Written by Christina Chan, MSW, RSW, CPT-S, RPT-S adopted Life Story Board into practice after the May 2023 training workshop at Faculty of Social Work.
Christina has 20 years experience in fostering emotional growth and strengthening parent-child relationships as a dedicated therapist who specializes in play therapy for children and families. She holds advanced degrees in Social Work and Behavioral Health, as well as a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-STM) with the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the Canadian Association of Play Therapy (CAPT).
She grounds her approach in a wide range of therapeutic modalities, including child-centered play therapy, cognitive-behavioral play therapy, gestalt play therapy, sandplay therapy, and Theraplay. Christina integrates trauma-informed approaches into her practice, drawing from her training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) and Somatic Experiencing. With a deep understanding of interpersonal neurobiology, Christina blends trauma interventions with her play therapy techniques, ensuring a holistic, integrative approach to healing.
Christina first integrated LSB into the assessment phase of EMDR treatment. She observed how LSB provided continuity for the client across therapy sessions: whereas many other play therapy techniques are one-off activities. the LSB tool is worth re-visiting at different stages in the course of therapy, such as returning to the LSB looking forward, rather than past-focussed assessment.
