Play therapists assess and support psychological challenges through the healing power of play. As children increasingly inhabit digital worlds, video games and virtual platforms have become core spaces where identity, creativity, and relationships take shape. This training invites play therapists to bridge foundational play therapy concepts, including symbolism, metaphor, and the Therapeutic Powers of Play, into the digital environments where today’s clients naturally play, express themselves, and connect with others.

Play therapists will explore how avatars can function as extensions of self and others, offering rich insight into identity development, social connection, and the projective processes that emerge in digital play. The training will examine the significance of video game genres, player styles, and digital choices in play therapy treatment. Through didactic exploration, experiential activities, and discussion, play therapists will obtain practical strategies for incorporating video games into play therapy when clients bring them into the therapeutic space and deepen their understanding of how the same game can be played in profoundly different ways by different children, revealing individualized themes, needs, and internal experiences. Play therapists will deepen their understanding of digital play as a meaningful play therapy space and enhance skills in interpreting digital play, integrating video games therapeutically within play therapy, and meeting children where they are within the dynamic and culturally relevant worlds they inhabit.

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

• Analyze therapeutic themes, symbolic expressions, and projective elements that arise in children’s video game play to inform play therapy case conceptualization and clinical decision-making.
• Demonstrate developmentally sensitive and ethically sound methods for incorporating video game content into play therapy sessions when introduced by clients.
• Evaluate variations in children’s digital play behaviors, including avatar creation, genre engagement, and in-game choices, to enhance accuracy in assessment and play therapy treatment planning.

SCHEDULE

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Understanding Digital Play Through Play Therapy

• Exploring digital play as a meaningful form of play therapy expression
• Connecting symbolism, metaphor, and the Therapeutic Powers of Play to gaming
• Understanding avatars as potential extensions of self and others
• Exploring identity, creativity, relationships, and social connection in digital play
• Recognizing developmental and individual differences in children's gaming experiences
• Foundations for ethically incorporating digital play into play therapy

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM

Break

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Integrating Video Games Into Play Therapy

• Exploring avatars, game genres, player styles, and in-game choices
• Identifying symbolic and projective themes within digital play
• Examining how the same game may reflect different themes and experiences across children
• Practical strategies for incorporating video game content into play therapy
• Using experiential activities and case examples to explore digital play
• Connecting observations of digital play to play therapy assessment and treatment planning
• Meeting children where they are within culturally relevant digital environments

12:00 PM – 12:15 PM

Questions, Discussion, and Wrap-Up

About the Presenter:

Dr. Rachel Altvater (Psy.D., RPT-S ™) is a multi-award winning, pioneering expert, leader, researcher, international trainer, author, and supervisor in the field of play therapy. She is a licensed psychologist and holds national certifications as a Registered Play Therapist–Supervisor™ and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. She is the owner of Creative Psychological Health Services, past president of the Maryland/DC Association for Play Therapy, editorial advisory board member for the International Journal of Play Therapy ® , Board of Directors member for the Foundation for Play Therapy, clinical advisory board member for PlaySpace, and clinical consultant for Hopscotch. Dr. Altvater authored the book Perspective: Contemplating the Complexities of Our Realities , published her research in the International Journal of Play Therapy ® on technology use in play therapy, and is a contributing author in numerous scholarly texts on implementing digital technologies in play therapy practice.