Why is attunement the heart of the therapeutic relationship? In this episode, Lisa Dion explores why simply following a script or checklist in play therapy isn’t enough—true transformation happens when we deeply attune to our clients (and ourselves).

🔹 Discover what attunement is—and what it’s not
🔹 Uncover the biggest barriers to attunement in the playroom
🔹 Learn how to create an experience where clients feel emotionally and energetically met
🔹 Gain insights on explaining the felt-sense of attunement to parents and caregivers

Lisa also shares a powerful moment from a play therapy training, illustrating how attunement can reveal critical insights that might otherwise be missed. Whether you're a therapist or a parent, this conversation will deepen your ability to connect, co-regulate, and create meaningful therapeutic exchanges.

🌟 Tune in to transform your sessions and foster deeper, more authentic client connections!

Original Air Date: May 23, 2023

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

In this insightful episode, Lisa Dion is joined by the incredible Robyn Gobbel, MSW, to talk about a topic that has never been covered before on this podcast but is crucial for clinicians working with kids: teaching children about the brain.

Robyn, a true brain enthusiast, has a new book out titled Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors: Brain-Body-Sensory Strategies that Really Work! This powerful resource blends relational neuroscience with practical tools and applications, making it the ultimate guide for parents who want to understand and transform their children's challenging behaviors into safety and connection. After listening to this episode, you’ll want to grab a copy of Robyn’s book—you’ll be hooked!

This episode is packed with fun and engaging insights on how we, as clinicians, can introduce kids to their brains and how this can empower them to understand themselves in a deeper way.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

🧠 Understanding the brain’s impact on behavior—Why it’s essential for us and the kids we work with to understand how the brain drives behaviors.

💫 How Robyn’s own journey with the brain—She shares how learning about the brain changed her life and relationships in profound ways.

🎨 Strategies for teaching the brain to kids—Learn how to introduce kids to their brain using visual aids, and the concept of the Watchdog and Possum pathways to explain brain functions.

🤗 The Owl pathway for safety and connection—How to use this concept to explain the brain’s need for safety, presence, and connection.

🤯 Understanding baffling behaviors—How kids’ challenging behaviors are often rooted in their longing for safety and connection.

👐 Involving caregivers—How to guide caregivers in understanding and recognizing their children’s behaviors from a neurological perspective to improve their relationship and responses. This episode will inspire curiosity in your work, support you in understanding children’s behaviors with compassion, and equip you to help caregivers gain a deeper understanding of their child(ren)'s behavior.

🎧 Listen to this enlightening episode and start teaching kids about their brains today!

Original Air Date: September 26, 2023.

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute

"Every part of us, even the ones we've been taught to reject, holds the potential for growth and healing." – Mili Shoemaker

Aggression in the playroom is a familiar topic—but what happens when it’s not coming from the child, but from within us as therapists? This is a conversation we rarely hear in the play therapy world, yet it’s a reality many therapists silently grapple with. In this eye-opening episode, Lisa sits down with Mili Shoemaker, a seasoned play therapist, Synergetic Play Therapy trainer, and clinical supervisor, to explore what it means when therapists feel their own aggression arise in session.

With honesty and compassion, Lisa and Mili unpack the discomfort, shame, and stigma that often accompany these experiences. They dive into the protective patterns that emerge when we try to suppress these feelings, and how true healing begins when we stop rejecting these parts of ourselves.

Together, Lisa and Mili explore:

✨ The taboo of therapist aggression – Why this conversation is missing in the play therapy world and why it needs to be heard.
✨ Recognizing therapist activation – How to notice when your own history, protective mechanisms, and triggers show up in the playroom.
✨ Befriending aggression – How shifting from judgment to curiosity about our own aggressive parts creates deeper therapeutic presence.
✨ Embodied expression vs. catharsis – Why aggression isn’t something to suppress, but also isn’t about explosive release.
✨ The unmet needs beneath aggression – Understanding what these feelings are signaling and how to meet them with self-compassion.
✨ Breaking free from shame – How to reframe aggression as part of our full humanity rather than something to fear or reject.
✨ Integration and authenticity – Why making space for all parts of ourselves strengthens our ability to hold space for our clients.

This episode is an invitation to step into a conversation that has been long overdue—to acknowledge, explore, and ultimately embrace a part of ourselves that holds the potential for healing and growth.

🔗 Tune in and take the next step toward deeper self-acceptance and authenticity in the playroom.

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💜 Learn More About Synergetic Play Therapy:

👉 Visit our website for courses, resources, and certification opportunities – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com

📚 Explore Our Books: Aggression in Play Therapy – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/books

🎧 Listen to Our Podcast: Lessons from the Playroom – www.synergeticplaytherapy.com/lessons-from-the-playroom/

✨ SPT Foundation: Learn more about it's mission, team and initiatives:

👉 https://synergeticplaytherapy.com/spt-foundation/

🔗 Connect with Us on Social Media:

• Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/synergeticplaytherapy/
• Like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SynergeticPlayTherapyInstitute