Trainings for Mental Health Professionals

mom and floor playing blocks

Intensive Child-Centered Play Therapy Training

Length: 3 Days
Instructor: Christopher Conley
Sponsor: Grove Centre
Maximum participants: 8
Location: Grove Centre, In-Person, Burnaby, BC
Dates: April 22-24, 2024
Training hours: 19.5
Early registration fee deadline extended to Friday April 12. Training fee includes two post-training supervision sessions.

This is an advanced training. Training hours count toward both continuing education (CEU) requirements and certification requirements with CAPT, APT, BCPTA. 

This 3-day training is limited to 8 participants per instructor to facilitate extensive experiential skill practice with individualized observation, coaching and feedback from instructor. It is designed to provide participants with all the skills they need to confidently and competently conduct child-centered play therapy with their clients following the training.

Testimonial:
“I feel very well prepared after completing the child centered play therapy intensive training. I found the balance of discussion, review of skills, and role-plays enhanced my learning experience profoundly. Receiving direct feedback was incredibly helpful for my learning and has helped prepare me to use these skills in my professional practice. Chris was an excellent instructor and walked through all questions and possible scenarios based on his extensive experience as well as provide clinical experiences which helped tie material together.”
Courtney

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Father and disabled son playing on floor

Intensive Filial Therapy Training

Length: 4 Days
Instructor: Christopher Conley
Sponsor: Grove Centre
Maximum participants: 6
Location: Grove Centre, In-Person, Burnaby, BC
Dates: April 27-30, 2024
Training hours: 27
Prerequisite: Training in Child-Centered Play Therapy
Early registration fee deadline extended to Friday April 12. Training fee includes two post-training supervision sessions.

This is an advanced training. Training hours count toward both continuing education (CEU) requirements and certification requirements with CAPT, APT, BCPTA.

This 4-day training is limited to 6 participants per instructor to facilitate extensive experiential skill practice with individualized observation and feedback from instructor. The Intensive Filial Therapy Training Program developed by Dr. Risë VanFleet features the work of Filial Therapy originators, Drs. Bernard and Louise Guerney and governed by the International Institute of Filial Therapy Professional Education (IIFTPE).

Testimonials:
“He and I have co-led an Intensive Filial Therapy training a couple years ago. He fully understands the original Guerney full family therapy form of Filial Therapy, as well as the various adaptations of it. I am happy to fully endorse him as a trainer in Filial Therapy.” – Risë VanFleet

“This is by far the best training I’ve ever taken. It’s so relevant and meaningful. Chris is a gracious, generous, highly skilled and knowledgeable instructor. He models what he teaches throughout the training and it’s so natural to him that we didn’t even notice until day 3! Learning the Filial Therapy skills is hard. Using the techniques of role plays, feedback, discussion, video examples and traditional lecturing, made the Filial Therapy skills obtainable. We all left this training knowing we could offer this type of support to families in the agencies we work for. The training was fun, and I learned so much. I highly recommend this course!”
Diane

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The Parent’s Handbook of Filial Therapy is available for purchase to those who have completed this training. Go to payments for details.

Two young girls playing blocks

Non-Directive Play Therapy Training

Instructor: Christopher Conley
Sponsor: CAPT
Location: Online Live
Dates: May 14-15, 2024

This is a 2-day Non-Directive Play Therapy and Introduction to Filial Therapy course for the Canadian Association for Play Therapy live online. It is part of CAPT’s Certificate Program.

Trainings for For School Professionals

Young students looking at teacher

Relational Strategic Classroom Management Workshop

This workshop is for teachers, administrators and teaching assistants. It teaches how to manage student behaviours in the classroom without impacting teaching or learning. The relationship-focussed approach allows for the prevention of behaviour issues.

Christopher was previously licensed in Indiana as a School Counsellor and has worked at elementary, middle and high school levels. He has taught classroom management in BC and Minnesota.

Prior Trainings

Generational hands stacked on top of each other

Christopher has conducted trainings in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Minnesota on topics of:

  • Individual therapy, counselling, and skills training for children and adolescents
  • Attachment-based strategic parent education
  • Foundations of expressive and play therapy
  • Non-directive play therapy
  • Child-centered play therapy
  • Expressive play therapy methods
  • Introduction to Filial Therapy
  • Intensive Filial Therapy
  • Advanced topics in play therapy: themes, resistance, and aggression
  • Play therapy with young children
  • Attachment-based strategic parenting
  • Relational strategic classroom management
  • Teaching with Love and Logic classroom management
  • Classroom management for students with Asperger’s or high-functioning Autism