A Hero's Welcome Podcast
A Hero’s Welcome Podcast
For the therapists doing the hard work and the hearts behind the healing.
Hosted by Maria Laquerre Diego and Liliana Baylon, both LMFT-S and RPT-S, A Hero’s Welcome is a podcast created by and for mental health professionals. We spotlight the work, wisdom, and lived experiences of therapists who show up for others every day, especially those working with children, families, and communities impacted by trauma, migration, and systemic stress.
Each episode features honest conversations with expert clinicians, supervisors, trainers, and consultants. We talk about clinical insights, cultural humility, and what it means to support healing in today’s world. This is your space if you’re a therapist seeking a more profound connection, real-world tools, and community.
Hosts:
Maria Laquerre-Diego
maria@anewhopetc.org
Liliana Baylon
liliana@lilianabaylon.com
A Hero's Welcome Podcast
🏰 Inclusive Representation and Gender Diversity in Play Therapy with Jessica Cauthorne
Jessica Cauthorne is back for a special bonus episode of A Hero's Welcome Podcast, and she’s bringing her insights on the power of inclusive representation in play therapy. Discover how her upcoming workshop at the Play Therapy Disney Bound conference is set to revolutionize approaches to mental health support for the LGBTQ+ community. Learn how beloved Disney narratives like The Owl House and Strange World are more than just entertainment—they’re vital tools for visibility and connection. Jessica shares how therapists can creatively incorporate these cultural symbols to foster a deeper sense of comfort and identity understanding for their clients.
Plus, we unravel the complexities of gender diversity, spotlighting the evolving language surrounding transgender identities and the profound importance of pronoun usage. Through personal stories and professional expertise, we emphasize the fluidity and intent behind language, advocating for genuine respect and support for younger generations. As political landscapes shift, Jessica helps us understand the critical role of community support in ensuring a safe and accepting environment for all. This episode promises to leave you inspired and equipped with practical insights to help create a more inclusive world.
A Hero's Welcome Podcast © Maria Laquerre-Diego & Liliana Baylon
welcome back listeners for an extra special bonus episode of a hero's welcome podcast. I am your co-host, maria laquer diego, and I'm here with my ever playful co-host liliana.
Liliana:Uh, excuse me, princess liliana, we started this week that's right, I forgot princess liliana.
Maria:Thank you thank you.
Liliana:And we are here with the amazing Jessica. But, jessica, how do you want to introduce yourself to all our listeners? Uh, yeah, hi, I'm Jessica excuse me, princess, do you want to take advantage of this?
Jessica:no, I don't think princess Jessica needs to happen. I think the world should be spared a princess Jessica. If anything, I'd be more on the evil side, maybe, but yes, I am Jessica Cawthorn.
Maria:And welcome back. Welcome back, this is your third stop by. For us, it's exciting to be back.
Liliana:Thanks for having me, guys. Thank you and Maria. Why do you say that we're here? Why do you say that we're promoting?
Maria:Excuse me, yeah, so Jessica was a speaker last year for play therapy disney bound and has so graciously returned this year to continue being a speaker for us. So play therapy disney bound is my week-long conference um, addressing all things play therapy in the magic of Disneyland, where we integrate learning and playing so that we both are taking care of ourselves and furthering our skills for our clinicians.
Liliana:So, for anyone who has not registered yet, we have I think you said four spots, four, that's it. So people listen, you have to go. I had the pleasure of taking Jessica's training last year and last year yeah, last year and oh my God, it was so amazing. I took so many notes. I keep referencing that training Talks about it all the time. So please go, jessica, tell us what is it that you're going to be teaching this year?
Jessica:Okay, so this year the workshop that I'm doing is Play Therapy with the LGBTQ plus community connection through Disney and pop culture inclusion that's the title and pretty much what we're looking at is Disney and other pop cultures have been starting to make more inclusion of the queer community and I'm using queer as a broad, loving term to include everybody under that umbrella. And people need to be seen. They need representation of themselves in the world as they're figuring out who they are and feel understood. And the queer community is at highest risk for a lot of mental health and suicidality and other struggles. And if we can see ourselves on the screen or see somebody that might be struggling with something that we're struggling with out there in the world, we don't feel so alone, especially because that coming out process can be very isolating, lonely and take some time. So we're looking at ways to perhaps have more visibility and connection that people can see, to increase that comfort, so they're able to move towards coming out safely and feel that they're not so alone through Disney and other pop culture.
Liliana:Yeah, love it, love it right, especially for play therapists who, with good intentions, want to go and do this work, and we need training in regards to that safety component that you just mentioned. Their story and their representation Beautiful, yes, yeah.
