Playful Beginnings | Podcast Guru

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Welcome to playful beginnings. Within this podcast, Dr. Kristie Opiola and Dr. Maggie Parker explore the magic of play therapy, the why behind what we do, and how play therapy helps children heal and grow. This podcast is helpful for current play therapists, students and professionals interested in working with children or becoming play therapists, and anyone who is interested in creating transformative relationships with children. Parents and teachers can gain insights into what play therapy is, how it works, and why- helpful if they know children who could benefit from play therapy, and for those who are not sure if it would be helpful for the children in their lives. We are excited to share with you what we do and why we do it! Welcome to the magical world of play therapy!

Recent Episodes

Understanding Our Listeners

Hi everyone! In this episode, we're trying to address your questions about note taking. We want to ask your questions to the best of our abilities, and we are working on it. Here is our processing of the experience and how we can engage with our own note taking! Take a listen, we hope it's helpful!

12 MIN

Notes that Make Sense: The WHY behind our CCPT Skills

We heard you- you are having a hard time knowing what to say in your notes. We've got you! There isn't a script you can use for CCPT notes- it is dependent upon the child, the relationship, the play- but we can help you conceptualize how it may work! Listen in for examples!

19 MIN

The Rest of the Clinical File: Custody, Informed Consent, and Addendums

Notes include a lot more than what happens in sessions and the conceptualization of clients. These include custody agreements, divorce decrees, releases of information, auxiliary notes detailing conversations, emails, CPS reports. All of these things are vital, but we don't always talk about them. This week, Dr. Kristie and Dr. Maggie share this and more to support you, the clinician, in ensuring you are exploring all aspects of note taking!

15 MIN

To Note, or Not to Note? 📝

Clipboard in hand or fully in the moment? 🧸✨ In this episode of Playful Beginnings, we’re diving into one of the most debated topics in child therapy: Should play therapists take notes during a session? On one hand, real-time documentation captures the brilliant, subtle moments of play while they’re fresh. On the other hand… nothing breaks a child’s flow quite like a therapist constantly looking down at a notepad. We’re breaking down: 🎯 How note-taking impacts the therapeutic alliance and child connection 🧠 Strategies for holding onto key session details without writing mid-play ⚖️ Finding a realistic balance between thorough documentation and being 100% present Whether you’re team "write it down immediately" or team "put the pen away," we’ve got thoughts for you. 🎧 Listen now on your favorite podcast platform! #PlayTherapy #ChildTherapy #PlayTherapist #PlayfulBeginnings #TherapistLife #MentalHealthProfessionals #ChildPsychology #TherapistNotes

16 MIN

From Playroom to Page: Effective & Efficient Documentation Strategies

How do you capture non-verbal play, behavioral themes, and clinical progress clearly in a progress note? 🎨📋 In this week's episode of Playful Beginnings, we dive deep into the fundamentals of play therapy documentation. We share simple frameworks for structuring notes, translating play behaviors into objective clinical language, and optimizing your documentation workflow. Listen in on your preferred podcast platform! 🎙️

31 MIN