Cambridge Forum for Childrens Emotional Well-being, February 2026Info Location Contact More Info Event Information
DescriptionPost-Traumatic Play in Children with Dr Eliana Gil Tuesday 24 February 2026, 18.30-20.30 ONLINE Please see 'More info' tab for full event information.
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More InformationPost-Traumatic Play in Children with Dr Eliana Gil Unaddressed, trauma can interpret children’s development knocking them off course in their emotional, education and social developmental trajectory. However, given the right opportunities, children have the capacity to “play out” the impact of trauma by utilizing a brilliant self-directed process which allows them to externalize their traumatic experiences, use projection. This allows for reflection, and eventually enables the children to manage their thoughts and feelings through creative interventions. Processing of the trauma supports the children to regain their developmental pathway. This type of play is quite unique and was first described by Dr Lenore Terry when she did a longitudinal study of elementary school children that were kidnapped and recovered. It became clear that children are motivated to make meaning of difficult experiences and restore personal control and mastery. Usually, the language the children use to communicate and process their experiences is behaviour, play, and/or art images, rather than verbal communication. Eliana will talk us through her experiences of working via post traumatic play. Her workshop will look at two clinical cases in which children were able to lead the way towards their own recovery through post-traumatic play. There will be opportunities for questions at the end of Eliana’s presentation. Dr Eliana Gil is a Founding Partner of Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery & Education, LLC, a group private practice in Fairfax, Va, where she currently works as a Senior Clinical and Research Consultant. She is an Approved MFT Supervisor as well as a Registered Play Therapist/Supervisor, a Registered Art Therapist, a Registered Sand Therapist, and a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist. She is also a Circle of Security Certified Parent Educator, a Level II Theraplay provider, and participated and completed a two-year Individual Certification process with Dr. Bruce Perry. Dr. Gil provides specialized trainings on an array of topics involving trauma, attachment, and treatment options, with an integration of expressive therapies (art, sand, play). Eliana has directed three child sexual abuse treatment programs in Northern Virginia and continues her work in the field of child abuse prevention and treatment. She is also a former President of the Association for Play Therapy and received APT’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. Dr Gil has written numerous chapters, journal articles, and books on child abuse and related topics and has participated in educational videotapes that feature her work through Guilford Press, as well as a self-published DVD on Family Play Therapy. Her most recent books include Post-Traumatic Play: What Clinicians Should Know and the second edition of Play in Family Therapy. The Cambridge Forum for Children's Emotional Well-being is a forum/ seminar based at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. Find out more about our counselling courses. Forum purpose • To promote and extend the practice and development of psychotherapeutic counsellors in the region Forum aims • To promote and extend the practice and development of psychotherapeutic counselling and to enhance children's emotional well-being
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