Two-Day In-Person Training

May 14–15, 2026

Day 1: Superheroes & Pop Culture in Narrative Play Therapy and Positive Psychology

Day 2: Let’s Build Together! LEGO®-Based Play Therapy

Presented by: Sophia Ansari, LCPC, LPCC, RPT

Location: North Central College | Naperville, IL

Two-day and individual-day registration options available.

Registration & Pricing

Two-Day Registration

  • Early Bird: $295
    Early Bird pricing available through February 15, 2026.

  • Regular: $345

Student Rate

  • $265 – Two-Day Registration

  • $145 – Single-Day Registration

To receive the student rate registration code, please email Let’s Play Therapy Institute at:
[email protected]


Group Discounts Available

Bringing a team or colleagues? Group discounts are available for groups of 3 or more. Please contact us prior to registering for group pricing details.



Single-Day Registration

  • $195 per day
    Early Bird pricing does not apply to single-day registration. 

  • Individual day registration links are listed below.

Program Description (Day 1):

Superheroes & Pop Culture in Narrative Play Therapy and Positive Psychology

Once upon a time, a blanket could become a cape, the living room couch could turn into a launchpad and the world felt full of heroic possibilities. 

Superheroes invite us into stories where bravery, struggle and transformation take center stage. These imaginative worlds do not stay in childhood. They grow with us, offering powerful metaphors for understanding fear, loss, identity and resilience across the lifespan.

Superhero and pop culture stories create a magical “in-between space” where clients can safely explore big emotions without feeling overwhelmed. By stepping into the shoes of a hero, sidekick, or even a villain, clients gain distance from their own experiences while uncovering strengths they may not yet recognize in themselves.

This playful, hands-on workshop invites clinicians to reconnect with imagination and curiosity. Through creative play therapy interventions, storytelling and strengths-based approaches rooted in Positive Psychology, participants will learn how to integrate superheroes and pop culture into the therapy room in ways that feel both joyful and meaningful. 

Expect to play, reflect and create while gathering practical tools you can immediately use in your clinical work. By the end of the workshop, you may just find yourself believing again that everyone carries a superhero inside them, waiting to be discovered.

Objectives:

1. Describe the historical use of superheroes and pop culture narratives in play therapy and counseling, including key pioneers and evidence supporting their effectiveness in therapy.

2. Discuss common themes such as grief, trauma, PTSD, substance use, identity, and resilience found in popular superhero and pop culture stories.

3. Apply creative play therapy interventions that utilize superhero mythology and narrative techniques to support emotional expression and meaning-making.

4. Utilize Positive Psychology principles, including the VIA Character Strengths Survey, to develop strengths-based play therapy interventions using pop culture media.

5. Demonstrate strengths-based therapeutic strategies that help clients identify and utilize character strengths through superhero and pop culture symbolism.

6. Apply mindfulness and self-compassion techniques using superhero and pop culture themes in developmentally appropriate play therapy practice.


Meets RPT Credentialing Standards for: 

✔ Seminal or Historically Significant Theories

✔ Skills and Methods

✔ Special Topics

✔ Cultural & Social Diversity Topics

Program Description (Day 2):

Let’s Build Together! LEGO®-Based Play Therapy

LEGO® play speaks a universal language. With a handful of bricks, imagination takes shape, stories come to life and endless possibilities emerge. What may begin as simple play quickly becomes an expressive art form, inviting builders of all ages to create, deconstruct and rebuild worlds that reflect their inner experiences. LEGO® awakens the inner architect, problem solver and storyteller, offering a powerful pathway for creativity, flexibility and transformation.

In the play therapy room, LEGO® becomes much more than a toy. It provides a hands-on, engaging medium for strengthening relationships, exploring emotions, enhancing problem-solving skills and fostering connection and resilience. Through building and storytelling, clients can safely express thoughts and feelings that may be difficult to put into words.

This experiential and playful workshop explores the therapeutic magic of LEGO® in play therapy with children, adolescents and adults. Participants will discover how LEGO® can be used in both directive and non-directive play therapy interventions across theoretical approaches. Through creativity, metaphor and shared building experiences, clinicians will leave with practical tools to engage clients, support communication, build self-esteem  and promote well-being, one brick at a time.

