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You're 20 minutes into a play therapy session. The child is in it — deep in the sandtray, the story, the metaphor. And then, without warning, they bail. Silliness. A different toy. A total tonal 180.
If you've ever second-guessed yourself in that moment — wondered if you lost the thread, if they're avoiding, if the work "didn't land" — this episode is for you.
That shift isn't resistance. It isn't disengagement. It's regulation happening in real time.
A child's nervous system was never built to sustain 45 straight minutes in emotional intensity — and clinicians who miss this often misread the most important therapeutic moment in the room.
In this week's podcast for play therapists and child therapists, we're unpacking:
✅ Why the exit out of deep affect is a nervous-system-driven event, not a client "resisting the work"
✅ How to distinguish regulation-seeking behavior from true avoidance or disengagement in session
✅ What this means for pacing, containment, and how you structure session flow around a child's window of tolerance
✅ How to track these shifts clinically — and use them as data, not disruption
This is a working conversation for play therapists who want to sharpen their read on nervous system cues in the playroom and stop treating natural regulatory rhythm as a problem to manage.
This is also one small piece of what we go deeper on inside Play Therapy Elevation CIRCLE — my community for play therapists who want ongoing case consultation, clinical skill-building, and support that goes beyond a single play therapy training.
More on that soon — for now, come learn, bring your questions, and let's dig into the work together.
Join my free Facebook Community Play and Expressive Arts Therapy Playground.
Check out my free resources for mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families who want to integrate play therapy and expressive arts into their clinical work.
I work with individuals and agencies to develop successful strategies and meet the treatment needs of your child and adolescent clients and their families using play therapy & expressive arts.
Contact me to schedule a free 30-minute video call if you're ready to level up your skills
