Theraplay®: An Attachment-Based Play Therapy Approach for Enhancing Regulation and Relational Connection
Karen Doyle Buckwalter
LCSW, RPT-S
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Session Description
Session Description
Theraplay® is an evidence-based, attachment-focused play therapy intervention designed to enhance connection, regulation, and relational safety between children and their caregivers. Grounded in attachment theory, neurodevelopment, and interpersonal neurobiology, Theraplay emphasizes playful, nurturing, structured, and engaging interactions to support healthy relational development. This one-day workshop offers play therapists an introduction to the core concepts and clinical applications of Theraplay within individual, family, and group play therapy contexts.
Participants will be introduced to the four essential dimensions of Theraplay—Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge—and how these dimensions address developmental gaps, relational disruptions, and emotional regulation difficulties in play therapy clients. Through video examples, live demonstrations, experiential activities, and case discussions, attendees will gain a practical understanding of how Theraplay interventions can be integrated into existing play therapy frameworks.
The workshop will explore how Theraplay supports children with attachment disruptions, trauma histories, anxiety, behavioral challenges, and difficulties with self-regulation. Participants will also learn strategies for involving caregivers as active agents of change, strengthening the parent-child relationship as the foundation for therapeutic progress. By the end of the workshop, play therapists will leave with concrete tools, increased confidence, and a foundational understanding of Theraplay principles that can be immediately applied to their play therapy clinical work. This workshop is suitable for clinicians new to Theraplay as well as those seeking to enrich their play therapy practice with attachment-based, experiential interventions.
Primary Area: Play Therapy Seminal or Historically Significant Theories
Play Therapy Competencies Addressed: Competency 2 (Clinical Play Therapy Skills)
Theoretical Basis: Attachment
In-Person Workshop Scheduled:
9:00-10:30 am Session
10:30-10:45 am BREAK
10:45-12:15 pm Session
12:15-1:15 pm LUNCH BREAK
1:15-2:45 pm Session
2:45-3:00 pm BREAK
3:00-4:30 pm Session
Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
1. Identify the theoretical foundations of Theraplay®, including attachment theory and developmental principles.
2. Describe the four core dimensions of Theraplay: Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge.
3. Explain how Theraplay interventions support attachment security and emotional regulation for children in teh playroom.
4. Demonstrate the ability to select Theraplay-informed interventions appropriate to your play therapy clinical goals.
5. Describe strategies for involving caregivers as active participants in the play therapy therapeutic process.
6. Identify ethical and culturally responsive considerations relevant to the use of Theraplay in play therapy practice.
Brief Bio
Brief Bio
Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S is an Author, Teacher, Podcaster, Psychotherapist and Consultant.
Karen has been a Certified Theraplay® Trainer and Supervisor since 2000 and is also a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.™ She provides training, consultation and supervision services to agencies and individuals in the U.S. and across the world. In addition, she is trained in many other types of therapy including Child-Centered Play Therapy, Sandtray Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy(DDP), Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Video Intervention Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). In addition, she completed a 2-year post-masters Marriage and Family Therapy Training Program at Menninger Clinic.
Her clinical specialty areas include working with attachment disruptions, complex trauma, and adoption and foster care-related issues. Having completed the 2-week Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) Institute in 2007, she has a special interest in the clinical use of the AAI and the intergenerational transmission of attachment in adoption dyads as measured by the AAI.
She has authored peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and articles featured in Adoption Today and Fostering Families Today magazines. Her first book, Attachment Theory in Action, edited with Debbie Reed released in 2017. Her second book, Raising the Challenging Child, co-authored with Debbie Reed and Wendy Lyons Sunshine released in 2020.
Questions?
Questions?
Please contact the Office of School and Community Partnerships at oscp-coed@charlotte.edu if you have any questions.
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