Objectives:

1. Describe the theoretical foundations and emerging empirical support for the use of LEGO® in play therapy.

2. Discuss various models that incorporate LEGO®, including Positive Psychology, LEGO® Serious Play® and LEGO®-Based Therapy.

3. Identify 5-6 play therapy interventions that incorporate LEGO®.

4. Utilize LEGO® in both non-directive and directive play therapy interventions across a variety of theoretical approaches.

5. Apply the use of metaphor with LEGO® in play therapy sessions.

6. Develop team-building skills through experiential group exercises that can be applied in family and group play therapy sessions.


Meets RPT Credentialing Standards for: 

✔ Skills and Methods

✔ Special Topics

✔ Seminal or Historically Significant Theories

Continuing Education Information:

Let’s Play Therapy Institute is an APT Approved Provider 20-609. This program has been approved for 12.0 APT Contact CE hours (6.0 CE hours each day). Play therapy credit may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. Please note that the Association for Play Therapy (APT) alone holds the right to accept or deny any continuing education training at its discretion. 

Let’s Play Therapy Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7179. This program offers 12.0 NBCC CE hours (6.0 CE hours each day).  Let’s Play Therapy Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

                          

Can’t attend both days? Individual day registration is available for each workshop. View Day 1 or Day 2 options below.

Schedule for Both Days:

9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

  • 9:00–10:30 Workshop

  • 10:30–10:45 Break

  • 10:45–12:15 Workshop

  • 12:15–1:15 Lunch

  • 1:15–2:45 Workshop

  • 2:45–3:00 Break

  • 3:00–4:30 Workshop

Policies & Disclosures

  • Target Audience & Level

    Graduate level mental health students & licensed mental health practitioners. This seminar is an BEGINNER level course. This workshop is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors. Play therapy credit may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.

  • Continuing Education Certificate

    Participants will be required to complete an evaluation immediately upon conclusion of the workshop to receive a certificate. The CE certificate is awarded to those who attend the entire webinar. It is the responsibility of each professional to check with their state or national licensing board to obtain continuing education credit for this seminar. Most state and national licensing boards will approve continuing education courses which cover clinical topics, practice management skills, legal and ethical responsibilities and stress management. It is your responsibility as the license/certificate holder to be aware of and abide by the continuing education rules and guidelines set forth by your licensing board.

  • Cancellation & Transfer Policy:

    Cancellations made at least 7 days prior to a scheduled workshop will receive a refund minus a $25 non-refundable administrative fee. Registrations are transferable to another individual for the same event. The original registrant must notify Let’s Play Therapy Institute at least 48 hours in advance of the transfer. Cancellations made less than 7 days prior to a scheduled workshop are non-refundable. However, the registrant may request a credit toward a future Let’s Play Therapy Institute training of equal or lesser value, valid for 12 months from the original event date. If Let’s Play Therapy Institute cancels a workshop, registrants will receive a full refund to the original payment method, or may opt for a credit toward a future training. Continuing Education Credit: No partial CE credit is available. Attendees must be present for the entire duration of the program and complete a program evaluation to receive CE credit.

  • Speaker Disclosures:

    Financial: Sophia Ansari is the owner of Let's Play Therapy Institute, LLC. Non-financial: Sophia Ansari has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

  • Grievance Policy:

    Let’s Play Therapy Institute seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please submit a written grievance to: Sophia Ansari, [email protected]. Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems.

  • Accommodations:

    We will accommodate to make this a meaningful and valuable learning experience for you. For questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, please contact Sophia Ansari at, [email protected]

Instructor(s)

Owner, Let's Play Therapy Institute Sophia Ansari, LCPC, LPCC, RPT™

Sophia Ansari, LCPC, LPCC, RPT™, is a licensed mental health professional, Registered Play Therapist™, international speaker, author, educator, and owner of the Let’s Play Therapy Institute. She is a dedicated activist who is committed to driving positive change and making a difference in the world. Sophia works with schools and organizations around the world to build safe, inclusive, and strengths-based educational environments. Sophia is also known for her work incorporating pop culture and video games in therapy through her numerous publications, Comic-Con panels, media appearances, and play therapy workshops. She co-hosts Hero Nation, a podcast on the Geek Therapy Network, which celebrates diversity in the media and explores how to use geek culture in therapy. Sophia earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Wright State University and her Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Sophia resides in a suburb of Chicago. She enjoys spending time with her family, watching cat videos, and visiting Comic-cons.