6th Annual Play Therapy Conference — November 6, 2026
Neurosequential Therapeutic Approach to Play and Play Therapy for Children Suffering Traumatic Experiences
We are thrilled to welcome internationally renowned play therapist, mental health clinician and educator, Dr. Richard Gaskill to Eastern Illinois University's 6th Annual Play Therapy Conference! Dr. Gaskill is recognized for his work in integrating neuroscience with play therapy, trauma-informed care, and advancing early childhood mental health.
Over the past two decades, research has clearly documented the vulnerability of the developing brain and the negative impact of social and emotional trauma on brain functioning. It is now apparent that traumatic and neglectful developmental experiences alter normal brain development in all parts of the brain depending on the nature of the maltreatment, developmental stage of the child, and the quality of the nurturing environment. Science now informs us that these factors cause disorganization in specific areas of the brain and that play therapy interventions are not equally effective in all brain regions. While play therapy embodies many neurobiological principles, a “one size fits all” therapeutic approach will be less effective than one designed for the brain regions affected. As play therapists learn and apply a few fundamental concepts of brain development, brain organization, and the impact of trauma we are better able to identify play therapy interventions likely to be effective treatment options.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify neurobiological concepts vital to understanding brain processing
- Participants will be able to discuss misperceptions of brain functioning which impair treatment outcome
- Participants will list the six key neurological concepts (6 R’s) present in successful play therapy interventions
- Participants will identify crucial play therapy intervention strategies for trauma encoded in different brain regions
- Participants will integrate treatment strategies into play therapy using the regulate, relate, reason paradigm
- Participants will design patterned and repetitive play therapy activities into episodes into successful treatment outcomes
PLEASE NOTE: Participants will be required to complete an evaluation upon conclusion of the workshop to receive 6 CEUS thru NBCC. This conference provides an additional 6 APT CEs approved provider 07-200.
About the Presenter: Dr. Rick Gaskill
Dr. Gaskill retired from community mental health in 2021 after 47 years. He is a founding member and past president of the Kansas Association for Play Therapy and past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association for Play Therapy.
Dr. Gaskill continues teaching play therapy at Wichita State University (Approved Play Therapy Center, 2010). His numerous publications explore the neuroscience of play therapy. He has consulted and lectured on children’s therapy, therapeutic preschools, trauma informed schools,
and school based mental health services throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia for over 30 years.
He was named a Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy (2004) and given the Wichita State University College of Education’s Champion of Education Award (2017), WSU Hall of Fame in 2020, and received the Association for Play Therapy’s Lifetime Achievement Award (2022).
Dr. Gaskill was given the Alice Eberhart-Wright Visionary Award in the field of early childhood mental health by the Kansas Association of Infant Mental Health (1917) and named a Phyllis Rae McGinley Champion of Children by the Child Trauma Academy in 2018. Kansas Association for Play Therapy named Dr. Gaskill the first recipient of the Rick Gaskill Luminary Award for his contributions to play therapy in the State of Kansas in 2018.
Target Audience:
Graduate level mental health students & licensed mental health practitioners. This seminar is a beginning level course. This workshop is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals, including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and professional counselors.
It is the responsibility of each professional to check with their state or national licensing board to obtain continuing education credit for this seminar. Most state and national licensing boards will approve continuing education courses which cover clinical topics, practice management skills, legal and ethical responsibilities and stress management. It is your responsibility as the license/certificate holder to be aware of and abide by the continuing education rules and guidelines set forth by your licensing board.
Date/Time Information
Friday, November 6, 2026, from 8:30 am until 4:00 pm
Location Information
University Ballroom
Martin Luther King Jr. University Union
1720 7th Street
Charleston, IL 61920
Price Information
$85 for professionals
$40 for students
Contact Information
Counseling & Higher Education
217-581-2400
che@eiu.edu