Oaklander Training 3-Part Training: Learning Objectives & Agenda

Learning Objectives:

Day 1 of 6

Participants will:

  1. Explain the concepts of Gestalt Therapy and how they apply to the process of working with children and adolescents using the Oaklander Model of Gestalt Play Therapy with children.

  2. Apply a widely used therapeutic activity: House Tree Person to the Oaklander Model using Play Therapy. (In-Person Training Only)

  3. Use multiple media to enable children to develop a strong sense of self, a basic tenant of the Oaklander Model – using Play Therapy with children.

  4. Describe the concept of the I/Thou relationship and why it’s such an important part of the play therapy process – using the Oaklander Model.

  5. Apply the developmental concepts related to children and how play therapy using the Oaklander Model process addresses these issues.

Day 2 of 6

Participants will:

  1. List Peter Mortola’s 4 part process to apply to most exercises of play therapy using the Oaklander Model.

  2. Learn and experience how the contact functions apply to children gaining an improved sense of self.

  3. Demonstrate Oaklander play therapy techniques and experiences to strengthen children’s contact functions.

  4. Describe the parts of the Oaklander Model therapeutic process and the application of play therapy.

Day 3 of 6

Participants will:

  1. Demonstrate how to address emotions in the therapeutic process with play therapy, in particular the use of anger and aggressive energy.

  2. Understand why anger is such a difficult emotion to manage and how to address this difficulty in treatment.

  3. Experience how to use different media in play therapy, including drawing and clay for use as projective tools to allow children to gain awareness and experience of their deeper emotions.

Day 4 of 6

Participants will:

  1. Learn through theory and experience using play therapy techniques how the Oaklander model treats children who have dealt with grief and loss.

  2. Describe and identify the difference between children and adult’s process of grief.

  3. Discuss and identify children’s response to death and loss based upon their developmental phase.

  4. Experience and be able to use play therapy techniques to enable children and adolescents to address their grief.

  5. Identify and develop techniques to address the types of reactions parents have when their children are struggling. 

Day 5 of 6

Participants will:

  1. Apply the principles of the Oaklander Model using play therapy to the sand tray.

  2. List and experience the steps of forming a prompt, selecting the items and making the tray.

  3. Practice being a therapist, client and observer to master this process of play therapy.

  4. Identify the types of toys that are helpful for a sand tray collection.

Day 6 of 6

Participants will:

  1. Receive theory and examples regarding the Oaklander Model’s concept of termination.

  2. Apply the principles of play therapy using the Oaklander Model using music with children and adolescents. (In-Person Training Only)

  3. Define what and when the self-nurturing process is used in the Oaklander Model.

  4. Learn how the Self-nurturing process works with clients using the Oaklander Model and Play Therapy.


Daily Agendas (Live Online Training):

Part I: Day 1 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:30am – Welcome and introductions

8:30am - 10:00am – Introduction to the Oaklander Model

10:00am - 10:15am – Break

10:15am - 11:40am – Intro to Therapeutic Process

11:40am - 11:55am – Break

11:55am - 12:15pm – Activity Using Contact

12:15pm - 12:30pm – Wrap up

 

Part I: Day 2 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:30am – Check in and Introductory Experience

8:30am - 10:00am – Therapeutic Process (continued)

10:00am - 10:15am – Break

10:15am - 11:30am – Working with Clay

11:30am - 11:45am – Break

11:45am - 12:30pm – Wrap up and Questions

Part II: Day 3 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:45am – Welcome back and introductory activities

8:45am - 9:50am – Anger and Aggressive Energy

9:50am - 10:05am – Break

10:05am - 11:05am – Demo and Breakout sessions

11:05am - 11:25am – Clay Demo

11:25am - 11:40am – Break

11:40am - 12:15pm – Clay activity #2

12:15pm - 12:30pm – Wrap up and Questions

Part II: Day 4 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:45am – Check in and Introductory Experience

