Play therapy is a transformative approach widely used by mental health professionals to help children articulate feelings, navigate trauma, and build essential coping mechanisms. Given the neuroplasticity and emotional sensitivity of young minds, early therapeutic intervention using play can prevent long-term psychological challenges and enhance emotional regulation, communication, and resilience.
Recognizing the profound impact of this modality, Beth (Batsheva) Hartstein, MSW, LCSW-C, RPT-S, has curated an expansive collection of live and on-demand courses aimed at equipping mental health professionals with practical, evidence-based play therapy techniques. She is a licensed clinical social worker and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, bringing decades of expertise, a warm therapeutic presence, and a unique blend of creativity and clinical insight to her teaching.
Her extensive course library on Core Wellness is a treasure trove for mental health professionals who wish to deepen their therapeutic toolkit, stay current, and approach child and adolescent therapy with confidence and creativity.
The Value of Her Courses for Today’s Mental Health Professionals
Beth’s belief that “play is the language of children” forms the foundation of her work. Whether she’s helping children navigate trauma or guiding professionals through complex cases, Beth does it with empathy, clarity, and unmatched expertise. Her on-demand courses are more than CE opportunities — they’re comprehensive educational experiences that challenge, inspire, and equip. Each course is rooted in clinical relevance, offering real-world applications that can immediately be integrated into practice.
Some benefits her courses provide:
- Deep theoretical grounding
- Practical techniques ready for use in sessions
- Tools for working with diverse populations
- Insight into the therapeutic use of creativity and play
A Library That Covers the Spectrum of Play Therapy Practice
Let’s explore the breadth and depth of Beth’s course library. It spans beginner fundamentals to advanced clinical techniques, all designed with clear learning objectives, case studies, and a strong clinical foundation.
1. Play Therapy To Alleviate Anxiety Caused by Fears
In the early ages, kids have an elevated imagination with no bounds. However, it's a good thing, but at the other end of the extreme lies anxiety. Anxiety is becoming increasingly prevalent among kids, affecting approximately 1 in 12 children and 1 in 4 adolescents. It can manifest in many ways, including fears, phobias, nightmares and sensitivities. Unfortunately, more often than not, such symptoms are dismissed. However, early interventions are crucial to get better outcomes.
This is why Beth introduces professionals to the key play therapy interventions to help children master their fears, primarily through exposure/systematic desensitization, psychoeducation, and CBT. She covers many diverse fears of kids, addressing children’s anxiety about perceived fears and phobias. She offers hands-on experience by showing what goes on in the mind of a child.
2. Therapeutic Ways to Use Games in Play Therapy
As per Beth’s belief, “play is the language of children”; hence, she offers engaging and interactive training to professionals interested in play therapy interventions. Her course on “How to Use Games Therapeutically in Play Therapy” offers greater knowledge about appropriate games and how therapists can effectively engage young clients in therapy for greater outcomes.
In this course, she teaches how games can be used as assessment tools, how to know which game is appropriate for an individual client, and how games can be used as therapeutic interventions. As per her emphasis on hands-on training, her courses provide the opportunity to learn, practice, and apply this newfound knowledge and skills with different games during the course.
3. Play-Based Interventions for Extreme & Negative Thinking
Extreme and negative thinking in children can become a significant barrier to their growth. Many children use statements like “My teacher hates me,” “No one cares about me,” “My mother is always mean,” etc. These extreme statements come from extreme thinking in children, which can cause behavioural issues and may even hinder their growth.
Hence, Beth offers an evidence-based approach to cater such behavior in children. She teaches mental health professionals play therapy CBT techniques to help kids with their overwhelming, inaccurate, and catastrophic thoughts. With this module, therapists can learn evidence-based techniques to help improve self-awareness, build resilience, promote self-regulation, and offer healthy coping skills using games, stories, and creative activities.>
4. Anger Management Through Play Therapy
Children often throw tantrums, which is usually considered normal, and they usually outgrow them with proper parenting and social norms. However, some children get progressively worse as they grow and enter school, and may even continue this habit in their early teens. Parents usually ask their pediatricians about such concerns, and they are referred to mental health professionals.
Such explosive anger can be a manifestation of many underlying conditions such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, etc. This is why early intervention is necessary. Hence, Beth offers engaging and interactive training for play therapists to learn how to help children who struggle with anger to help change the pattern as early on as possible and defuse anger. She uses hands-on activities, games, videos and worksheets to teach children healthy self-expression.
5. Creative Play Therapy Interventions
Beth offers engaging and highly educational workshops that provide creative play therapy interventions to change the way mental health professionals interact with kids and teens. Her courses on creative play therapy teach therapists how to grab and hold the attention of their clients with directive and non-directive play therapy techniques.
Her creative use of games, songs, activities, and worksheets takes the mystery out of effective therapy for kids and teens, making them feel safe to express themselves.
In this course, Beth teaches the entire rainbow of play therapy techniques, perfect for therapists newer to the modality or those integrating play into a broader clinical practice.
Why Should Professionals Choose Beth’s Courses?
What makes Beth Hartstein’s library truly outstanding isn’t just the content — it’s the delivery. Her teaching style is warm, engaging, and rooted in empathy. She uses case examples, demonstration videos, and downloadable resources to reinforce learning.
Here are five reasons professionals consistently rate her courses highly:
- Practical Tools: No fluff — every course includes concrete activities you can use tomorrow.
- Therapeutic Depth: Courses are rooted in strong theory, with a clear rationale for every intervention.
- Creativity & Expression: Beth shows how to unlock the expressive power of each child.
- Flexible Learning: Her courses are available in both live and on-demand course formats that allow professionals to learn at their own pace.
- Specialized Expertise: As an RPT-S, Beth brings supervisory insight to all her teachings.
Beth’s courses are suitable for everyone seeking knowledge about play therapy and its uses. Whether you’re new to play therapy or seeking advanced skills, her library has something for every level.
Final Thoughts
In a field that demands constant learning, Beth Hartstein’s courses offer both depth and practicality. Her teaching invites clinicians to step into a child’s world with curiosity, skill, and compassion. Whether you’re looking to specialize in play therapy or broaden your therapeutic repertoire, her courses provide the foundation and inspiration to transform your practice.
If you’re a professional therapist ready to bring more creativity, connection, and clinical precision to your work, Beth Hartstein’s course library is the place to start.
Comments