- Introduction to the Oaklander Model and the Impact of Systems on the Child
February 20, 2026 - February 21, 2026
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
BC Play Therapy Association holds workshops throughout the year to help advance the education of Play Therapy Practitioners and related professions. These usually revolve around a specialized speaker teaching a subject of importance to the advancement of play therapy as a therapeutic practice.
12 NON-Contact CEs/NON-Contact CEUs for APT
12 LIVE WEBINAR CEs/CEUs for CAPT
For BCPTA credentialing or renewal this training can be counted as 12 Contact CE Credit Hours.
A certificate of completion will be provided based on attendance with your video on throughout the duration of the workshop and successful completion of a post-test and an evaluation component.
EARLY BIRD PRICING was 15% OFF until January 16th, 2026
Introduction to the Oaklander Model and the Impact of Systems on the Child
*Live ONLINE Workshop*
Presented by Karen Fried, Psy.D., M.F.T.
12 NON-CONTACT CEs/CEUs for APT
12 LIVE WEBINAR CEs/CEUs for CAPT
For BCPTA registration or renewal this training can be counted as 12 Contact Continuing Education Credit Hours
Two-Day Online Workshop
Friday & Saturday, February 20 & 21, 2026, 9:00am – 4:30pm PST
A Zoom link will be emailed to you the day before the event
Workshop Description:
In this virtual workshop, participants will explore the Oaklander Model of Gestalt Play Therapy and learn how its core Gestalt concepts support effective work with children and adolescents. Through theory, case material, and experiential practice, we will demonstrate how expressive media, such as the sandtray, drawing, and other projective tools, help children develop a stronger sense of self and more robust contact functions.
Developmental concepts will be highlighted, including how children express emotions such as anger, how they experience loss and death at different stages, and why anger is often misunderstood and unmet in treatment. Participants will learn to recognize the impact of family, school, cultural, and community systems on a child’s sense of self, and how to integrate these systemic factors into assessment, treatment planning, and case formulation within the Oaklander Model.
Throughout the training, Karen Fried, Psy.D., M.F.T., will guide participants in applying the model through hands-on experiences that demonstrate effective play therapy interventions and strategies for supporting contact, emotional expression, and meaningful closure in the therapeutic process.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn the concepts of Gestalt Therapy and how they apply to the process of working with children and adolescents using the Oaklander Model of Gestalt Play Therapy with children.
- Use multiple media to enable children to develop a strong sense of self, a basic therapeutic goal of the Oaklander Model – using Play Therapy with children.
- Apply the developmental concepts related to children and how Play Therapy using the Oaklander Model process addresses these issues.
- Learn and experience how the contact functions apply to children gaining an improved sense of self.
- Demonstrate Oaklander play therapy techniques and experiences to strengthen children’s contact functions.
- Understand why children’s anger the most misunderstood and least tolerated emotion and how to address this in treatment.
- Describe how family, school, cultural, and community systems influence a child’s sense of self, and learn how to use the Oaklander Model to integrate these systemic factors into Gestalt play therapy.
WHO MAY BENEFIT FROM ATTENDING:
Play therapists, children’s counsellors, family therapists, family counsellors, psychologists, social workers, school counsellors, and other mental health professionals working with children, adolescents, and families may benefit from this training. Participants are expected to already have a basic understanding of Play Therapy before attending the workshop.
About the Presenter:
Karen Fried, Psy.D., M.F.T. is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and an Educational Therapist. She was Co-Founder of the K&M Center. Inc., a learning center that provided educational and remedial services to students ranging from 4 years old to college age. Karen uses the Violet Oaklander Model of Child Therapy in her practice and is the President of the Violet Solomon Oaklander Foundation. She trains child and adolescent therapists, counselors, and educators in the Oaklander Model in the US and internationally.
Karen works as a psychotherapist for children, adolescents, families, adults and couples, and as an educational therapist. She especially understands the connection between emotions and learning, and how their interaction can impact a student and the family. Additionally, she has been trained in and applies a variety of therapeutic methods such as Emotion-Focused Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique, Mindfulness, CBT, EMDR, and addressing Attachment styles.
Karen has presented to global audiences, trainings, presentations, and consultation on the use of Gestalt Therapy with children. To learn more, please visit: https://www.karenfried.com/
Should you have any questions about this workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@bcplaytherapy.ca
Schedule for the Workshop:
Friday & Saturday, February 20 & 21, 2026
CANCELLATION POLICY:
- To cancel your registration, please send us a cancellation notice via email at [email protected] no later than 2 weeks before the start of an event for a full refund less a $25.00 cancellation fee. No refund is issued if you cancel your registration within 2 weeks of the event.
- Please note that all payments received and/or processed on workshop day will be processed at manual registration rates.
Should you have any questions about this workshop, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@bcplaytherapy.ca
APT Approved Provider 95-019
This training is approved for APT Approved Provider 95-019 for 12 Non-Contact CE hours.
For APT 6 Non-Contact CEs/CEUs
For CAPT 6 Live Webinar CEs/CEUs
For BCPTA registration or renewal this training can be counted as 6 Contact Continuing Education Credit Hours.
Play therapy credits may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals.
A certificate of completion will be provided based on attendance with your video on for the duration of the workshop and successful completion of a post-test and evaluation component.
CAPT Approved Provider 09-103 – BCPTA is approved by the Canadian Association for Play Therapy to provide foundation training and continuing education training specific to child and play therapy. This training cannot be used for Foundation Play Therapy Training towards Certification with CAPT as a Certified Play Therapist (CPT).