SITH Conference 2025: The Legal Arena: Playing by the Rules and Advocating for ClientsThrough Play Therapy & Clinical Expertise with Val Bruno

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We welcome special guest Val to discuss her upcoming session at the SITH Conference, which focuses on helping clinicians navigate the legal arena with confidence. Val shares her expertise as a translator between the therapeutic world and legal settings, helping therapists understand how to effectively advocate for their clients in court.

• SITH (Supportive Innovations for Therapeutic Heroes) is an in-person conference in Las Cruces, New Mexico, October 9-11
• This year's conference focuses on the legal arena and court-involved cases
• Val will present on "The Legal Arena: Playing by the Rules and Advocating for Clients Through Play Therapy"
• Most clinicians feel intimidated by court appearances due to a lack of training
• Val has 14 years of experience as an expert witness and writing reports for legal cases
• The session will help clinicians understand proper documentation that works for both insurance and court
• Val specializes in working with neurodivergent children, adding another layer to her expertise
• The conference will be held at the Blue Door Venue in Mesilla
• Food trucks will provide meals with options for dietary restrictions
• Special swag, including unique stress toys, will be provided

Register now through the link below the podcast to secure your spot at the SITH Conference.
https://www.anewhopeacademy.org/sith25

A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Oh girls, welcome back listeners to a special
episode of the Heroes Welcomepodcast.
I'm your co-host, maria.
I'm joined by my lovely co-host.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
That's me, Liliana Balan, and we're here to promote
SIF.
Maria, tell us what is SIF.

Speaker 1 (00:21):
Yes.
So SIF is the in-personconference I host here in Las
Cruces, new Mexico.
This will be our fourth yearhosting.
Each year we try to figure outwhat our community needs for
professional development,support for our clinicians, and

(00:41):
this year this year we aretackling the legal arena and all
things court-involved caseswhich most of us cry ourselves
to sleep at night when we get asubpoena, but not our special
guest.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
I was like, yes, we do, but not Val Val.
How do you want to introduceyourself and tell us what's the
name of your session during SIFGood, morning.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
I'm Val, I'm a play therapist and a supervisor and
all things.
Neurodivergence in ColoradoSprings and my breakout for the
SIF conference, which will youremind me what SIF stands for?

Speaker 1 (01:25):
the SIF conference, which will you remind me what
SIF stands for?
Yes, thank you.
It's supportive innovations fortherapeutic heroes.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Oh, that's so good, that's so good.
The legal arena playing by therules and advocating for clients
through play, therapy andclinical expertise is what my
breakout is at the SIFconference and I'm super honored
and excited to come down andtalk with other clinicians and

(01:51):
professionals about, andbuilding confidence in, their
ability to navigate legalsituations with their clients.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Exciting and I was going to say that's exactly what
we need, right, Like, can youhelp me feel competent or
confident just a little bit,Because it's very intimidating
being in a courtroom, having ajudge, having lawyers asking you
questions.
So we are so thankful thatyou're coming and helping us

(02:24):
with that anxiety almost panickyfelt sense every time that
we're there.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah, absolutely.
I think most clinicians, whenwe get that subpoena or we step
into the court, we feel likewe're the ones in trouble, right
, like we feel like we gotcalled to the principal's office
, that we've done, or couldpotentially do something very
wrong, because they don't trainus to handle this situation in
our programs.

(02:51):
And I know the answer to this.
But this is why I'm asking thequestion, val, why you?
Why were you invited to comeand speak on this?

Speaker 3 (03:01):
Well, wrong, bad timing.
Well, um, wrong bad timing, Idon't know, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding, I have beenworking in the, so the way that
I kind of explain this tofriends is that I'm a translator
, so I play with kids and I gettheir voice and that's my
therapeutic world, and I also amreally efficient and competent

(03:25):
at translating through the legalarena and not just like with
judges and lawyers and peoplethat are involved in custody
things, but also police, thatI've got a background in
security and being in the AirForce and translating to

(03:46):
teachers, and so I get thedifference, like the breakdown
between I'm a lawyer and I wentto school for law and I know the
law and I'm a judge, versus youplay with a kid and they took a
snake and put it on a dollhouse, and that's one of the bigger

(04:08):
takeaways that I've found isreally helpful for clinicians is
the translation of what ourclinical notes need to look like
to get away with being in courtand also getting paid by
medical insurances, becausethere's a big difference in what
we are required to document andit's really intimidating if you

(04:29):
don't know, if you've neverexperienced it, and so I've been
doing that professionally forabout 14 years and I've been um,
uh, there's a word for it,that's on my resume that I
chronically forget.
I've been sworn in as an expertwitness in many, many, many,

(04:50):
many cases and I've been soughtafter to write stories, not
depositions.
That's the lawyer's part, butdifferent what's the word Like?
report Recommendation.
Yes, thank you, reports andrecommendations.
It's early in the morning.

