The Way of Play: The Science and Practice of Restoring Playfulness to Support Ourselves and Our Clients

With Tina Payne Bryson, PhD

Program Description

Play is not merely an activity or a therapeutic technique; it is a way of being. It’s a relational and neurobiological process through which human beings develop regulation, flexibility, connection, resilience, and integration. Drawing from The Way of Play, interpersonal neurobiology, attachment science, developmental research, and principles from The Whole-Brain Child, this workshop will examine how play shapes the developing mind and continues to support well-being across the lifespan. Participants will learn seven practical, relationship-based strategies for helping children and families build emotional awareness, regulation, empathy, resilience, narrative coherence, and flexible problem-solving, while also considering how these same processes can deepen therapeutic presence and restore clinicians’ own capacity for curiosity, openness, and vitality. Teaching will be grounded primarily in science, clinical examples, demonstrations, and practical application, and we’ll weave together reflective and playful experiences for our own wellbeing.

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