Family play therapy activity: Telehealth counseling

One of the biggest challenges I often hear from supervisees is how to engage the family and caregivers in counseling sessions. As we continue adhering to social distancing guidelines, finding creative ways to involve families via telehealth is a must. In this video, I present the "family hand activity" - A fun way to strengthen the relationship between family members.
In this video:
The family hand activity
An example of a completed family exercise
Processing questions for the family therapy
*Please note that the information shared in this video is not a substitute for professional training or supervision*
To learn more about my practice:
www.hummingbirdcounseling.com
[e-mail]

[@lynleybillingsley8204]

I'm a brand new therapist - like this is my third week as a practicing LAC. You have helped me SO MUCH with these ideas and activities! Thank you for taking time out to do these.

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

You are so welcome! Thank you for your feedback :)

[@cakesinthecity]

Love this ❤

[@vickib7544]

Just did this with a reunification case I’m working on. It accomplished more than I could’ve hoped for! Thanks for helping me deepen the emotional connectivity/attachment w/ this dad and his daughter! ❤️

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing this. I am so happy to see it was a powerful intervention for a dyad

[@chavaabramovitz2660]

Mayleen, your video’s are great and really helpful! I’d love to see more, aimed at 10-12 yr. olds without video capability- phone only. The topics of empathy (being with siblings 24/7 lately), and expressing feelings of pain, vulnerability, anger for kids who have a hard time opening up. Thanks for sharing from your wealth of skills!

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

Thank you for your feedback! I will definitively include tools on these topics for future videos!

[@DeeToTheEl4]

I used this activity during a virtual family session and both my client and mother enjoyed the activity. Thank you so much for sharing this, Meyleen!

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

You are so welcome! Thank you so much for your feedback. I am so happy to know this was useful

[@ronnieveliz9495]

Awesome! Thank you for this content.

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@bediaferhankiris4166]

Thank you very much! It is so valuable :)

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

You are welcome! So glad you found this resource valuable :)

[@traciekulakowski992]

Your video's are so helpful, I love this family activity. I would love to see a play based telehealth activity to do with siblings aged 10 - 17 who are constantly fighting. Thank you so much for posting your creative work, it is so valuable as I work to adapt to providing telehealth services for school aged students.

[@MeyleenVelasquez]

Thank you for your comment & request! Please stay tuned for some more family strengthening interventions coming in the next few weeks :)

[@vanessakillingsworth8326]

I love this activity! I wanted to share it with my classmates for an assignment in my graduate counseling program, but our professor wants us to cite from "literature" about the activities we select. Can someone tell me what type of play therapy this would be an example of (structural, strategic, Adlerian, etc.)?