Maria:And it's been so nice to see lately, you know, in the last couple of years, Disney being such a beacon of progression and acceptance and inclusivity, because we we don't see that everywhere else for for big media components, you know I mean we've talked before. I'm a Disney adult, I'm a huge nerd. Uh, these fandoms are important to me and there are lots of large fandoms that are struggling now because the people behind those fandoms are not safe people, they're not allies, they're very harmful. So to have a big player like disney stand ground and put out shows and cartoons that have queer representation is so impactful.
Jessica:It really is and you know the relationship hasn't always been smooth and some of my research I learned I wasn't familiar with the show. Maybe you ladies are the Owl House. It's on Disney Plus and it's extremely large within the community. I mean there was overt same-sex couples, parents, lead figures that were gay. I mean it was really very, very inclusive and it made it three seasons, I believe it was, before it ended up not going the rest of the way. But Disney did allow for that to start and though it got a little, I think maybe stronger than they they had anticipated and that was part of the pullback it was still there and it's still up. Nothing's been pulled.
Jessica:Um, you know there's some debate about, you know, the first same-sex kiss in the Star Wars series and live action ever to happen and they thought it was going to be with main characters and it was like two side characters.
Jessica:As it panned by, it was still there and let me tell you, my daughter and I were cheering when we saw that. Um. But yeah, I mean it takes various forms and stuff and I've also been finding through my research there's a lot of um, you know, fandom, where people are maybe seeing same-sex coupling or um relationships, or identifying somebody as being gay or non-binary or you know somewhere on that spectrum that maybe not, but there's enough there that it could be, and that desire again to see that representation is so strong that it's found regardless. And so, even if Disney isn't overtly being like, yes, this is a lesbian character or yes, this person is non-binary, people are identifying that on their own and still finding comfort in that, which is beautiful, right, narrate the story in a way that makes sense for you. And how can we support that as therapists in our playroom? How can we incorporate that and have again representation of pop culture, figures or symbols or whatever that somebody will see and be like?
Maria:oh, I know what that means. That means they get it. Yeah, absolutely. I mean it comes to mind the cartoon Strange World that they put out. That's the other one. Yes, yeah, that you know, not until the end, but then they didn't shy away from it either. When you know the boy is like identified, that his crush is another boy and like embraced and it's celebrated. But we also get to see, like, the awkward shyness of like oh, I like you, but I don't know. Right, it was really cute and it was done in a in a kind way, Right, it wasn't. Like. You know, people who are uncomfortable with this material feel like it's always pushed in their face and somehow we are doing something to them by being expressive in our own ways. But I think that was another really good representation because it wasn't a main plot point but it also wasn't shied away from.
Jessica:Right, which actually makes it even more normal. It doesn't have to be a huge focal right. You don't have to live your sexual orientation or your gender identity or any of that. That doesn't have to be like the constant focus of your life, but just to have it be part of life and that's enough.
Liliana:Yeah, so the the idea of seeing myself, seeing a mirror right, so that I can be okay when I see myself, when I express myself right, and that's what matters. That's what we mean by representation. And then, what kind of language Can you give me ideas? When we go to trainings we're looking for, can I get ideas for what kind of language? What is the things that I have to be aware of? What are the things right? Go ahead Well, so, and that's, that's the other piece.
Jessica:So it is constantly changing and, depending on where you go, you're going to get different information. I mean the human rights campaign resources versus the Trevor Project, versus people. I mean they're just everywhere. And I think one of the most important factors too is, and also within the trans community, if somebody makes a mistake and uses a term or a word that was not correct, just and you're correct, it is, oh, ok, thank you. Yeah, now, I know, and moving on, because everybody does, it's a personal experience for everybody.
Jessica:Like, I'm very comfortable with the term queer, but some people still find that to be offensive. So if I'm in a conversation and I throw out queer and somebody's like, oh, I don't like that term, okay, thank you, what would you like me to use instead? Yeah, and moving on. But you know there's definitely soji that's becoming more popular now, which is sexual orientation and gender identity expression, expression, thank you see, exactly, expression, it's it's expression. Um, you know, like the term transgender itself means somebody's moving from one thing to another. It's's that journey. So if somebody has actually completed their journey and they were one gender that had, you know, the assigned sex at birth, and they are now another, they're not necessarily a trans, man or female, they are a man or a female, right? Yes. So it's little pieces like that that we're going to go into a little bit more saying you know what is your preferred pronoun? It's actually like no, just what's your pronoun?
