More than Mean: Understanding and Treating Bullying in the Playroom

Service Description

Bullying is one of the most common reasons children come through our doors, and one of the least talked-about topics in play therapy training. This full-day continuing education training is designed to change that. More Than Mean is a 6.5-hour, in-person training for licensed play therapists and graduate-level interns who want a real clinical toolkit for working with both sides of the bullying dynamic: the child who is being hurt, and the child who is doing the hurting. Both children deserve thoughtful, research-grounded care. This training builds the skills to provide it. What you will learn: Participants will leave with a clear understanding of all six recognized types of bullying, including relational and covert bullying, cyberbullying, sexual bullying, and identity-based bullying, alongside current prevalence data and the documented mental health and neurological effects of chronic victimization. The training addresses both children directly: specific in-room play therapy skills for bullied children, a trauma-informed approach to children who bully grounded in the ACEs research, and a dedicated module on cyberbullying that covers what makes it clinically distinct and what the research currently supports for intervention. You will also leave with practical tools beyond the playroom: parent psychoeducation strategies for both sides of the bullying dynamic, school consultation principles, and developmentally appropriate skills to teach directly to older clients ages 8 to 14. How it is structured: The day combines didactic content with experiential learning, skills practice in pairs and triads, small-group case consultation, and time for self-of-the-therapist reflection. All content is grounded in peer-reviewed research, and where the evidence is still developing, we say so. This training qualifies for 6.5 post-graduate play therapy continuing education hours through Empowered Play, APT Approved Provider #25-799.