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Seminal Theory Series
CBT & Gestalt Play Therapy
December 4, 2026 | Live Zoom Webinar
Discover Our Pop-Culture Infused Seminal Theory Series
The Seminal Theory Series brings together the ten foundational theories that have shaped play therapy, exploring their history, core principles, clinical application, contemporary relevance, and lasting influence on the field - all through engaging pop-culture lenses.
The series will appeal to clinicians who want to strengthen the theoretical foundations behind their work, newer play therapists and students building a broader understanding of the field, experienced practitioners looking to refresh or compare approaches, and anyone who enjoys learning through familiar stories and fandoms. It is especially relevant to therapists working toward the RPT credential.
Join us for a playful tour through the approaches that built the field of play therapy.
First Session
Let the Wild Rumpus Start: Gestalt Play Therapy
With Val Bruno, LPC, RPT-S
Gestalt play therapy, rooted in the humanistic tradition and developed for children by Violet Oaklander, offers a present- centered, experiential approach that honors the child's inner world as the primary site of healing. Using Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" as a pop-culture framework, this two-
hour seminal theory webinar explores how Gestalt play therapy helps children access awareness, make contact with their experience, and restore the natural cycle of emotional expression through creative media, sand tray, storytelling, movement, and the therapeutic relationship.
Participants will examine the historical development and theoretical foundations of Gestalt play therapy, its core concepts including contact, awareness, and projection, mechanisms of therapeutic change, clinical applications, research base, strengths and limitations, and enduring influence on contemporary play therapy. Particular attention will be given to the therapist's stance as caring witness, the use of expressive and projective media, cultural responsiveness, neurodivergent-affirming applications, and the intersection of Gestalt principles with current trauma-informed practice. Oaklander's foundational contribution continues to shape how play therapists understand the relationship between the child's creative expression and the path toward wholeness.
1. Describe the historical development of Gestalt play therapy, including Violet Oaklander's seminal contributions and the clinical and philosophical needs that led to its emergence.
2. Explain at least four core theoretical principles of Gestalt play therapy, including its assumptions about children, play, awareness, contact, therapeutic change, and the therapist's role as caring witness.
3. Identify at least three ways Gestalt play therapy uses creative and expressive media to facilitate awareness, contact, and emotional expression in children and adolescents.
4. Apply Gestalt play therapy concepts to conceptualize a child case by identifying interruptions to contact, opportunities for awareness building, and appropriate expressive and projective interventions.
First Session Learning Objectives
Second Session
Who’s at the Controls? Understanding Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy Through the World of Inside Out
With Maria Laquerre Diego, LMFT, RPT-S
Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT), pioneered by Susan M. Knell, created a developmentally responsive bridge between cognitive-behavioral therapy and the therapeutic powers of play. Using Inside Out as a pop-culture framework, this two-hour seminal theory webinar explores how CBPT helps children access and modify the interconnected processes of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors through play, puppets, storytelling, modeling, rehearsal, and other developmentally appropriate interventions.
Participants will examine the historical development and theoretical foundations of CBPT, its mechanisms of therapeutic change, clinical applications, research base, strengths and limitations, and enduring influence on contemporary play therapy. Particular attention will be given to developmental responsiveness, cultural context, caregiver involvement, and trauma-informed application. Contemporary scholarship continues to describe CBPT as a structured, goal-oriented approach that translates cognitive and behavioral interventions into the developmental language of young children.
Second Session Learning Objectives
1. Describe the historical development of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT), including Susan Knell's seminal contributions and the clinical and developmental needs that led to its emergence.
2. Explain at least four core theoretical principles of CBPT, including its assumptions about children, play, cognition, behavior, therapeutic change, and the therapist's role.
3. Identify at least three ways CBPT uses play to translate cognitive-behavioral principles into developmentally responsive interventions for children.
4. Apply the CBPT cognitive-behavioral model to conceptualize a child case by identifying relationships among situations, cognitions, emotions, behaviors, and consequences.
Details & Registration
Date: Friday,
Time: 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM Mountain Time (See how this translates into your timezone).
Location: Online Zoom Training (MST Timezone)
Pricing:
$110 Full Professional Rate
$85 Mid-Level Professional Rate
$55 Student / Accessible Professional Rate
*Pricing includes CE Certificate
Schedule:
December 4, 2026
8:50
Check In/Sign in
9:00
First Presentation Begins
11:00
30 Minute Break
11:30
Second Presentation Begins
1:30
Presentation Ends
What if I can't make the training live? We've got you covered! With this event, you can register to attend live or for the recording only and watch it whenever it works for you. All registrants will receive access to the recordings, which will be available for 30 days.
Continuing Education Credits: Following successful completion of a post-test with a score of at least 80%, this training will provide:
• 4 NBCC Contact CE Hours if you attend live, and 4 NBCC Non-Contact CE Hours if you attend by recording.
• 4 APT Non-Contact CE Hours. The Association for Play Therapy (APT) classifies both live and recorded webinars as non-contact continuing education, and participants may apply these hours toward RPT™ credentialing requirements.
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. 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.
Presenters
Maria Laquerre Diego, LMFT, RPT-S
A self-proclaimed geek, Maria Laquerre Diego, LMFT, RPT-S, is an internationally recognized expert and leading voice in integrating play and pop culture into clinical practice to make therapy more culturally-responsive and enhance connection in the therapy room.
Her innovative work, featured in national conferences and academic publications, invites therapists to reimagine mental health through the lens of play, fandom, and the Force. She is author of the book chapters published in 2025, “Embracing Geek Play Therapy: A Creative Approach for LGBTQIA+ Individuals” and “Are Villains Even Villains”.
Val Bruno, LPC, RPT-S
Val is a licensed professional counselor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and military veteran with over 15 years of experience specializing in neurodivergent-affirming care, attachment trauma, and child development. She is the owner and clinical director of Willows Counseling, a small private practice in Colorado Springs serving neurodivergent children and families, and the founder and president of NeuroVersed, a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to training, consultation, and community support rooted in neurodivergent-affirming, culturally responsive, and relationally grounded care.
Val holds advanced credentials including Certified Autism Specialist, ADHD Certified Clinical Services Provider, Certified Mental Health & Nutrition Clinical Specialist, and Certified AutPlay® Therapist. She serves as an expert witness in child development and trauma, is a current board member of the Synergetic Play Therapy Foundation, and is a graduate-level counseling educator. In addition to her clinical work, Val provides training, supervision, and consultation to clinicians and community professionals and is a frequent speaker and podcast guest on topics including neurodiversity, self-care, implicit bias, and the intersection of mental health and systems change.
