“Family Play Counseling” Training
This training focuses on evaluation and intervention methods using play with families presenting with child and adolescent concerns. Practitioners will gain knowledge on how to observe and intervene in family communication patterns, interaction cycles, rules, boundaries, distance dynamics, and attachment styles through play.
At the end of this seminar, practitioners will learn how to:
- Facilitate active participation of families with children in the process
- Enable family members to share feelings that are difficult to express verbally
- Observe and evaluate family dynamics, rules, and strengths through play
- Produce solutions to families' concerns with family play counseling methods
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yudum Soylemez
Assoc. Prof. Dr., Clinical Psychologist, Couples and Family Counselor | Trainer
Couples and family counselor, trainer, and academician with over 20 years of experience working with adults, couples, families with children and adolescents, and professional groups. Specialized in systemic and relational approaches, group facilitation, resilience, intergenerational transmission, and parenting. Has extensive experience in designing and conducting trainings, workshops, and experiential group programs for universities, mental health professionals, parents, NGOs, and community organizations. Current Positions: • Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Psychology • Istanbul Bilgi University Clinical Psychology Master's Program, Couples and Family Counseling Track Coordinator • Clinical Psychologist / Couples and Family Counselor, Tin Us Psychology Areas of Training and Education: • Couple and family relationships • Emotion regulation and communication in relationships • Intergenerational transmission and resilience • Parenting and family dynamics • Children and adolescents in family systems • Group facilitation and experiential exercises • Trauma, coping, and community resilience • Professional self-awareness and use of self in the counseling process Selected Clinical and Community Experiences: • Worked at clinical and community levels with adults, children, adolescents, couples, and families in Turkey and the United States. • Organized national and international trainings and workshops on family relationships, resilience, systemic thinking, and psychological counseling. • Developed and conducted parenting groups, resilience programs, and experiential workshops. • Worked with schools, NGOs, and disadvantaged families on parenting, emotion regulation, and relational resilience. • Designed and supervised parent-child parallel group interventions. Selected Publications and Books: • Söylemez, Y. & Kırhan, H. (2024). Systematic Approach to the Counseling Room. Nobel Publications. • Söylemez, Y. & Aydın, T. (2024). Turkey's response to the 2023 earthquakes: An application of the family adjustment and adaptation response model. • Face to Face: Couple and Family Counseling Stories from Turkey (2016). Y. Akyıl & N. Güven. Pegasus Publications. • Bizbize Family Game Professional Affiliations: • Former Vice President of the Turkish Psychological Association Istanbul Branch • Former President of the Couple and Family Counseling Association (ÇATED) • Clinical Member of the American Association for Marriage and Family Counseling (AAMFT) • Member of the International Family Counseling Association (IFTA)