2027 NJ APT Conference

with Karen Doyle-Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S™

March 11th – 14th 2027

Monmouth University | West Long Branch, NJ

Presenter Biography

Karen Doyle Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S™, is an author, psychotherapist, teacher, consultant, and Certified Theraplay® Trainer and Supervisor with more than 30 years of experience working with children and families. Her passion for Theraplay began in 1997 when she completed her Level 1 training in Chicago. The experience transformed her clinical work and ultimately led her to become a Theraplay Trainer and Supervisor in 2000.

Karen has extensive experience with attachment, trauma, adoption, and foster care and has trained in a range of play therapy, attachment, and trauma-informed approaches. While she values the many approaches that have shaped her work, Theraplay has remained a central foundation of her clinical practice and professional teaching.

She is also deeply interested in attachment and the intergenerational transmission of attachment, with specialized training in the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and Reflective Functioning Coding. Karen is passionate about helping therapists translate attachment theory into practical, relationship-based interventions that bring play, connection, and joy into their work with children and families.

Learn More About Karen Doyle-Buckwalter

Choose the Training Option That Fits Your Goals

This conference offers two ways to participate in the Theraplay training, allowing you to choose between a one-day introductory experience or the four-day Level One training.

Both training options will be presented by Karen Doyle-Buckwalter, LCSW, RPT-S™.

Option One: Day 1 ONLY – Foundations of Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

One-Day Introductory Training

Program Description

This one day program introduces participants to the foundational concepts and clinical principles of Theraplay®, an attachment-based, adult-led approach to strengthening relationships between children and their caregivers. Participants will experience a Theraplay interaction and explore the core characteristics of the approach, including the four Theraplay dimensions of Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge.

The day will examine attachment theory and its application to Theraplay practice, with attention to how attachment experiences influence children’s behavior, emotional regulation, and relationships with caregivers. Participants will also consider the impact of trauma and how Theraplay can be thoughtfully adapted to meet the needs of children who have experienced relational disruption, loss, or trauma.

Participants will be introduced to the treatment process and to the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM), including its purpose as an assessment of caregiver-child interaction. Through a case example and discussion, participants will begin to develop an understanding of how observations of caregiver-child interactions can inform clinical understanding and treatment planning.

The day concludes with opportunities to practice Theraplay principles and skills, integrate the material presented, and consider how the concepts can be applied in clinical work.

Learning Objectives

Describe the Theraplay wheel, identifying the functions of the “tire,” “rim,” and “spokes” within Theraplay play therapy treatment.
Name the 4 dimensions of a healthy relationship, as described by Theraplay, a modality of play therapy.
Name 3 limitations of attachment-based research.
List three attachment or neuroscientific approaches that explain why Theraplay, a modality of play therapy, works.
Describe how Theraplay treatment can build resilience for a child.
Explain the benefits of utilizing the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) in your play therapy practice.
Identify at least 2 considerations related to ethical implementation of the MIM.
Name at least 3 qualities that indicate “strength” and/or “need” for each of the four Theraplay Dimensions as indicated within the MIM.
Practice 2 activities from each Theraplay Dimension.

Option Two: Days 1-4 – Level One Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

Four-Day Level One Theraplay® & Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) Training

Program Description

This option includes day 1 plus days 2 - 4 which build upon the foundational concepts introduced on day 1 and provide participants with increasingly in-depth opportunities to apply Theraplay® principles in clinical practice. Participants will deepen their understanding of the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM), including MIM analysis, the feedback process, sensory processing, and the use of MIM observations to inform treatment planning.

Through discussion, demonstration, and extensive role-play practice, participants will explore the clinical application of Theraplay with children and caregivers. Topics include working with caregivers, touch in Theraplay, supporting children experiencing dysregulation, understanding resistance, providing parent support and feedback, and developing a weekly Theraplay treatment process. Participants will also consider the application of Theraplay with adolescents and explore transference and countertransference within the therapeutic relationship.

The final portion of the training emphasizes integration and clinical application. Participants will have opportunities to practice responding to a range of clinical situations, participate in application-focused role plays, discuss implementation of Theraplay in their professional settings, and review the certification process.

