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This webinar explores how evidence-based, person-centered strategies drawn from play therapy research can be ethically and effectively integrated into vocational rehabilitation practice across ages and stages. Participants will examine how autonomy, competence, relatedness, and self-determination – core tenets shared by both VR counseling and person-centered play therapy – directly support employment readiness, self-advocacy, and competitive integrated employment.
Grounded in decades of research and aligned with VR values, this session reframes play-informed approaches as structured, intentional, and outcomes-driven tools rather than recreational activities. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for strengthening therapeutic alliance, supporting motivation, and fostering independence while maintaining least-restrictive, dignity-affirming services.
Objectives
Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to:
1. Explain the shared theoretical foundations between vocational rehabilitation counseling and person-centered play therapy, including self-determination theory and self-actualization.
2. Identify evidence-based, play-informed strategies that support autonomy, competence, emotional regulation, and employment readiness.
3. Apply relationship-centered techniques (e.g., reflecting effort, returning responsibility, choice-giving) to strengthen engagement and self-advocacy in VR settings.
4. Describe how play-informed practices support Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) through motivation, persistence, and problem-solving.
About the presenter:
Amber Brasher is a community rehabilitation professional and clinical mental health counselor-in-training with a background in person-centered practice, disability inclusion, and systems-level program development. Her work integrates evidence-based principles from vocational rehabilitation counseling, play therapy research, and self-determination theory to support autonomy, self-advocacy, and meaningful employment outcomes across the lifespan. Amber is particularly interested in dismantling systemic barriers through least-restrictive, dignity-affirming approaches that center relationship, choice, and human potential.
