BC Play Therapy Association holds workshops throughout the year to help advance the education of Play Therapy Practitioners and related professions. These usually revolve around a specialized speaker teaching a subject of importance to the advancement of play therapy as a therapeutic practice.

6 Non-Contact Continuing Education Hours (NON-Contact CEs/NON-Contact CEUs for APT)

6 LIVE WEBINAR CEs/CEUs for CAPT

For BCPTA credentialing or renewal this training can be counted as 6 Contact CE Credit Hours.

A certificate of completion will be provided based on attendance with your video on throughout the duration of the workshop, and successful completion of a post-test and an evaluation component.

*This online workshop will NOT be recorded*

EARLY BIRD PRICING – Prices are listed at 15% OFF until April 30th, 2025

Integrating Play Therapy and Internal Family Systems: Harnessing the Therapeutic Powers of Play to Heal Trauma in Children

Live ONLINE Workshop

Presented by Carmen Jimenez-Pride, LCSW

6 NON-CONTACT CEs/CEUs for APT

6 LIVE WEBINAR CEs/CEUs for CAPT

For BCPTA registration or renewal this training can be counted as 6 Contact Continuing Education Credit Hours

One-Day Online Workshop

Saturday, May 31st, 2025, 9:00am – 5:00pm (PST)

BCPTA’s AGM will take place during the 1.5 hour lunch break. We would love for you to join us!

A Zoom link will be emailed to you the day before the event

Workshop Description:

Imagine having the skills to address the impact of a child’s traumatic experiences by fostering emotional awareness, reducing reactive behaviors, and nurturing their natural resilience. Children today face an array of challenges, including abuse, neglect, racial trauma, community violence, struggles with sexual identity, and other life-altering events. These experiences can deeply affect a child’s internal system, causing parts of them to carry burdens of pain, shame, fear, and trauma.

This training combines the transformative Internal Family Systems (IFS) model—a non-phase-based approach that recognizes the mind’s natural multiplicity and views all parts as valuable protectors of wounded inner parts—with Play Therapy, a dynamic and creative intervention that uses the therapeutic powers of play to support emotional healing. Play Therapy provides children with a safe space to express feelings, resolve conflicts, and explore their internal world through creativity and expression.

Through the integration of IFS and Play Therapy, children gain a unique opportunity to connect with and understand their internal parts, express the feelings and beliefs tied to those parts, and recognize that others also have parts—encouraging empathy and connection. The therapeutic powers of play enhance this process by facilitating communication, promoting emotional well-being, strengthening social relationships, and building personal resilience.

In this workshop, Carmen will guide us in utilizing Play Therapy techniques alongside the IFS framework to target a child’s protective system, decreasing negative thoughts and problematic behaviors. This powerful combination equips therapists with innovative tools to help children uncover their innate capacity for healing, creativity, and growth.

Learning Objectives:

Identify the core concepts of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model and their application in therapy.
Explain the therapeutic benefits of play therapy in addressing emotional and behavioral challenges.
Differentiate between the roles and characteristics of managers, firefighters, and exiles within a child’s internal system.
Demonstrate an understanding of the therapeutic powers of play therapy by identifying strategies to improve client outcomes during therapeutic services.
Describe the underlying goals of a child’s misbehavior and how they relate to their internal system.
Evaluate the role and needs of the provider when addressing challenges in applying Internal Family Systems within a play therapy setting.
Integrate Internal Family Systems and play therapy concepts to facilitate parts work and improve the child’s overall level of functioning.
Implement play therapy and expressive arts techniques using the Internal Family Systems model in clinical practice.

Who May Benefit From Attending:

Play therapists, children’s counsellors, family therapists, family counsellors, psychologists, social workers, school counsellors, and other mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families may benefit from this training. A basic understanding of play therapy would be beneficial.

About the Presenter:

Carmen Jimenez-Pride is a trailblazing mental health professional, award-winning best-selling author, and the creative mind behind Focus on Feelings®, an emotional literacy program and product line that has transformed the way emotional development is approached in clinical and educational settings. With over 20 years in the mental health field, Carmen’s expertise spans a diverse range of modalities and certifications, including Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, Certified AutPlay® Therapy Provider, Certified EMDR Therapist and Consultant, Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher, Internationally Credentialed Sandtray Therapist Provider, Certified Internal Family Systems Therapist, and IFS Lead Trainer.

As a dynamic and innovative practitioner, Carmen is also a Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator, Certified Daring Way™ Facilitator, and a certified trainer for Training from the Back of the Room, including its Virtual Edition. Her extensive training background includes Brainspotting and Adlerian Play Therapy, equipping her to work effectively with clients across the lifespan, addressing a wide range of concerns through a trauma-informed and culturally responsive lens.

Carmen is a visionary in the therapeutic community, dedicated to creating educational tools and programs that empower clinicians and clients to achieve their goals. She is a sought-after international speaker, business consultant, and an advocate for cultural humility and diversity in mental health care. Through her leadership, Carmen has trained countless clinicians to address racial and cultural trauma in their practices, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and cultural competence.

Her contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous accolades, including the 2021 Association for Play Therapy Emerging Leader Award. She currently serves on the South Carolina Association for Play Therapy Board, EMDR International Association and as the ICST Provider Liaison with the International Sandtray Therapy Association.

Carmen is the founder of Diversity in Play Therapy Inc., an organization committed to advancing equity and representation in play therapy. She is an advocate for empowering clinicians of color and continues to create groundbreaking resources that bridge cultural gaps in mental health.

Carmen’s commitment to excellence and innovation has solidified her as a leading voice in mental health, play therapy, and diversity education.

Click here to learn more about Carmen.

Schedule for the Workshop:

Saturday, May 31st, 2025