My philosophy as a practitioner is built on the idea that co-regulation allows us to better connect with one another. So what is co-regulation? Why is it so important to connection?
Playful | Present | Passionate
Dafna is an international trainer and supervisor for practitioners who work with children and families. She is a certified trainer and supervisor/consultant in both Theraplay and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). Dafna’s expertise is drawn from 25 years of working with families with attachment in many settings: at-risk after school programs, therapeutic foster care, in-home crisis stabilization, residential care and private practice. Dafna’s style, whether as a therapist or teacher, is combining the light-hearted with the profound by bringing a playful, intense and passionate presence to every encounter. She is as likely to break out into song as engage in serious intellectual discourse.
Too many children feel hurt, angry, and disconnected from their parents; and too many parents feel discouraged that their child-rearing approaches aren’t working. Many parent-child therapies focus on improving behaviors without looking at the core issues underneath: attachment and trauma. Parents may seek out help from a professional but get discouraged when the recommended interventions don’t work. This workshop offers a different lens that focuses on the physiologic, nonverbal connection between parent and child to improve the relationship. Using principles from two attachment-based modalities---Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy and Theraplay---learn how to enhance regulation, connection, and joy between parents and children as well as guide parents to do reparative work around family trauma.
This workshop will be active and experiential - you will have the opportunity to learn through analyzing real videos of clinical cases, participating in role plays and experiential homework.
Join Dafna this winter for Theraplay Training Modules 2 & 4. Registration coming soon.
December 4, 2020 - Module 2: Trauma, Shame, and Resiliency in Theraplay
February 12, 2021 - Module 4: Working with Parents in Theraplay Treatment
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Sit down with Dafna Lender as she shares with you conversations with 3 different experts: Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, and Bessel van der Kolk.
| Testimonial |
I valued participating in this training with you. Seeing you model PACE in practice really helped consolidate it for me. Seeing you model the importance of voice prosody and vitality affect was transformational. I have been using this every day with my kids since I saw you using it and I cannot express in words, what a difference it has already made to our relationships."
- Miriama Ketu ( DDP Level 2 Course)
Join Dafna Lender for a 5-day course on Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, an approach which assists therapists and other professionals to understand and effectively support children, young people and their families.
Level 1: Oct 29-30 & Nov 5-7 | Jan 7-9 & 11-12, 2021
Level 2: October 1-3 & 5-6 (FULLY BOOKED) | Jan 25-27 & 29-30, 2021 | March 31, April 1-2 & April 8-9, 2021
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Hosted by Trauma Research Foundation & Dafna Lender
Practical Connection: Nurturing Healthy Development
When bad things happen; Avoiding shame; How to make a child really feel heard; Helping a child through a tantrum; Becoming a playful parent, teacher and caregiver; Healing a child’s inner hurts; Activities for soothing an anxious brain; Organizing a hyperactive child who is out of control
Beginning September 8 - October 27. Join anytime. Can't make it? Register and we will email you the video when it's available.
Register Now →
Theraplay is an intervention that focuses on enhancing the connection, trust and joy between a child and a parent. It involves interactive, playful activities using simple face-to-face reciprocal interactions, and involves using all of the senses, including rhythm, movement and touch.
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