8:45am - 9:45am – Grief and Loss Theory

9:45am - 10:00am – Movement break and break

10:00am - 10:55am – Collage work and Demo

10:55am - 11:10am – Break

11:10am - 12:00pm – Working with parents

12:00pm - 12:30pm – Questions and Closure

Part III: Day 5 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:15am – Welcome back, check in

8:15am - 9:00am – Puppet’s

9:00am - 9:50am – Sandtray demo and theory

9:50am - 10:05am – Break

10:05am - 10:50am – Group 1 Sandtray practicum

10:50am - 10:55am – check-in

10:55am - 10:40am – Group 2 STP

10:40am - 10:45am – Check-in

10:45am - 11:30am – Group 3 STP

11:30am - 11:45am – Break

11:45am - 12:15pm – Activity

12:15pm - 12:30pm – Q & A

 

Part III: Day 6 of 6

Agenda:

8:00am - 8:15am – Check in and unfinished business about Day 1

8:15am - 9:00am – Self-nurturing theory

9:00am - 9:50am – Demo and breakout rooms

9:50am - 10:10am – Movement break and break

10:10am - 11:10am – Dollhouse

11:10am - 11:25am – Break

11:25am - 11:45am – Activity

11:45am - 12:30pm – Questions and closure


Daily Agendas (In-Person Training):

Day 1 of 6

Agenda:

1:00pm - 1:40pm – Welcome and Introduction

1:40pm - 3:10pm – Introduction to the Gestalt Play Therapy and the Oaklander Model 

3:10pm - 3:25pm – Break

3:25pm - 3:55pm – Developmental factors

3:55pm - 4:20pm – Drawing experience

4:20pm - 4:35pm – Break

4:35pm - 5:10pm – Clay activity – working with the family

5:10pm - 5:30pm – Book and Q&A

 

Day 2 of 6

Agenda:

9:00am - 9:30am – Group check-in

9:30am -11:00am – Therapeutic process

11:00am - 11:15am – Break

11:15am - 12:30pm –Therapeutic Process (Continued)

12:30pm - 1:15pm – Lunch

1:15pm - 1:35pm – Using the senses

1:35pm - 3:30pm - Anger and Aggressive Energy

3:30pm - 3:45pm – Break

3:45pm - 4:15pm – Clay work

4:15pm - 4:30pm – Q&A

 

Day 3 of 6

Agenda:

9:00am - 9:30am – Check in

9:30am - 10:45am - Grief Theory

10:45am - 11:00am – Break

11:00am - 12:15pm – Interview and experience

12:15pm - 1:15pm – Lunch

1:15pm - 2:30pm – Collage and Grief

2:30pm - 3:00pm – Closure - Part 1

Day 4 of 6

Agenda:

1:00pm - 1:30pm – Check in

1:30pm - 3:00pm – Introduction to Working with Parents

3:00pm - 3:15pm – Break

3:15pm - 4:30pm – Introduction to Working with Adolescents

4:30pm - 4:45pm – Break

4:45pm - 5:15pm – Coat of Arms

5:15pm - 5:30pm – Q&A

 

Day 5 of 6

Agenda:

9:00am - 9:30am – Check in

9:30am - 10:30am – Sand tray theory and demonstration

10:30am - 11:30am – Group 1

11:30am - 11:50am – Debrief and break

11:50am - 12:50pm – Group 2

12:50pm - 1:50pm – Lunch

1:50pm - 2:00pm – Debrief Group 2

2:00pm - 3:00pm – Group 3

3:00pm - 3:20pm – Debrief and break

3:20pm - 4:20pm – Experience(s)

4:20pm - 4:30pm – Q&A

 

Day 6 of 6

Agenda:

9:00am - 9:30am – Check-in

9:30am - 10:30am – Puppets

10:30am - 10:45am – Break

10:45am - 12:15pm – Self-Nurturing

12:15pm - 1:15pm – Lunch

1:15pm - 2:15pm – Music

2:15pm - 3:00pm – Closure