Learning Objectives

Describe the Theraplay wheel, identifying the functions of the “tire,” “rim,” and “spokes” within Theraplay play therapy treatment.
Name the 4 dimensions of a healthy relationship, as described by Theraplay, a modality of play therapy.
Name 3 limitations of attachment-based research.
List three attachment or neuroscientific approaches that explain why Theraplay, a modality of play therapy, works.
Describe how Theraplay treatment can build resilience for a child.
Explain the benefits of utilizing the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM) in your play therapy practice.
Identify at least 2 considerations related to ethical implementation of the MIM.
Name at least 3 qualities that indicate “strength” and/or “need” for each of the four Theraplay Dimensions as indicated within the MIM.
Practice 2 activities from each Theraplay Dimension.
Analyze the MIM at a beginning level to benefit families in play therapy.
Name 3 potential treatment goals to be achieved during a MIM feedback session with caregivers.
Summarize the eight senses and their role in play therapy.
Demonstrate 3 play therapy activities from Theraplay’s Structure dimension.
Implement treatment goals based on MIM findings, sensory/regulatory needs, and developmental needs of the child.
Demonstrate 3 play therapy activities from the Engagement dimension of Theraplay.
Name at least 3 benefits of involving caregivers in play therapy treatment.
Describe how to guide caregivers to participate in Theraplay play therapy sessions.
Demonstrate 3 play therapy activities from the Nurture dimension.
Name 3 reasons why touch is an important aspect of Theraplay treatment.
Describe the sequence of a Theraplay play therapy session.
Describe 4 potential trauma exposures to consider when engaging in Theraplay treatment with a child or family.
Identify at least 3 considerations that should be taken into account when planning a Theraplay session.
Name the 6 phases of weekly play therapy treatment.
Demonstrate 3 play therapy activities from the Challenge dimension of Theraplay.
Describe how caregiver attachment history might impact progress within Theraplay work.
Describe how the level of caregiver involvement changes over the course of Theraplay treatment.
Describe factors that might make working with a caregiver more difficult and identify what a play therapist might do if they find that the that they are working with a “complex caregiver.”
Describe at least 4 ways that a child might show they are experiencing dysregulation.
Demonstrate at least 2 ways to co-regulate a child who is experiencing hyper-active dysregulation.
Demonstrate at least 2 ways to co-regulate a child who is experiencing hypo-active dysregulation.
Identify a client with whom you would like to implement Theraplay and begin planning your first session.
Describe transference and countertransference and identify how to recognize each within a Theraplay play therapy session.
Name at least 3 ways a play therapist can engage in self-care to mitigate the impact of transference/countertransference.
Describe at least 3 benefits of involving adolescents in Theraplay treatment.
Describe at least 2 adaptations that might be necessary when engaging in Theraplay treatment with an adolescent.
Plan and role-play a Theraplay session with a particular client/family in mind.
Identify and plan for possible challenges related to Theraplay implementation in your play therapy practice.
Describe the clinical supports available to those who are beginning Theraplay-informed practice.

Attendance Requirement

Day 1 may be attended as a stand-alone introductory training. Participants who wish to continue with the full Level One training must attend all three additional days (Days 2–4). Attendance at Days 2–4 constitutes the continuation of the four-day Level One training and allows participants to receive credit for the complete four-day program.

Schedule

Day 1

Foundations of Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method AND Level One Theraplay and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Day 2

Level One Theraplay and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Day 3

Level One Theraplay and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

8:30 am - 4:30 pm

Day 4

Level One Theraplay and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

8:30 am - 3:30 pm

CE Credit

Option One: Day 1 – Foundations of Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

Play Therapy

6.5 APT Contact CE Credits

This event is sponsored by New Jersey Association for Play Therapy. New Jersey Association for Play Therapy is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to play therapy (APT Approved Provider No. 05-159).

Play therapy credit available to mental health professionals & graduate students in a mental health program.

Social Work

Social workers completing this course receive 6.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Continuing education credits are provided by the Monmouth University School of Social work in accordance with New Jersey Administrative code 13:44G and are recognized by the New Jersey Board of Social Work Examiners.

Please Note: To receive credit, participants must attend the full program and complete all required components, including the course evaluation. CE certificate will be automatically issued upon completion of all course requirements.

Please contact us with any questions regarding continuing education credit eligibility.

