Naturalistic and Play Activities in Family Reunification Following Trauma

Family systems are often faced with the need for reunification services due to a myriad of circumstances following some form of trauma or adverse childhood experience. Such events include but are not limited to parental domestic violence or substance abuse within the home, childhood abuse or maltreatment, and complicated high-conflict custody disputes. This workshop will illustrate how play therapy techniques within and beyond the confines of the office can help families re-establish the interpersonal security and natural connection necessary for successful reunification after family trauma. The presenter will share how therapeutic interventions within family’s own community can be leveraged to create a multi-faceted reunification intervention. The underlying developmental, neurobiological, and psychological processes in this reunification intervention model will be explored through the lens of attachment, trauma, and social engagement theory.

Objectives:

• Increase understanding of underlying developmental, neurobiological, and psychological processes in parent-child relational repair following trauma.
• Identify play therapy interventions that can be utilized by family therapists engaged in parent-child reunification. 
• Become aware of how naturalistic play settings address trauma and rebuild trust in parent-child relationships.

Originally recorded at IVAT's 25th San Diego International Virtual Summit