(05:10):
Thank you Reports andrecommendations for legal folks
in the community regarding casesand being a blind witness and
basically being a translatorbetween the therapeutic world
with our kids and families.
And then really fast to hop onthat.
I specialize working withneurodivergent kids and families

(05:33):
, so it's a kind of added bonusto say like I get the difference
and I also get the differencewith the difference on top of
the difference, and to be ableto articulate that it's been
pretty valuable.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Yeah, absolutely Absolutely.
I know you know a Sith ishappening in New Mexico, but a
lot of the legal pieces and howto appear in a courthouse, in a
courtroom, like all of that ispretty standard across states
and I'm really, I'm really veryexcited for you to come and just

(06:11):
because in your presence whenwe've talked about cases or
we've done consultation, likeI've always just walked away
going oh yeah, no, I know whatI'm doing now, Like I got, I got
this, and just the sense oflike, validation and confidence
is so, so helpful because, yes,this legal world, like we, we
don't have the education andbackground for this, and I've

(06:34):
learned from you to also stepback and go.
Well, neither do they the otherside doesn't have our
background and knowledge either.
Well, neither do they the otherside doesn't have our
background and knowledge either.
Um, and you've been reallyhelpful in just humanizing the
whole process for me because ityou know before that it was like
yeah, and I was like I'm gonnago and I'm gonna say one wrong
word and they're gonna take mylicense and I'm not gonna have a
practice anymore and I'm theone in trouble and, um yeah, so

(06:58):
I'm really excited for you toshare that with my community and
those that are coming, and alsoI just get to like thank you
for being that person, becausethere's not a lot of that kind
of support.

Speaker 2 (07:10):
No, I'm honored Now.
So all of you who are coming in, if you have not registered yet
, hurry up.
There's still spaces.
But yeah, all of you are goingto be in for a treat.
We have a witness we have beencoached by, and well, it's just
amazing.
So, maria, can you remind themwhat are the dates for SIF?

Speaker 1 (07:35):
Yes, it's October 9th through the 11th.
It's going to be in Las Cruces,New Mexico.
We're actually just going to bejust inside Mesilla, which is
our little old town and a reallyadorable venue, the Blue Door
Venue, which has only been forweddings until this past year.
So we're one of the first bigevents that's not a wedding

(07:57):
happening there.
I'm very excited and I was justsharing with you two before
that.
We were like finalizing ourlunch options and we're leaning
into like food trucks and tacosand all the yummy goodness,
Because, well, I mean, you twoknow this about me, but anytime
I have a thing like I'm going tomake sure that we have food and

(08:18):
good food and lots of it.
So I'm very, very excited.

Speaker 2 (08:22):
Not only you're feeding us, but you are aware of
diet restrictions, and noteveryone is aware of that, and
we are so thankful because wecan eat when we go with you.

Speaker 1 (08:32):
Yes, it's important to me, right, like food, is one
of my love languages.
Not that I cook it, because Idon't do that.
And if you know me, you knowthat's true, Um, but I'll find
us good food and I'll bring goodfood and I'll make sure
everyone has something that theycan eat.
Um, and, and we do have somepretty fantastical swag.

(08:53):
Um, I forgot to grab one andbring it to the office, but we
might've talked about a veryspecial shaped stress toy to
play with that might make youfeel a little bit more official.
So if you're not, if you're-not coming for Val.
You're missing out, but atleast come for the swag.

Speaker 2 (09:16):
We can say that you're going to have a blast.
Everyone is going to be takingpictures with that toy and
everyone is going to be feelinglike I got this.
Thank you, val, for being hereand for sharing about your
session.
We're so excited.
We can't wait to learn from youand for everyone who is
listening, the information forthe link for the registration

(09:38):
will be below the podcast.
We can't wait to see you, sohopefully you'll join us.
Thank you, val, thanks forhaving me yeah, see you soon.

Speaker 1 (09:47):
See you soon.