Telehealth Activity: Rush Hour

The first draft of my second telehealth book is submitted, and I am excitedly waiting for my editor’s comments. Of course, days after I submitted the manuscript, I found an online version of yet another game I have used in my in-person office. But that is why I started this blog, right? To offer resources.Continue reading “Telehealth Activity: Rush Hour”

What Makes An Activity Therapeutic? More Thoughts

Note: This post includes a description of a conversation I had with a client’s parent, as well as a description of an activity completed in a session. Details about the conversation, client, and the activity have been modified to ensure confidentiality while maintaining the spirit of the story. No HIPAA violations here! I’ve written beforeContinue reading “What Makes An Activity Therapeutic? More Thoughts”

Telehealth Activity: Bop-It

Remember Bop-It? Hours of fun, or two minutes of fun followed by a rage quit. I never had a Bop-It in my in-person office, but when I discovered the online version, it felt like an obvious option for kids working on executive functioning, attention, frustration tolerance, and emotion regulation. You can screen share and grantContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Bop-It”

Telehealth Activity: Poly Business (It’s Monopoly)

I don’t keep Monopoly in my in-person office simply because you cannot get through an entire game in a 45-minute session, but kids ask about it pretty frequently. I see therapeutic benefits – what game provides more opportunities to model and practice frustration tolerance than Monopoly? A great thing about telehealth is that there areContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Poly Business (It’s Monopoly)”

5 Essential Tips for Telehealth with Kids

With my new book’s release date fast approaching, I’ve put together five tips for your telehealth sessions. I wrote this piece for PESI’s website, and you can get two free telehealth activities there! Therapists are still reeling from the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic had on therapy. While sessions continued with telehealth options, gone wasContinue reading “5 Essential Tips for Telehealth with Kids”

Telemental Health with Kids Toolbox: Coming December 15, 2021

It’s happening! After more than a year and a half of telehealth with kids, gathering interventions, problem solving, troubleshooting, and technical support, I’ve compiled more than 100 kid-friendly telehealth interventions into a book. I also talk about how to create even more interventions for your own, personalized toolbox of telehealth activities. I owe the peopleContinue reading “Telemental Health with Kids Toolbox: Coming December 15, 2021”

Telehealth Activity: Tunnel Rush

Most child therapists and play therapists keep activities and games in their offices that rely on competition between the therapist and client. You can practice regulation and frustration tolerance when the client loses and good sportsmanship when they win. Taking turns requires impulse control and is an important social skill. Plus, games are fun, andContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Tunnel Rush”

Telehealth Activity: Buddha Board

One thing from my in-person office that I have not been able to replicate in telehealth sessions has been my Buddha Board. (You can see a demonstration of the Buddha Board here.) When I use art in therapy, I encourage clients to focus on the experience of creating rather than on the final product. TheContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Buddha Board”

Telehealth Activity: Virtual Roller Coaster

I continue to be amazed by the new doors that telehealth opens for me in my practice. Virtual backgrounds, Google Earth vacations, and Minecraft are just three things I never would have thought to use in my sessions before I went online. Necessity breeds innovation, as they say. I am sure you have heard aboutContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Virtual Roller Coaster”

Telehealth Activity: Nature Cams

I have talked before about using pets in telehealth sessions, and Felicia Nubivn shared how she created a butterfly garden for her sessions. Today I am expanding on this idea thanks to various zoos and park services around the world. Countless nature cams are available for viewing any time and from anywhere. Some are liveContinue reading “Telehealth Activity: Nature Cams”