Therapeutic Dungeons & Dragons
for Therapeutic Healers
Have you forgotten the power of play?
Step out of the therapy world and enter a fantasy one!
No experience necessary!
Dungeons & Dragons for Therapeutic Healers
KPop Demon Hunters:
Healing Through Harmony
KPop Demon Hunters:
A Play Therapy & Mental Health Webinar Series
Whether you’re a K-pop fan or not, you’ve probably heard of the animated musical sensation K-Pop Demon Hunters. Since its June release, the film has topped global Netflix charts with over 33 million views, while its two fictional bands - Huntr/x and Saja Boys - hold the top spots on Spotify’s U.S. charts.
But beyond the catchy songs and high-energy fight sequences, K-Pop Demon Hunters is rich with therapeutic potential. Its characters and storylines open the door to powerful conversations about identity, belonging, emotional labor, grief, resilience, and the search for voice - all themes that resonate deeply in play therapy spaces. And if your clients haven’t brought it up yet, they likely will.
In this two-part play therapy webinar series, you’ll learn how to translate this fandom-fueled phenomenon into practical, developmentally attuned interventions. Through an Adlerian Play Therapy lens, we’ll explore music, metaphor, and narrative as tools for self-expression, emotional modulation, insight, and connection. You’ll see how to use sandtray, lyric journaling, art, movement, and storytelling to address issues from shame and marginalization to burnout and group dynamics.
You don’t need to know the film or the music ahead of time; we’ll walk you through everything. Whether you work with children, teens, families, or adults, you’ll leave with adaptable, creative, trauma-informed strategies that meet clients where they are… and maybe even discover your own new favorite playlist along the way.
What to Expect
This series blends pop culture insight with play therapy practice. You’ll get:
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Play-based and expressive interventions for kids, teens, and young adults
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Lyric and metaphor tools for narrative therapy, parts work, and identity exploration
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Creative worksheets, music-inspired activities, and symbolic play prompts
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A trauma-informed, inclusive lens for working with clients who connect through fandom
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No required viewing; we’ll explain the key scenes, lyrics, and symbolism you need.
“Our music ignites the soul and brings people together.”
— Celine, KPop Demon Hunters
Webinar 1, Friday, August 22
Ghost to Gold: Rumi's Journey of Voice, Belonging and Identity through Play Therapy
Rumi, the half-demon lead singer of K-Pop Demon Hunters, loses her voice at the height of her career, a striking metaphor for identity loss, invisibility, and the struggle to reclaim personal power. Through an Adlerian Play Therapy lens, we’ll explore belonging, significance, private logic, and the Crucial Cs, using her journey as a framework for client work around shame, marginalization, and self-acceptance.
Drawing from two pivotal songs - “Golden,” and “Takedown,” - we’ll connect lyrics and performance to themes of empowerment, emotional drain, and transformation. Using the Therapeutic Powers of Play, including Self-expression, Emotional Modulation, Insight, Catharsis, and Access to the Unconscious, participants will learn music-infused, metaphor-rich interventions such as lyric journaling, movement, sandtray, and art.
You’ll leave with adaptable tools for children, teens, families, and adults that honor each client’s story, amplify resilience, and help them find, and keep, their voice.
Learning Objectives:
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Identify at least three Adlerian play therapy concepts (encouragement, belonging, private logic) reflected in the film’s songs and character arcs, and explain their relevance to identity formation across the lifespan.
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Demonstrate two lyric-based Adlerian play interventions to promote emotional regulation, self-expression, and insight in both child and adult clients.
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Integrate the Therapeutic Powers of Play (such as emotional modulation, catharsis, and self-expression) into music- and art-based activities that foster identity exploration and social connection.
“How am I to fix the world, fix me, when I don’t have my voice?”
- Rumi, KPop Demon Hunters
Webinar 2, Friday, August 29
The Play of Shadows: Burnout, Sacrifice, and Emotional Resilience in Groups
HUNTR/X fights demons while performing, a powerful metaphor for the invisible battles many clients face daily. Through an Adlerian Play Therapy lens, we’ll explore masking, protector parts, performance fatigue, and the toll of unseen emotional labor, connecting these experiences to the Crucial Cs and Life Tasks.
Using Jinu’s redemption arc and the group’s shared grief, we’ll address betrayal, rupture, and ambiguous loss. Through Therapeutic Powers of Play, such as Emotional Modulation, Self-expression, Insight, and Social Connection, you’ll learn shadow work, narrative repair, and attachment mapping using sandtray, music, and storytelling.
Participants will leave with creative interventions that honor both the weight and resilience in clients’ stories, fostering belonging, courage, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Learning Objectives:
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Apply Adlerian role exploration strategies to address emotional labor, burnout, and the impact of social roles on self-concept for clients of all ages with play therapy techniques.
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Use symbolic play techniques (e.g., sandtray, narrative repair, role-play) to process grief, betrayal, and themes of sacrifice while promoting resilience and dignity.
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Reframe discouraging beliefs into encouragement through play therapy based activities that build social interest, mutual respect, and a sense of contribution to one’s community.
“Focus is good, but focusing on one part leads to ignoring other parts, making you separated, isolated.”
— Healer Han, KPop Demon Hunters
Presenter
A self-described geek, Maria Laquerre-Diego, LMFT, RPT-S is a CEO and Owner who is committed to increasing access to mental health services and breaking down the stigma surrounding therapy services. As a therapist turned CEO, Maria has developed a unique perspective when it comes to mental health and the barriers surrounding mental health treatment. Influenced by her time at New Mexico State University in the Family and Consumer Science department, and University of New Hampshire’s Marriage and Family Therapy department, Maria has turned her dedication to giving back and supporting future generations of therapists.
In addition to supporting mental health providers, Maria takes an active role in addressing the continued stigma of mental health services through the use of pop culture – everything from movies and television shows to superheroes and Disney characters. Maria has spoken about mental health at several local events, has served as an officer on professional boards and has provided training to clinicians all over the country.
"No More Hiding, I'll Be Shining, Like I'm Born To Be"
- Rumi, KPop Demon Hunters
Details & Registration
Dates and Times:
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Friday, August 22, 08:30 AM – 11:30 AM, Ghost to Gold: Rumi's Journey of Voice Belonging and Identify through Play Therapy
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Friday, August 29, 08:30 AM – 11:30 AM, The Play of Shadows: Burnout, Sacrifice, and Emotional Resilience in Groups
Cost: $50 per webinar, which include 3 CEs each.
Location: Online Zoom Training (MST Timezone).
Do I have to sign up for all the sessions? And will recordings be sent?
You can sign up for both or just one of the webinars. Attend live or watch the recordings whenever it works for you. All registrants will receive access to the recordings, which will be available for 30 days.
Of note: If you are attending the online training live, it is required that you have your video on and are actively participating in order to earn the offered CEs. Please do not engage in other activities while in this training including driving, driving through for that coffee fix, or rearranging your closet - this training requires your attention and engagement. You will receive an email with the Zoom link and any handouts the day prior to the training.
Each webinar will provide 3 CE Credits (if you attend by watching the on-demand recording this will require successful completion of a post-test). A New Hope Therapy Center, our sister organization and partner for trainings and workshops, is an Approved Provider for the Association for Play Therapy (APT) - Approved Provider 20-631; Maria Laquerre-Diego is an Approved Provider for the NM Counseling and Therapy Practice Board CCE020981; and A New Hope Academy has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7816. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. A New Hope Academy is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
No events at the moment
Register for Part 1 On-Demand
“The memories. I want them erased.” – Jinu
- Jinu, KPop Demon Hunters