Black Kids Play Program: Session B

Session Title: Mending Invisible Wounds: Play Therapy for Black Youth Experiencing Disenfranchised Grief

Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist-Supervision™

Session Date: July 17th, 2026

Session Time: 9:00 am-12:15 pm CST

Location: Equal Shares Counseling, 9715 Olive Boulevard, Ground Floor, Olivette, Missouri, 63132

APT Continuing Education Hours: 3.0

Session Description:

Black youth are disproportionately impacted by racialized grief, stemming from events such as the loss of loved ones to homicide, police violence, and mass incarceration. These experiences of disenfranchised grief can undermine their self-esteem, self-worth, and ability to engage in play therapy. This workshop will explore culturally responsive approaches to help Black youth navigate disenfranchised grief through the use of play therapy seminal theories, including cultural considerations in grief work with Black families, focusing on the role of expressive therapies in fostering communal healing and resilience. Attendees will leave with practical tools and interventions to provide trauma-informed, culturally affirming play therapy that provides healing spaces for Black youth and their communities.

Learning objectives:

• List play themes that may appear in play therapy with grieving Black youth.
• Utilize play therapy seminal theories to address disenfranchised grief in Black youth.
• Identify family play therapy interventions to address grief and loss in Black families

Agenda:

• 9:00 am-10:30 am Lecture & experiential learning
• 10:30 am-10:45 am Break
• 10:45 am-12:15 pm Lecture & experiential learning

Session Title: Intersecting Identities: Play Therapy to Empower Black LGBTQ+ Youth

Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist-Supervision™

Session Date: July 17th, 2026

Session Time: 1:30 pm-4:45 pm CST

Location: Equal Shares Counseling, 9715 Olive Boulevard, Ground Floor, Olivette, Missouri, 63132

APT Continuing Education Hours: 3.0

Session Description:

Black youth who identify as LGBTQ+ deal with an intersection of sexual orientation/gender identity and racial identity that adds an extra layer to their daily stressors. Play therapists are in a unique position to use the therapeutic powers of play to empower Black LGBTQ+ youth. This session will explore the different stressors that may arise in the playroom among Black LGBTQ+ youth, including play-based interventions to increase self-esteem and coping skills, strengthen parent-child relationships and find beauty and power in all of their identities, in the playroom and beyond.

Learning objectives:

• Discuss key items for the playroom for Black LGBTQ+ youth.
• Identify play therapy interventions to empower Black LGBTQ+ youth.
• Analyze cultural considerations for family play therapy with Black LGBTQ+ youth.

Agenda:

• 1:30 pm-3:00 pm Lecture & experiential learning
• 3:00 pm-3:15 pm Break
• 3:15 pm-4:45 pm Lecture & experiential learning

Session title: Play Therapy to Support Social-Emotional Expression in Black Boys

Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist-Supervision™

Session Date: July 18th, 2026 

Session Time: 9:00 am-12:15 pm CST

Location: Equal Shares Counseling, 9715 Olive Boulevard, Ground Floor, Olivette, Missouri, 63132

APT Continuing Education Hours: 3.0

Session description:

In the Black community, boys are often told at a young age they should not cry and should suppress their emotions. This webinar explores this phenomenon and how it negatively affects the social-emotional development of Black boys and men. Attendees will learn fun, play-based activities to gain rapport with Black boys, as well as interventions to encourage social-emotional expression in the playroom. This includes the application of group and family play therapy to help promote attachment and bonding in Black boys with family members and peers. The webinar will also discuss ways to gain buy-in with Black caregivers who may struggle with their boys engaging in certain categories of play.

Learning objectives:

1. Discuss play-based interventions to build rapport with Black boys.
2. Analyze play therapy interventions to encourage social-emotional expression in group play therapy with Black boys.
3. Explain the application of game play therapy with Black boys to encourage social-emotional expression.
4. Describe music-based interventions to promote social-emotional development in Black boys.
5. Assess ways to gain buy-in with taboo categories of play in play therapy with Black boys

Agenda:

• 9:00 am-10:30 am Lecture & experiential learning
• 10:30 am-10:45 am Break
• 10:45 am-12:15 pm Lecture & experiential learning

Session title: I Got the Power! Play Therapy to Empower Black Girls

Facilitator: April Duncan, DSW, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist-Supervision™

Session Date: July 18th, 2026 Session

Time: 1:30 pm-4:45 pm CST

Location: Equal Shares Counseling, 9715 Olive Boulevard, Ground Floor, Olivette, Missouri, 63132

APT Continuing Education Hours: 3.0

Session description:

Black girls have a unique experience growing up in the United States that warrants special attention in the playroom. This includes stereotypes in the media and even within the Black community, that can negatively affect a child’s mental health and self-esteem. This webinar also explores the play themes that may present in play therapy sessions with Black girls that may signal issues around self-worth, along with fun and unique play therapy interventions to promote healthy self-esteem around hair and skin tone in Black girls. Attendees will gain an understanding of the unique needs of Black girls, including the importance of representation in the toys and materials in the playroom. Time will also be spent discussing doll play and hand games as means of engaging Black girls in play therapy.

Learning objectives:

1. List play themes that may signal mental distress in Black girls.
2. Identify play therapy interventions to increase self-esteem in Black girls.
3. Analyze seminal play therapy theories to empower Black girls.

Agenda:

• 1:30 pm-3:00 pm Lecture & experiential learning
• 3:00 pm-3:15 pm Break
• 3:15 pm-4:45 pm Lecture & experiential learning

What you'll get:

• 12 APT Contact Workshop CEs
• 4 Certificates of Completion

*Course evaluations for each training must be completed to receive CE credits. Certificates will be provided upon completion of workshops and evaluation.