Introspective Brick Building: LEGO®-Based Play Therapy

Description

When clients are too overwhelmed, guarded, or disconnected to express their inner world with words, they often turn to play. In these moments, LEGO® bricks become more than toys—they become tools for healing, connection, and self-discovery.

This course offers clinicians practical, research-backed techniques for using LEGO®-based play therapy to address real clinical challenges—like dysregulation, social skill deficits, and client resistance—while unlocking deeper emotional processing through hands-on engagement.

Althea T. Simpson, MBA, LCSW, RPT-S, is a seasoned trauma therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator. As the founder of multiple organizations supporting play therapy and trauma-informed care, Althea brings powerful experience working with children, families, and adults through expressive and structured interventions—including in her own psychotherapy practice. Her expertise and passion help clinicians move beyond surface-level engagement and harness the true therapeutic powers of play.

Althea’s approach blends the therapeutic powers of play with foundational theory, structured reflection, and purposeful use of LEGO® in the playroom. She invites clinicians to explore the emotional, social, and cognitive benefits of brick-based interventions—not just for their clients, but for their own clinical insight and connection-building skills.

In this self-paced course, participants will explore how intentional LEGO®-based activities can foster client introspection, self-awareness, and emotional resilience. Topics include the foundations of play therapy, the unique benefits of LEGO®-based methods, structured therapeutic builds, limit setting strategies in play therapy, and adapting activities for different developmental and diagnostic needs. Participants will also learn how to use LEGO® to address social skills deficits, emotional dysregulation, and maladaptive thought patterns through hands-on cognitive-behavioral and reflective techniques.

Key Takeaways:

• Empower healing through play: Learn how LEGO® interventions can reduce stress, build emotional insight, and help clients externalize their inner experiences.

• Develop intentional techniques: Discover how to use LEGO® in specific ways to build clients' social skills, self-regulation, and problem-solving abilities.

• Manage behavior creatively: Gain practical strategies for setting effective limits and fostering safety in child-centered or directive play therapy settings.

Why This Course?

• Expert-led training: Instructor Althea Simpson’s unique blend of trauma expertise, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitation, and play therapy supervision ensures the training is clinically sound and immediately applicable.

• Beyond trends—grounded in theory: This course moves beyond trendy interventions and equips you with foundational knowledge, ethical considerations, and theory-based methods.

• Part of a trusted mission: Offered by the Telehealth Certification Institute, this course is rooted in a mission to empower behavioral health clinicians with excellence, integrity, and practical skill development.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss the therapeutic benefits of intentionally incorporating LEGO® into play therapy practice.

• Identify and discuss various social skills and interpersonal skills that can be developed by incorporating LEGO® use into play therapy practice.

• Discuss limit setting for managing behavior in multiple play therapy settings.

• Demonstrate the purposeful use of LEGO® in play therapy practice.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in helping clients who can’t “talk it out,” this course offers a new way forward—one brick at a time. Build a more powerful, playful, and effective approach to therapy today.

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.

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

Instructor

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

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