Getting Unstuck: Integrating Play Therapy & ERP for Pediatric OCD
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Play Therapy Training
APT Approved Provider 15-439
“Getting Unstuck: Integrating Play Therapy & ERP for Pediatric OCD”
In a small group so that you have time for practice and questions!
Friday, November 6, 2026
9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Presented by: Meg Clark Soriano, LPC, ACS, RPT-S, RST-C/T
In-Person Training:
Center for Counseling and Education, LLC
50 S. Maple Ave. Marlton, NJ 08053
Training Fee: $175
6 Contact Play Therapy CEs
APT Approved Provider #15-439
This program is approved to provide 6 contact APT and NBCC CEs
Center for Counseling and Education, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7528. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Center for Counseling and Education, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
APT Approved Provider 15-439
Program Description:
Are you tired of “talking circles” with anxious children who are stuck in the grip of OCD? Does the “gold standard” of treatment—Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)—feel too clinical or intimidating for your younger clients?
It’s time to move from the lecture hall to the Bravery Lab.
Join us for a dynamic, highly interactive virtual workshop designed to bridge the gap between evidence-based OCD treatment and the directive world of Systemic Play Therapy Interventions. Learn how to demystify the neurobiology of anxiety, transform terrifying exposures into playful “Bravery Challenges,” and help children tolerate distress without giving in to compulsions.
What You Will Learn:
- The Neurobiology of the False Alarm: How to explain the brain’s hyper-sensitive smoke detector to kids and parents using concrete, shame-free metaphors.
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Externalization Mastery: Using structured play therapy assessment techniques, art, and storytelling to separate the child’s true identity from the intrusive alarm signals.
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The Gamified Hierarchy: Transforming the standard fear ladder into an interactive, child-friendly “Alarm Volume Scale” that children collaborate on creating.
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Experiential ERP in the Playroom: Hands-on virtual practice designing directive play therapy interventions (like sensory games and purposeful “glitches”) that build inhibitory learning.
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Systemic Parent Coaching: Actionable strategies to help caregivers step down as “emergency responders” who feed the rituals, transitioning them into effective home bravery coaches.
Who Should Attend:
Psychologists, LCSWs, LPCs, School Counselors, and Registered Play Therapists looking to deepen their expertise in treating pediatric anxiety and OCD.
Stop fighting the “Worry Monster” alone. Come learn how to help your clients outsmart their OCD through the power of play!
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this 6-hour training, participants will be able to:
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- Differentiate pediatric OCD from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), ADHD, and Autism in play therapy clients.
- Assess and categorize pediatric OCD symptoms into four major subtypes (Contamination, Responsibility/Harm, Scrupulosity, and Symmetry/Just-Right) using directive play therapy assessment techniques, including externalizing the “Worry Monster” through art and storytelling.
- Construct a gamified “Bravery Hierarchy” that utilizes play therapy principles and child-friendly, experiential metaphors.
- Implement at least three “Alarm-Testing” inhibitory learning techniques using directive play therapy interventions to help children tolerate distress without engaging in neutralizing compulsions.
- Design age-appropriate Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) interventions that incorporate play therapy modalities (e.g., sensory play and games) to increase engagement and tolerance of false anxiety signals.
- Formulate a parent-coaching plan that utilizes systemic play therapy interventions to collaboratively identify and reduce family accommodation (reassurance and ritual participation), helping caregivers transition from “emergency responders” to bravery coaches.
Registration fee: $175
Registration may be canceled with a full refund (minus credit card processing fees and a $25 administrative fee) by contacting info@cfcenj.com with this request a minimum of 30 days before Day 1 of the workshop series.