Option Two: Days 1-4 – Level One Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

Play Therapy

25 APT Contact CE Credits

Play therapy credit available to mental health professionals & graduate students in a mental health program.

Social Work

Social workers completing this course receive 25 clinical continuing education credits.

Please contact us with any questions regarding continuing education credit eligibility.

Accommodations

Room block information will be available soon. Please check back for details.

Policies & Procedures

Grievance Policy

New Jersey Association for Play Therapy (NJAPT) is committed to conducting activities in compliance with ethical and legal standards in mental health professions. However, NJAPT also recognizes that complaints may arise. NJAPT strives to address complaints as quickly as possible when they happen.

The materials and claims made by the presenters are theirs alone, and that using what is learned in trainings is expected to be incorporated into sound clinical and ethical judgment. Complaints may be submitted either verbally or in writing to the NJ APT President. The following guidelines are followed with respect to achieving resolution:

For complaints relative to a speaker or workshop leader, contents of instructional materials being presented, or an individual education style being used, the individual voicing disapproval is requested to first address concerns to the presenter. If the presenter is not available, the individual will place his/her/their comments in writing. The NJ APT President or acting liaison will convey these comments to the speaker while maintaining confidentiality of the complainant.
If the complaint concerns a continuing education activity, its content, level of presentation, or facilities in which the event is being held, the President will attempt to resolve the matter as expeditiously as possible. If the offered resolution (resolutions may include but not be limited to partial/full refund of fee paid; credit towards a future event) not satisfactory to the individual filing the complaint, then further action may be taken.

In the latter instance, the individual is requested to place his/her/their complaint in writing to the attention of the President of NJ APT. The complaint is then reviewed by the President and Immediate Past President in consultation with the Conference Committee and/or CE administrator. A written response will be issued within 30 days of the receipt of the written complaint.

Within 30 days of the resolution, the complainant may file a written appeal to the President. The decision of the President is final.

Refund Policy

Refund requests for must be submitted in writing to info@njapt.org no later than 30 days prior to the scheduled program start date for a full refund minus any processing fees. For a 50% refund minus any processing fees, requests must be made no later than 15 days prior to the scheduled program start date. For a 30% refund minus any processing fees, requests must be made no later than 2 days prior to the scheduled program start date. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made the day before or the day of the program start date.

Disclosure Statement

It is the goal of NJ APT to provide educational seminars and workshops that are free from commercial interests, conflicts of interest, financial relationships. NJ APT aims to provide quality programs that are grounded in play therapy theory, empirically sound, and free of external bias. NJ APT asks that instructors present materials that are supported by empirical evidence and to clearly outline the accuracy and efficacy of their program. Instructors are also expected to discuss the limitations of their program and the risks that may be involved.

NJ APT requires that any personal or financial relationships by those in a position to influence or control content be disclosed. NJ APT encourages instructors to produce documentation identifying any conflict of interest, competing interest, or commercial support for each program. Should any conflicts of interest be disclosed, NJ APT and the disclosing party agree to resolve them before moving ahead with the planning or participation of any workshop or seminar. By participating in educational seminars or workshops hosted by NJ APT, participants are not required to produce, market, re-sell, or distribute any material or other services.

Additionally, it is noted that educational material and content is the property of the instructors, not NJ APT. NJ APT does not make any claims or promises regarding the efficacy of techniques or products represented during educational seminars and workshops, and it is expected that participants will use what is taught alongside their best clinical and ethical judgment.

Cost

Option One: Day 1 ONLY – Foundations of Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method

General Admission: $250

For registrants who are not current NJ APT members or pre-licensed graduate students.

Current NJ APT Members: $200

Pre-licensed Graduate Students: $150

All students must submit current course schedule or other form of proof of current student enrollment to info@njapt.org. If we do not receive your proof of current student status within 24 hours of registration, your registration will be cancelled and refunded minus any processing fees.

**Registration and CEs are included in the cost.

Option Two: Days 1-4 – Level One Theraplay® and the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)

General Admission: $1,200

For registrants who are not current NJ APT members or pre-licensed graduate students.

Current NJ APT Members: $1,000

Pre-licensed Graduate Students: $1,000

**Registration and CEs are included in the cost.