/therapyreimagined.com\/podcast\/","html":"