Synergetic Play Therapy: What a Messy Playroom Really Means
Leah Band applied to about 50 therapy jobs after grad school, and nobody called her back. So, she took the one job that did call: knocking on doors as a child welfare intake caseworker.
It was the hardest work of her life, and she doesn’t regret a minute of it.
In this episode, Ashley Charbonneau and Morgen Villegas talk with Leah, a child and teen therapist in Louisville, Colorado, about what CPS looks like from the front lines. They talk about who decides what “safe enough” means, why the system works more like a band-aid than a fix, and how the systems that harm our clients are often the same ones that made us good clinicians.
Then the conversation moves into the playroom. Leah explains Synergetic Play Therapy, why she won’t do it over telehealth, and what it means when a child leaves your playroom in total chaos. (It’s rarely just a mess.) She also shares why good play therapists bring parents into the work. And yes, you can bill insurance for it.
In this episode:
- Life as a CPS intake caseworker
- Who defines child safety, and what “safe enough” costs
- Parental rights vs. the best interest of the child
- Synergetic Play Therapy and nervous system regulation
- What a messy playroom tells you about a child
- How to involve parents in play therapy
Guest Bio:
Leah Band, LCSW, is a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist with nearly 20 years of experience. She earned her MSW from the University of Denver in 2011. Over her career she has worked in child welfare, residential treatment, schools, community mental health, and group practice. Today she runs a private practice in Louisville, CO, where she works with kids, teens, and their parents. She also provides clinical supervision to pre-licensed clinicians on their way to independent practice.
Leah's Psychology Today Profile
Your Hosts:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. She works with people affected by the legal system, with a focus on offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice. She trains professionals across the country on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, sexual offending, therapy boundaries, and mandatory reporting and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma (PESI, 2026). Learn more at https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, consultant, EMDRIA Consultant, and author of Shadows to Light. Through her practice, Vida Idílica Therapy & Consulting, she specializes in helping women heal from trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and the lasting effects of overfunctioning and caregiving. Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. You can reach Morgen at https://www.vida-idilica.com
