Trainings for Mental Health Professionals

mom and floor playing blocks

Intensive Child-Centered Play Therapy Training

Instructor: Christopher Conley
Co-Instructor: Heddy Swigger
Sponsor: Grove Centre
Location: Burnaby, BC
Dates: July 8 – 10, 2023

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.

View or download the Grove Centre:

Father and disabled son playing on floor

Intensive Filial Therapy Training

Instructor: Christopher Conley
Co-Instructor: Heddy Swigger
Sponsor: Grove Centre
Location: Burnaby, BC
Dates: July 13 – 16, 2023

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).

View or download the:

Two young girls playing blocks

Non-Directive Play Therapy Training

Instructor: Christopher Conley
Sponsor: CAPT
Location: Online Live
Dates: May 16-17, 2023

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