Where Play Meets Purpose
Welcome to OKC Play—where professional growth meets the power of play! We specialize in offering high-quality, engaging continuing education experiences for mental health professionals who use (or want to use) play therapy in their work.
Founded by a licensed clinical social worker and with a deep passion for both clinical excellence and creative expression, OKC Play brings together evidence-based training with a warm, interactive atmosphere. Whether you're attending a workshop on trauma-informed play therapy or exploring new techniques with sand tray or puppetry, our events are designed to inspire, educate, and connect.
OKC Play is an approved provider by the Association of Play Therapy. We provide board-approved continuing education for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs)
We’re proudly rooted in Oklahoma City, and committed to nurturing the growing community of therapists who know that healing often begins with play.
Available Trainings
This workshop explores developmentally appropriate, creative approaches to engaging adolescents in play therapy. Participants will learn techniques tailored to the unique emotional, cognitive, and relational needs of teens, with a focus on building trust, promoting expression, and supporting therapeutic goals through play-based interventions.
All Together Now: Building Self-Esteem Through Group Play Therapy
This interactive workshop explores the power of group play therapy to help children build self-esteem, social connection, and emotional resilience. Participants will learn how to structure and facilitate play-based groups that foster belonging, celebrate individual strengths, and promote positive peer interactions. Through experiential activities, case examples, and practical tools, clinicians will leave equipped to create playful group environments where every child feels seen, valued, and capable.
Anxiety often shows up in children long before they have the words to describe it. This experiential training explores a body-up (bottom-up) approach to play therapy that helps young clients regulate big feelings through movement, breath, sensory play, and attunement. Grounded in neuroscience and attachment theory, this workshop will equip clinicians with somatic tools and playful interventions that support nervous system regulation, build emotional resilience, and foster safety in the therapeutic relationship.
Band-Aids & Brave Hearts: Play Therapy for Medical Trauma in Children
This training equips play therapists with trauma-informed tools to support children facing medical trauma. From hospital stays to chronic illness, medical experiences can leave lasting emotional impacts. This workshop explores how play therapy can help children process fear, build resilience, and restore a sense of safety and control. Through experiential activities and creative interventions, participants will learn developmentally appropriate ways to promote healing in young clients navigating medical challenges.
Join us for an immersive training designed to introduce and enhance the use of bibliotherapy in play therapy. In this hands-on seminar, you’ll explore how storytelling can serve as a powerful tool in helping children navigate emotions, process trauma, and develop healthy coping mechanisms. Whether you’re new to bibliotherapy or looking to deepen your practice, this training will provide you with practical techniques and creative strategies to weave the magic of stories into therapeutic play.
Two Homes, One Heart: Play Therapy for Children of Divorce
Divorce can shake a child’s sense of safety, identity, and belonging. Two Homes, One Heart is a play therapy training designed to help clinicians support children navigating family separation. This workshop offers practical, developmentally appropriate interventions to help children process big emotions, reduce self-blame, and adjust to changes in family dynamics. Through experiential learning, participants will explore how play therapy can foster emotional expression, build coping skills, and promote connection in the midst of transition.
Who’s Behind OKC Play?
Welcome! I’m Emily, a licensed clinical social worker and registered play therapist with a heart for helping children and the people who care for them. I’ve been in clinical practice since 2011, working almost exclusively with children—from tiny preschoolers to high school teens—primarily as a school social worker.
I earned my Master of Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and spent nearly seven wonderful years there honing my skills. During that time, I also founded Bloom Counseling, a private practice focused on play therapy for kids and their families.
These days, I call Oklahoma home, where I blend my passion for clinical work with my love of teaching. I’m proud to teach both undergraduate and graduate social work students at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at the University of Oklahoma. Through OKC Play, I get to combine everything I love—teaching, connecting, and creating spaces where play becomes a powerful tool for healing.
When I’m not teaching or training, you’ll find me at home chasing my two and four-year-old, sharing life with my husband, and soaking in the playful chaos of this season.
I believe learning should be engaging, practical, and rooted in purpose—and I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t wait to grow and play alongside this amazing community.