Dr. Elizabeth Cawley
Chief Clinical Officer
PlaySpace
CANADA
Dr. Elizabeth Cawley is a leading expert in student mental health with a PhD from McGill University. She is the Chief Clinical Officer at PlaySpace and has held leadership roles at Keel Mind and ASEQ|Studentcare, where she developed national e-mental health initiatives. She was a key contributor to Canada’s first National Standard for Post-Secondary Student Mental Health and has advised governments and institutions on digital mental health strategies. A faculty member at Dalhousie University, Dr. Cawley is committed to advancing evidence-based, student-centered mental health solutions. She also serves on multiple advisory boards, including Playful Mindset.
Overview:
Traditional play therapy techniques such as sand trays, storytelling, and expressive arts are well-established, evidence-based methods for engaging adolescents and youth in therapy. However, as mental health services shift to virtual and hybrid models, therapists face challenges and a lack of available resources in adapting these hands-on techniques to digital interventions.
This presentation will demonstrate how PlaySpace has reimagined evidence-backed therapeutic tools for digital settings while maintaining their effectiveness. Using PlaySpace’s virtual sand trays, interactive dollhouses, AI-assisted storytelling, and customizable digital playrooms, therapists can replicate the benefits of in-person interventions in a virtual environment. Beyond maintaining therapeutic efficacy, digital play therapy expands access to rural and underserved areas, offers culturally diverse and inclusive therapeutic tools, and enhances engagement for digital-native youth.
Attendees will see firsthand how PlaySpace makes virtual play therapy as impactful as in-person sessions while also breaking down barriers to access, representation, and engagement in adolescent mental health care.
Learning Objectives:
Explain how PlaySpace translates evidence-based play therapy tools into effective virtual interventions.
Demonstrate how digital sand trays, AI-assisted storytelling, and interactive playrooms replicate traditional therapeutic benefits while expanding accessibility.
Provide practical strategies for integrating PlaySpace into adolescent-focused therapy sessions.
Presentation Structure
1. Introduction: The Challenge of Virtual Therapy (2 minutes)
- The effectiveness of traditional play therapy tools for adolescents and youth.
- The growing demand for virtual therapy solutions.
- How PlaySpace preserves the core therapeutic benefits of these tools while expanding accessibility.
2. Translating Traditional Play Therapy Tools into Digital Spaces (4 minutes)
- Virtual Sand Trays and Dollhouses: Maintaining the same expressive and projective qualities as physical toys.
- AI-Assisted Storytelling: Creating culturally diverse and inclusive narratives that resonate with adolescents from different backgrounds.
- Customizable Digital Playrooms: Replicating real-world play therapy settings to foster emotional regulation and engagement.
- Breaking Barriers: How digital play therapy expands geographic reach to rural areas and provides therapy options for youth with mobility or accessibility challenges.
- Evidence & Research: Overview of studies demonstrating the effectiveness of digital play therapy.
3. Case Study: Evidence-Based Virtual Play Therapy in Action
- Real-world example of a therapist using PlaySpace with an adolescent client.
- How PlaySpace tools help address anxiety, trauma, social skills development, and emotional regulation.
- Addressing therapist concerns: Effectiveness, ethical considerations, and client engagement.
4. Conclusion & Key Takeaways
- Digital adaptations of play therapy tools can be just as effective as in-person methods, while also enhancing accessibility and cultural inclusivity.
- PlaySpace offers therapists a way to seamlessly integrate evidence-based techniques into virtual practice
- Three ways therapists can start using PlaySpace today to enhance engagement in online therapy.