September 25 – 26, 2026
South Carolina Association for Play Therapy 2026 Fall Conference
Clemson University – 121 Hendrix Student Center, 720 McMillan Rd, Clemson, SC, 29631
Presenter: Rose LaPiere MA, LPC, RPT-S, ACS
Rose LaPiere, LPC, RPT-S™, ACS is an experienced therapist with a career spanning over two decades, dedicated to helping children and families. In addition to her therapeutic expertise, she is a writer, educator, EMDR consultant, Theraplay® foundational practitioner, registered play therapist supervisor, and Certified Synergetic Play Therapy®. She also holds the role of a Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviors ™ Advanced Practitioner and a Teacher in the Immersion Program™ . Her therapeutic approach is rooted in attachment theory, mindfulness practices, the therapeutic powers of play, interpersonal neurobiology, and family systems theory. Rose is particularly passionate about integrating the healing power of nature and sand tray into her therapeutic work. She loves working with parents and offers consultation to therapists. Rose has co-edited and co-authored a book titled “Nature-Based Play and Expressive Therapies: Interventions for working with children, teens, and families.”
Description:
Join us for an engaging two-day keynote training that integrates neuroscience, play therapy, and the healing power of nature to enhance clinical work with children and families. Designed for both emerging and experienced clinicians, this experiential workshop blends current research with practical application, providing participants with creative, developmentally responsive interventions that can be immediately incorporated into practice.
Day One, All Behavior Makes Sense: Play Therapy with Kids with Vulnerable Nervous Systems, explores children’s behavior through the lens of interpersonal neurobiology, attachment, and nervous system regulation. Participants will learn to move beyond viewing behaviors as problems to be managed and instead understand them as meaningful adaptations that communicate underlying needs. Through play therapy principles, experiential learning, and clinical case examples, participants will gain practical strategies for fostering regulation, strengthening connection, and creating the felt safety that allows children to heal and grow.
Day Two, Nature-Based Play Therapy, introduces participants to the therapeutic benefits of incorporating the natural world into play therapy. Grounded in developmental theory, neuroscience, and the Therapeutic Powers of Play, this workshop explores how nature can support emotional regulation, resilience, sensory integration, and relational connection. Participants will experience hands-on, nature-based interventions that can be adapted across a variety of clinical settings and used with children facing challenges such as anxiety, trauma, grief and loss, emotional dysregulation, and life transitions.