Discussion: Integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) with EMDR and Play Therapy

“Everyone has a nervous system. Sometimes, especially right out of grad school, we forget that — we’re taught to leave our stuff at the door. At the end of the day and throughout the day, we’re human and we’re showing up with our clients as humans.” — Jackie Flynn

In this video, expert providers Jackie Flynn and Dora Henderson sit down for an insightful conversation with Unyte’s Leah Dawang to talk about integrating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) and Polyvagal Theory into their EMDR and Play Therapy practices.

Topics covered in this discussion include:

• A quick introduction to the SSP and the felt sense of safety
• SSP delivery with young clients who are unable to tolerate headphones for long periods of time
• Co-regulation and psychoeducation with parents
• Building the SSP in practice and what integration may look like in client sessions
• And more!

We recommend this video not only for EMDR therapists but for any professional provider looking to support your clients’ healing journey with nervous system regulation through the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP). Click the play button above to watch this discussion.

More from Jackie and Dora

Jackie and Dora’s 2nd Annual Neuroscience of Play Therapy Summit at the Beach takes place from February 17 to 19, 2023, in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Learn more about this event, including the speaker agenda, venue details and CE information.

Jackie and Dora are also the authors of children’s books dedicated to teaching young clients about the concepts of Polyvagal Theory! You can view and purchase the following books directly from Amazon:

• “Neuro & Ception Force Friends” by Dora Henderson
• “Being Human” Book by Jackie Flynn
• “In My Body I Feel” Book by Jackie Flynn

About the Speakers

Jackie Flynn is a co-founder of the Neuroscience of Play Therapy Summit. She is also a Registered Play Therapist, certified EMDR therapist and an EMDRIA Approved Consultant, Approved Provider for the Association for Play Therapy, EMDRIA Approved Advanced Trainer, and a certified SSP provider. In addition, Jackie is also an author, internationally known speaker and an education consultant supporting school systems with professional development training for teachers and administrators. Play therapy applications of the Polyvagal Theory is at the heart of her work with a foundational focus on safety and connection.

Dora Henderson is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and certified EMDR therapist, as well as a Consultant in Training (CIT). In addition, she is also a Trauma Play Therapist Supervisor, an Approved Provider for the Association for Play Therapy, and a certified Safe and Sound Protocol provider. She is both the co-founder of the Neuroscience of Play Therapy Summit and the owner of A Safe Space Counseling, a therapy practice specializing in helping with the healing of children, adolescents and adults with trauma recovery. In addition, Dora is also a children’s author as well as speaker, and her passion extends to helping students, teachers and school systems. Dora loves to incorporate Polyvagal practices into all aspects of being, including teaching people to become their own nervous system detectives.

Leah Dawang serves as Unyte’s Partnership Cultivation Manager and envisions all members of the helping and healing communities linking arms in love and transforming the world. She is an SSP provider in the final stages of becoming a Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner and is passionate about all things that lead to love including the nervous system, spoken word, and important, hard and beautiful conversations.