Attachment in a Digital World: Connection, Play, and Protection in Emerging Technologies
- Speaker:
- Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT-S™
- Duration:
- 1 Hour 31 Minutes
- Format:
- Audio and Video
- Copyright:
-
Dec 03, 2025
- Product Code:
- POS150817
- Media Type:
- Digital Seminar
Description
As digital platforms, video games, immersive technologies, and artificial intelligence become woven into daily life, they are reshaping how children, families, and communities build and sustain attachment. This training examines how attachment develops and is expressed in digital spaces, highlighting the role of shared play and co-experiences. You’ll explore both the opportunities for connection, creativity, and resilience, as well as the risks and safeguards needed for healthy engagement.
You’ll learn how to:
- Foster secure attachment through digital play and co-experiences
- Recognize risks and set safeguards for healthy technology use
- Integrate current research into practical strategies for families
- Use technology as a tool for connection, not disconnection
Credit
Handouts/Brochure
| File type | File name | Number of pages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual - Attachment in a Digital World (12.1 MB) | 112 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Attachment in a Digital World - French (12.1 MB) | 112 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Attachment in a Digital World - Italian (12.1 MB) | 112 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Attachment in a Digital World - German (12.1 MB) | 112 Pages | Available after Purchase | |
| Manual - Attachment in a Digital World - Spanish (12.1 MB) | 112 Pages | Available after Purchase |
Speaker
Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT-S™ Related seminars and products
Jessica Stone, PhD, RPT-S™, is an internationally recognized expert in play therapy and the integration of technology in therapeutic practices. With over 25 years of experience as a licensed clinical psychologist and a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, Dr. Stone is a pioneer in the field, known for her work in Digital Play Therapy™, technology, trauma, attachment, and family systems. She is the author, co-author, and contributor to more than 27 books, including Trauma Impacts, Digital Play Therapy, and Play Therapy Theories and Perspectives, which explore cutting-edge strategies to enhance therapeutic outcomes through play and technology.
Dr. Stone’s expertise lies in helping clinicians understand and treat systemic and generational trauma through a play therapy lens, providing powerful interventions for children, families, and neurodivergent individuals. Her work focuses on creating healing environments where both children and their families can process and overcome relational trauma, fostering secure attachments and long-term generational healing. As a sought-after speaker, trainer, and executive coach, Dr. Stone’s unique approach empowers therapists to adopt innovative, effective strategies in trauma-informed care.
Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Jessica Stone maintains a private practice and is the CEO of Virtual Sandtray®©. She is the co-creator of the Virtual Sandtray App for iPad (VSA) and the Virtual Sandtray for Virtual Reality (VSA-VR) and receives royalties as a published author. Jessica Stone receives a speaking honorarium and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. She has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Jessica Stone serves as the chair of Mental Health Virtual Reality International Coalition and Digital Play Therapy™. She serves on the board for World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals, Frontiers: Virtual Reality in Pediatric Medicine, and is an advisory board member of AutPlay.
Additional Info
Access for Self-Study (Non-Interactive)Access never expires for this product.
For a more detailed outline that includes times or durations of time, if needed, please contact cepesi@pesi.com.
Questions?
Visit our FAQ page at www.pesi.com/faq or contact us at www.pesi.com/info
Objectives
- Identify at least three ways attachment develops and is expressed in digital environments, including the role of co-play, video games, and shared digital experiences.
- Evaluate digital tools and environments using evidence-informed frameworks (e.g., RITEC-8) to determine their potential impact on attachment, safety, and relational well-being.
- Integrate digital age attachment concepts into clinical practice by mapping traditional attachment needs onto modern technologies—co play, gaming platforms, immersive environments, and AI—to strengthen connection and relational safety.
Outline
Redefining Attachment for the Digital Age
- Understand how attachment patterns (secure, insecure, disorganized) manifest in today’s digital contexts.
- Explore digital spaces—video games, immersive worlds, and AI—as new environments for attachment expression.
