Implementing LEGO®-Based Play Therapy Online Using Storytelling & Metaphors

Description

Play therapy often begins where words fail. When traditional talk therapy isn’t enough to reach children or adolescents struggling to express themselves, LEGO®-based play therapy offers a powerful bridge—transforming bricks into stories, and stories into healing.

This course equips clinicians with a structured and imaginative method to help clients safely explore emotions, build self-understanding, and strengthen communication—especially in online settings where connection can feel elusive.

Althea T. Simpson, MBA, LCSW, RPT-S, is a nationally respected clinical social worker, play therapy trainer, and Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator. She has helped countless clients and professionals harness the power of metaphor, play, and storytelling to move from pain to growth. With deep roots in trauma recovery and a gift for translating complex emotional work into meaningful, creative practice, Althea is a trusted voice in the field.

In this self-paced online course, Althea introduces participants to LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and how it can be used to support emotional processing and self-expression during telehealth sessions. She demonstrates real-world techniques for inviting clients to build metaphor-rich models and construct narratives that can reveal, contain, and transform difficult experiences.

Topics include the foundational principles of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, core elements of metaphor-based storytelling, how to create play therapy builds with individual clients and families, adapting directive and non-directive approaches for telehealth, and facilitating deeper meaning-making through narrative exploration. Participants will also learn about the therapeutic powers of play and how visual storytelling builds resilience, insight, and relational safety.

Key Takeaways:

• Transform therapeutic communication: Discover how storytelling with LEGO® builds allows clients to communicate experiences too difficult to verbalize.

• Deepen emotional insight and healing: Learn how metaphors activate a client’s internal meaning-making process to promote change.

• Adapt proven strategies for telehealth: Gain practical, creative methods for using LEGO®-based play therapy in online sessions.

Why This Course?

• Led by a trusted expert in LEGO® play therapy: Althea Simpson brings firsthand expertise, warmth, and deep clinical insight into every teaching segment.

• Built for real-world application: The course delivers practical, flexible strategies that clinicians can implement immediately, especially in telehealth sessions.

• Offered by a CE leader in behavioral health: Telehealth Certification Institute provides high-quality continuing education designed to elevate your impact as a clinician.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY model and its connection to play therapy practice.

• Identify and discuss at least three ways storytelling and metaphors can be used in play therapy.

• Identify and discuss the stages that metaphors move through when incorporating LEGOs and storytelling into play therapy to help clients communicate experiences.

• Demonstrate building LEGO models to help clients receiving play therapy to improve social and emotional functioning.

As children and families face increasingly complex emotional and relational challenges, clinicians need new tools that are both effective and engaging. This course offers a fresh, hands-on approach to deepen your therapeutic connection—and help your clients rebuild their stories, one brick at a time.

Add this course to your cart to develop your skills, boost your confidence, and enhance your impact as a behavioral health professional.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 2.5 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

***This course may be purchased individually, or as a part of a 3-item bundle of LEGO®-based Play Therapy courses

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

About Althea T. Simpson, MBA, LCSW, RPT-S

Althea T. Simpson is the founder of Brighter Day Therapeutic Solutions, Unicorn Life Training, and the Black Play Therapy Society. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator.

Althea has a passion for helping children, adolescents, adults, and families from diverse backgrounds and dealing with a range of concerns go from “Hurt to Healed.” She specializes in trauma recovery and has an active psychotherapy practice in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Althea uses the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method to help individuals and families address a variety of mental health issues. She also facilitates skill enriching workshops to teach mental health professionals’ therapeutic techniques that can help empower their clients to move through the therapeutic process. 

Althea has delivered presentations for numerous organizations, community events, and professional conferences and seminars. 

To learn more or contact her, visit:

Website

Training Website

Conference Website

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 2.5 continuing education hour of credit.

Play therapy credit available to mental health professionals & graduate students in a mental health program.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 2.5 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Play Therapists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC has been approved as a continuing education provider by the Association for Play Therapy: APT Approved Provider 21-633. Per the Association for Play Therapy (APT), play therapy training may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. APT alone holds the right to accept or deny any continuing education training at its discretion. This course qualifies as 2.5 non-contact continuing education Play Therapy credits.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 150 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement