# 109: The Power of a Loving Glance in Reconnection After a Long Break Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-community-701910/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-community-701910/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break.md Podcast: [Play Therapy Community](https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-community-701910) Published: 2024-10-08T14:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://parentingintherain.libsyn.com/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/parentingintherain/109_full_edit_mixdown.mp3?dest-id=328133 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-therapy-community-701910/episodes/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break Duration seconds: 743 ## Resource Podcast Episode: The Power of First Connection After a Long Break Welcome back to the Play Therapy Community Podcast. Today, we're focusing on an essential topic that child therapists can use in their own lives and when working with parents and families: the importance of those first moments when reconnecting with a child after a long break. Whether it's been a day, a week, or longer, the way we reconnect carries deep, lasting messages for children. I want to share three key points that child therapists can apply to their work with families, emphasizing the importance of greeting children with love and warmth to help shape how they see themselves and the world. 1. Facial Expressions Communicate Deep Messages Facial expressions are one of the most powerful ways we communicate with children. In those first moments of reconnection, parents' faces tell their children how they are seen and valued. When parents greet their children with love and warmth, they're sending a message that says, "You matter. You are safe. You are loved." On the flip side, if disappointment or frustration shows through, it can have an entirely different impact, often being internalized by the child and affecting how they see themselves. As therapists, we can guide parents to be mindful of how their facial expressions are a mirror that reflects back their child's sense of worth. 2. Pause and Regulate Before Connecting Therapists can help parents understand the importance of taking a moment to pause and regulate before reconnecting with their child, especially after a long day or period of separation. Encourage them to take a breath, check in with their emotions, and clear their minds before the interaction. Without this pause, stress can easily seep into the connection, unintentionally sending the w… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/play-therapy-community-701910/episodes/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/play-therapy-community-701910/109-the-power-of-a-loving-glance-in-reconnection-after-a-long-break.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.