- Clinical Takeaway: Recognize technology as part of the modern attachment ecosystem, not separate from it.
- Risks & Limitations: Current research is emerging; most findings are correlational and context-dependent. Individual differences and family culture significantly mediate outcomes.
Harnessing Co-Play to Strengthen Connection
- Define co-play and differentiate it from solitary or parallel digital engagement.
- Examine research linking co-play to improved attunement, communication, and prosocial outcomes.
- Identify ways to integrate shared digital experiences into therapy, family sessions, or parent guidance.
- Clinical Takeaway: Use co-play as a tool to model co-regulation, build trust, and deepen relational attunement.
- Risks & Limitations: Co-play must be authentic and child-led; forced participation or lack of parental engagement can reduce benefits.
Applying the RITEC-8 Framework to Digital Well-Being
- Introduce RITEC-8 (Safety, Inclusion, Autonomy, Emotions, Competence, Social Connection, Creativity, Identity).
- Learn how to evaluate games and digital environments for attachment-friendly design.
- Explore child-centered findings on what makes digital play meaningful and emotionally safe.
- Clinical Takeaway: Use RITEC-8 as a practical assessment and conversation tool with families.
- Risks & Limitations: Framework use requires adaptation; not all platforms disclose design data, and practitioner bias may shape evaluation.
Using Video Games, Immersive Tech, and AI as Attachment Spaces
- Identify features of video games and immersive tech that foster exploration, competence, and collaboration.
- Examine AI’s dual role: scaffolding relational depth (e.g., SEL prompts) vs. risking over-reliance or substitution.
- Explore evidence-informed applications in therapy, education, and parent coaching.
- Clinical Takeaway: Leverage technology to enhance presence, empathy, and shared meaning while maintaining healthy boundaries.
- Risks & Limitations: Overuse, ethical concerns, and limited longitudinal data on AI and immersive tech warrant cautious, reflective integration.
Safeguarding Attachment: Ethics, Balance, and Digital Hygiene
- Develop emotional and relational safeguards (balance, co-regulation, modeling).
- Apply digital hygiene principles to support privacy, safety, and appropriate use.
- Draw on cybertrauma and digital ethics frameworks to set realistic boundaries and expectations.
- Clinical Takeaway: Integrate emotional, relational, and technical safeguards into family and clinical practice.
- Risks & Limitations: Safeguard strategies must be individualized; overly rigid restrictions may harm autonomy and trust.
Translating Insight into Practice
- Map attachment needs (secure base, safe haven, exploration, attunement) onto digital contexts.
- Create individualized digital engagement plans for families and clients.
- Clinical Takeaway: Transform digital tools into secure bases by fostering intentional, balanced, and shared use.
- Risks & Limitations: Strategies should be developmentally appropriate; one-size-fits-all approaches may not meet diverse needs.
Closing: Technology as a Bridge, Not a Barrier
- Revisit the central question: How can technology support connection?
- Summarize key takeaways: co-play, evaluation, safeguards, and reflective practice.
- Clinical Takeaway: With guidance and intentional use, digital tools can enhance—not replace—secure relationships.
- Risks & Limitations: Continuous practitioner reflection and updated knowledge are needed as technologies evolve.
Target Audience
- Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
- Marriage & Family Therapists
- Psychologists
- Psychiatrists
- Social Workers
- Addiction Professionals
- Nurses
- Dieticians
- Case Managers
Reviews
Satisfaction Guarantee
Your satisfaction is our goal and our guarantee. Concerns should be addressed to: PO Box 1000, Eau Claire, WI 54702-1000 or call 1-800-844-8260.
ADA Needs
We would be happy to accommodate your ADA needs; please call our Customer Service Department for more information at 1-800-844-8260.
PESI Mobile App
Access CE trainings on your phone or tablet through our free mobile app. Choose video or audio-only versions of online courses from the world’s best instructors, and complete your CE requirements anywhere, anytime, at your own pace.
Please wait ...