Tanna K. Strom MS, LMFT, LPC, RPT-S, CCPS
Licensed Marital & Family Therapist
Licensed Professional Counselor & Supervisor
Registered Play Therapist & Supervisor
Certified Child & Parenting Specialist 
Check Out My New Business Facebook Page 
As I have folks ask me, “Do you have a Facebook page?” I have decided to take the plunge into social media. It will be a professional business Facebook page. 
My plans are to do a daily post in which I share an inspirational quote or positive affirmation or some relationship tips or resources that might be helpful for you personally or your family.
I am looking forward to this new adventure.
So check it out. I am at:   www.facebook.com/stromtherapy
My Blog: creatingbranches.com
~building connection, fun, & love in your relationships~
Look for an updated look this summer in my weekly blog that I have been doing for over a year now. A wonderful archive of articles is now at your fingertips. Articles on relationship building, on home and community activities that can help build connection with those you love and self-care articles to help create a loving relationship with yourself.
Consider becoming a follower so these weekly posts can be delivered to your email inbox directly. Here is to lots of connection, fun & love in your relationship.
Positive Thinking 
Creating Powerful, Playful Intentions
Here are some powerful, playful intentions you can say to yourself to help make more play come into your life.
“I love to play. It makes me feel so free and happy.”
“I enjoy playful interactions with my honey. It keeps us connected.”
“Playing with my children shows them how much I love them.”
“Playing and being happy, makes me feel calm.”
“Play lowers my stress level, making me feel so much better.”
A Professional Quarterly Newsletter
for
those interested in 
Individual Well Being & Healthy Relationships
 Creating Playful, Connecting Relationships  
In this issue ...
  1. Individual Growth & Well Being – Connecting to Your Playful Self
  2. Couple Connection & Intimacy – Keeping a “Playful Connection” in Your Relationship
  3. Family: Creating a Healthy Home Base – Daily Play, Daily Love, & Daily Connection
  4. Thoughtful Parenting – What Kind of Play is Best for Making Connections?
  5. Positive Thinking – Creating  Powerful Playful Intentions
  6. Strom Therapy Relationship Blog – Update
  7. Strom Therapy Facebook – Check Out My New Business Facebook Page
Individual Growth & Well Being
Connecting to Your Playful Self
So why do we need to connect to our playful self? Does it really matter? Allowing and encouraging yourself to be more open to play and relaxation helps you be more connected with yourself.  It allows you to connect with your real self and all the wisdom that is there inside. Plus, it just feels so good to joyfully play and just be!
We start out being playful but as time passes we tend to be more serious and have more difficulty being in this state. You may be thinking I don’t have time to be playful! So if it helps, think about the benefits of incorporating play in your life. Play is a wonderful STRESS REDUCER. It creates “powerful good feelings” that in turn helps us to stay healthy and be able to interact in a loving way with others. So take time to be playful, it is so worth it.
Couple Communication & Intimacy
Keeping a “Playful Connection” in Your Relationship
In the beginning as we create a bond with our loved one we tend to be playful and open to learning about each other. We do fun things together. We have dates. We take time to really connect and “be” with each other.
We cannot stay in the honeymoon stage, but we can keep an on purpose playful connection with our significant other or spouse. What does it mean to be playful? It means being open, living fully in the present moment you are in with your loved one. It means having fun together. It means laughing and enjoying life together. It means talking in a playful way – flirting, teasing, making jokes, using light hearted language.
Playful couples are connected couples. And connected couples are committed couples who tend to stay in it for the long run. So be playful with one another and watch your connection grow.
Family: Creating a Healthy Home Base
Daily Play, Daily Love, & Daily Connection
It all flows together: Daily Play, Daily Love, & Daily Connection. When we take time to play every day with our children they feel loved and they feel connected. How can they not? Play is how children naturally express themselves. They tell us what is going on with them through their play. So if we are a part of this we will really know our children. They will feel loved and connected to us. The play may look a bit different with adolescents, but they still like to play in their own adolescent way.  So being a part of this makes them feel loved and builds connection with them too.
One of the big pieces is to do this frequently and often. Not just on vacations but as often as possible. Even little short bursts of attention and focus generates love and connection. So built it in your schedule if you need to do so. It may mean a focused play time with your preschooler, 30 minutes a night. Or it may mean a weekly daddy / daughter date night once a week. Or a family fun night once a week. There are lots of ways this can be structured. You will know what works best for your family. So pencil it in, or rather put it in ink and keep your play date. You will be glad you did. 
Thoughtful Parenting
What Kind of Play is Best for Making Connections?
The quick and easy answer is that play that involves interaction with one another is the best for making strong connections.  You might ask yourself. “Is this interactional play predominant at my house?” In early childhood circles you hear about how as a child grows his style of play with others changes. First we have solitary place, then comes parallel play and then cooperative play. It is this last level of play that brings connection. Cooperative play is the kind in which there is a sense of purpose and shared goals. Interaction is cooperative and intentional. It is intrinsically rewarding.
Even out of early childhood there is nothing wrong with some solitary, me time or times when folks decide to work on their own projects in the same room. But for true connection and bonding, it takes interaction and shared purpose. So consider what kind of activities might those be? Cooperative games and shared fun activities can work. Competitive games are ok if played for fun and in a good natured way. If played in a serious, counting the wins kind of way not so much. Finding shared interests that you both like to do can feel very connecting. At times it may mean taking turns as what you do together. Play is not always so much about what you do, but about how you interact with one another. It is about really listening to each other and responding to one another with playfulness. So here is to lots of playful connection in your family.
www.stromtherapy.com | tanna@stromtherapy.com | 918.749.1550 
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