Play, Presence, and the Art of Delight: Child-Centered Therapy
Morgen and Ashley sit down with Lydia Schneider, LCSW, a child-centered play therapist, to explore her winding path into social work — from a rocky first job at a group practice to finding her people at Heartspace Kids and co-founding a therapist collective.
Lydia opens up about standing up for herself after a difficult employer, the power of mentorship, and why kids simply aren't wired for talk therapy. She takes us inside the playroom, talks about how parents also need to do their own work to understand their children, addresses how to build a sustainable private practice, and what it really looks like to follow a client's lead.
A heartfelt, funny, and deeply moving conversation about resilience, creativity, and the profound relationships at the center of good therapy.
Guest bio:
Lydia Schneider, LCSW, is an independently practicing Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Colorado Springs, where she was born and raised. She earned her bachelor's degrees in Sociology and English from Western Colorado University before completing her Master of Social Work at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Lydia specializes in working with children, adolescents, and families navigating trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, identity development, self-esteem, and relationship challenges. Her work integrates Child-Centered Play Therapy, EMDR, CBT, TF-CBT, DBT, Narrative Therapy, Family Systems Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and TBRI, with advanced training in Child-Centered Play Therapy. As part of The Heartspace Collective, Lydia is passionate about creating compassionate, developmentally informed spaces where young people and families can heal, strengthen relationships, and build lasting resilience. To learn more about Lydia or contact her, visit theheartspacecollective.com.
Host Bios:
Ashley Charbonneau, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, evaluator, clinical supervisor, consultant, and educator. Her clinical expertise centers on working with individuals impacted by the legal system, grounded in a commitment to offender accountability, survivor healing, and restorative justice.
Ashley has developed multiple 45-hour training programs on clinical supervision and is the author of The Resilient Therapist (Bloomsbury, 2026) and Supporting Clients of Sexual Trauma: Establishing Safety, Processing Shame, and Fostering Healthy Intimacy (PESI, 2026). She provides training nationally on restorative justice, addiction, clinical supervision, working with individuals who have committed sexual offenses, professional boundaries in therapy, and mandatory reporting.
To contact Ashley directly, her website is: https://www.ensopllc.com/
Morgen Villegas, LCSW, LAC, ACS, is a therapist, writer, consultant, and an EMDR International Association Approved Consultant. 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. Using a blend of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), she helps clients reconnect with themselves and create lives that feel more authentic, spacious, and connected.
Morgen also provides consultation to EMDR therapists seeking greater confidence and nuance in working with complex trauma. Drawing from both professional expertise and lived experience, she is passionate about helping people move beyond "faking fine" and toward lasting healing. She is the author of Shadows to Light, a collection of stories and reflections on emotional neglect, motherhood, and breaking intergenerational cycles. Morgen lives in Colorado with her husband, two sons, rescue dog Raven, and an ever-growing stack of library books waiting to be read.
To contact Morgen directly, her website is: vida-idilica.com
