About this Program

APT (Association for Play Therapy) credits available as listed in the course description are provided by Let’s Play Therapy Institute, LLC an APT Approved Provider 20-609. Play therapy credit may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. Courses that do not qualify for play therapy credit are clearly listed. 

This program is a 3-hour recorded training focusing on how video games can be used to support the executive functioning skills of neurodivergent gamers.

Handouts are provided to follow along with the recorded training. 

It is expected that you will complete the entire training and not skip over any parts of this training. There is an evaluation and post-test at the end of the training. 

If you have any questions while completing the training, you may contact us at hello@letsplaytherapy.org.

Course Description

The Neurodiversity Affirmative movement continues to promote acceptance and new perspectives on being differently wired. As play therapy embraces the natural language of children, it can also be used to support the executive functioning skills of neurodivergent gamers. Video games in play therapy can be used to facilitate such executive function skills as stress management, task initiation, and self-regulation.

Video games can use a gamer’s metaphors to teach moral development, creative problem solving, and working memory directly and indirectly. This bridging of worlds using video games in play therapy can increase acceptance and self-compassion of being different, something the neurodivergent community greatly needs.

Objectives

  1. Identify and describe executive function skills related to neurodivergent gamers in play therapy using video games.
  2. Describe 3-5 directive and nondirective play therapy interventions to promote executive function skills using video games.
  3. Demonstrate how to use specific video games or online tools to support individual executive function skill development.

Instructor(s)

Boontarika Sripom

Boontarika Sripom, MA is a therapy-informed life coach. Her work focuses on coaching using archetypes and understanding the cognition of the differently wired, specifically highly sensitive, creative, and gamer folks. She believes knowledge, guidance, and compassion leads to insights, individual acceptance, and empowerment to change. Boonie is a former preschool teacher, paraprofessional in special education, Outreach Counselor Intern, and College Counselor for creative students. She earned her Master’s in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her favorite games are Age of Empires, World of Warcraft, and Minecraft. She is currently playing Fortnite, Animal Crossing, and Fire Emblem: Three Houses. For more information on Boonie’s work visit, http://www.organizedmesses.com/

Course curriculum