Playful Therapy Connections

04/28/2026

Check out this *free workshop* hosted by College Living Experience Rockville! Our very own, Dr. Jaclyn Halpern will be on the panel, so come say "Hi"!

4th Annual Discover Neurodiversity Supports & Services Workshop

This workshop aims to connect families and professionals with the resources, experts, and community they need.

--> When: Friday, May 15th. 11am-1pm

--> Where: CLE Rockville | 401 N. Washington St, Rockville, MD 20850

--> What to expect:
• Brunch — enjoy a meal while you connect and learn
• Expert panels featuring local professionals in neurodiversity, education, and therapeutic services
• Networking with parents and community professionals
• Resources and insights you can put to use right away

This event is free to attend, but space is limited! To register, visit:

Join our event on Friday, May 15th at 11:00 am in Rockville, Maryland! Enjoy brunch, learn and meet other parents & professionals.

04/23/2026

04/21/2026

Voting for Washington Family's 2026 Best for Families awards has officially begun & Playful Therapy Connections has been nominated in several of the Health and Wellness categories including:

> Best Children's Therapist/Psychiatrist & Practice Name
> Best Family Therapist/Psychiatrist & Practice Name
> Best Pediatric Mental Health Practitioners

We appreciate all of the community support and are so grateful to be nominated in these categories!

Voting is open now through May 14th. There are so many categories and nominations for each category, so vote for your favorites and discover what services, entertainment, community resources, restaurants, etc. other families in our community are enjoying as well!

To cast your votes, visit:

04/17/2026

N is for No

When a child’s body says no and we override it with compliance, we rehearse a dangerous lesson:

Silence your inner warning system.
You don’t have the right to set limits. Even when you feel unsafe.

This is why we talk about less compliance.
And more interoception.

Interoception reminds us that “no” is protective, a signal of discomfort, fear, overwhelm, or a need for safety.

This shift is essential for raising children who trust their body signals, recognize when something feels wrong, and know they have the right to set limits.

If you’d like to explore this shift further, including how to respond to the common arguments still used to defend compliance, we’ve created several free resources on less compliance:

Community Discussion on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwg66MY4cYw&t=1075s

Blog: 5 Myths About Less Compliance
Read the blog here:
https://www.kelly-mahler.com/resources/blog/5-myths-about-less-compliance-and-what-it-really-looks-like-with-interoception/

Image Description: A pale yellow tile with a faded graphic of a crossed out symbol in the middle. In dark green writing over the symbol reads, “N is for “no””. Underneath reads, “When a child’s body says no and we override it with compliance, we rehearse a dangerous lesson: silence your inner warning system. Other people get the final say over your body.”.

04/14/2026

There’s a shift happening in how we understand Autism, and a lot of what many of us were taught is outdated.

If you’ve ever felt confused, unsure what’s actually helpful, or worried about getting it “wrong,” this is a conversation worth being part of.

Understanding & Supporting Autism from a Neurodiversity-Affirming Lens

This session focuses on seeing and supporting autistic children in a way that respects who they are, not trying to change or “fix” them, but understanding how they experience the world and how to support them more effectively.

You’ll walk away with:
A clearer understanding of what neurodiversity-affirming actually means
Practical ways to better support your child day to day
A different lens that may shift how you see behaviors and needs

Tuesday, April 28
Free virtual webinar

Whether you’re early in your journey or already deep in it, this will give you a perspective that’s often missing.

Save your spot here:
https://www.sixxcoolmoms.com/event-details/understanding-supporting-autism-from-a-neurodiversity-affirming-lens
ID: Image is a flyer detailing information of the "Coffee & Connections" event hosted by Sixx Cool Moms. The flyer is titled, "Coffee & Connections" and reads, "Join Dr. Jaclyn Halpern for our free virtual caregiver chat. Topic: Understanding & Supporting Autism from a Neurodiversity Affirming Lens. Date: Tuesday, April 28th. Time: 10-10:30am." Below is the Playful Therapy Connections logo and links to sixxcoolmoms.com & playfultherapy.net. Flyer has a grey background with pink and yellow accents and a digitally drawn image of a coffee mug with a white foam heart sitting on a saucer with a small spoon.

04/07/2026

Dr. Jaclyn Halpern had the honor of being invited on the Complicated Kids Podcast with Toddler Whisperer, Gabriele Nicolet to discuss having hard conversations with neurodivergent children.

In this episode, they talk about why parents don’t have to answer difficult questions right away, modeling healthy emotional expression, how kids interpret adult emotions and much more.

Don't miss it! Listen to the episode here: https://youtu.be/mZgrlCIbMYU or wherever you get your podcasts.

Find out more about the amazing work that Gabriele is doing by visiting www.raisingorchidkids.com.

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Hard things are happening in the world and your sensitive kid is noticing. In this conversation with psychologist Dr. Jaclyn Halpern, we talk about how to st...

04/03/2026

😅

03/31/2026

On International Transgender Day of Visibility, we celebrate trans leadership, resilience, and right to live openly and fully.

But visibility alone is not enough.

Right now, Congress is advancing legislation that would restrict access to medically necessary, evidence-based gender-affirming care for trans youth.

These proposals would:
- Interfere in deeply personal medical decisions
- Undermine families and trusted healthcare providers
- Limit access to care through programs like Medicaid
- Increase harm for trans youth, including higher risks of depression and su***de

Trans disabled youth face even greater risks when care is not available.

Gender-affirming care is supported by decades of medical research. It saves lives.
Decisions about care belong with patients, families, and providers, not politicians.

As this moves to the Senate, we all have a role to play in ensuring access to care and affirming the humanity of trans youth.

Take action: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/protect-trans-care-now

Everyone has a right to dignity, autonomy, and the freedom to seek care.

03/17/2026

Flashback Friday: Originally posted April 4th, 2021

Autism is more accepted that it was 20 years ago, and in 20 years my hope is that it'll be more accepted then than it is now. I want the future to be better for autistics, in hopes that we have more acceptance, and less trauma.

Please like, share and follow! It really helps to support me!

[Image description: A six panel comic of Honeydew speaking about autism and trauma. The comic is titled "Harm Prevention" and is made by Theresa Scovil.

Panel 1:
Honeydew says to the audience "It's speculated that there's no such thing as an untraumatized autistic."
Panel 2:
Honeydew says "That trauma may be from ABA, bullies, abusive authority figures, such as a parent, or teacher."
Panel 3:
Honeydew says "Some scars are emotional, and some are physical."
Honeydew rolls their sleeve up an show scars on their arm.
Panel 4:
Honeydew happily says "This is why autism acceptance is so important! The more accepted autism is the less likely autistics will be subject to trauma!"
Panel 5:
Honeydew smiles and says "Autism acceptance isn't just about being accepted right now."
Panel 6:
Honeydew cheerfully says "It's about future harm prevention!"]

03/06/2026

Join our wonderful clinician Janelle McCarthy and Sixx Cool Moms for his upcoming Coffee & Connections!

Join Coffee & Connections, a free 30–40 minute virtual chat led by a clinician from Playful Therapy Connections. You’ll get practical tools, real language, and the chance to ask questions in a supportive, judgment-free space.

03/05/2026

Competing access needs are real. Accessibility is too important for us to ignore just because it can be difficult or unpopular.