Liliana:Yeah, yeah, and I love because you just highlighted something that we don't talk about in play therapy, which is generationally. We either accept or reject words. Yes, and because we work with multiple generations, we have to be aware of the difference and acceptance of each one and then honor them the same way.
Jessica:Honor pronouns beautiful um, when I was looking up stuff, you know, for the research, for this, for this um presentation, um, when I, you know, I was born in the late 70s. So, um, I don't know if you guys and this is going to be a little offensive but the term you know you're a queer bait was horribly offensive.
Maria:Yeah, right, that's no, no, no no yeah, now that's a term to show.
Jessica:Like you know, a show is indicating that there might be a gay relationship, but they're not covertly saying it and it's changed the definition. Yeah, so that was really cool for me because I, you know, I'd love to love to have more positive language than negative. But that's an example and, again, like the term queer, that used to be very it was a slang term you know, but depending on the individual.
Jessica:Now it's all changing. So, yes, generations make a difference too, and the language is always changing. And you, if you can't keep up, that's okay. But if you're corrected, it doesn't mean like you're a terrible person or you should never use any pronoun or anything, just okay. Thank you for correcting me. How would you like me to refer or what term would you like me to use?
Maria:and moving on, I would say most often, the community would rather you attempt to do it, make a mistake, attempt to do it, make a mistake, than to not do it at all or feel like you have to walk on eggshells. You know, I think that that's another piece is like the community doesn't expect us to get it right. They also are aware that it's changing and it's fluid and you know, but I think it's the attempt and the human kind connection behind what you're attempting to do.
Jessica:Absolutely. Yeah, you nailed it, maria. It's the intent. You're not trying to harm somebody, you're learning and that's okay. I mean, I've always heard like non-binary or gender neutral or like different terms, and now in a lot of my research I'm seeing gender expansive. I mean you just there's, like I said, the terminology is everywhere and no, I'm never trying to offend anybody. And again, you know, person A might be fine with one term, but person B might not. So there's also some personal comforts with that and we just you know, two things that came to mind.
Liliana:One is that anytime the return is out, it's outdated. Yes, yes. So I'm very aware of that and hopefully all of your listeners are becoming aware. Or, if this is new, write it down. By the time that you're reading, it more than likely is outdated. You cannot keep up.
Jessica:Yes, I was actually trying to make a compiled list of terms and I gave up. I mean, that could have taken me a year and then it would, like you said, be outdated. So instead I have resources and links to ever changing definitions online that you can keep up with.
Liliana:Yeah, and then, too, if someone offers you or corrects you and you go into, like defense defenses because you want to make it right this is not about fucking you, no, so get off your horse. You offer that and you correct that. From that moment on, you don't get offended because someone corrected you.
Jessica:Absolutely. And then go home and figure out why you got offended, that somebody corrected you about them and their life and who they are.
Maria:Take that to your therapist. Yeah, I love that, but truly and Jessica, why this topic? I mean, I know you and I know we had a discussion and you had this idea immediately after last year's Disney bound conference, so why this topic?
Jessica:That's cute that you mentioned that. Okay, so I back in the 90s, I identified as bisexual. In 2020s I realized I'm pansexual because I've had relationships with people who were in transition so trans people, whatever. So I have lived my life in this community and my daughter is figuring out who she is and she last year what. We were at Disney last year, so she was 10 last year and we were, you know, in pin trading life at this conference, having a great time, and Layla saw a pride pin and got so excited and I watched my daughter connect and feel supported and seen at Disney and I went there. It is, and she's obviously not the only one who needs it.
Jessica:And, yes, I know Disney's relationship with the queer community has been up and down, but still in her excitement and wanting to get all the pride pins and feeling like she was safe and okay, and so I started thinking about that and just, yeah, when we came back, I'm like there we go. And then you know, elections happened, right, yeah, absolutely, absolutely, whatever in different states. Like our friends, our families, our children, our sisters or brothers or mothers or fathers, they need support, they need connection and the more that we can provide that sense of safety gosh, especially when people are younger. This the it's just. Yeah, we need to support our community because people are people are dying.
Liliana:I was gonna say like I was gonna start with the I must think they came out last but I was like, okay, I'm not going to go into politics, but, like God, everyone out there, like know that I'm holding myself. That's really, really hard.
Maria:It makes a difference.
Maria:The politics and the policies that are in play have direct impact on the clients that we're seeing and the clinicians trying to do the work. If you identify and you are a clinician and you are feeling scared and unsafe, you're not in a place to then help your clients, right. So it's the trickle down effect. Absolutely. This is all. This impacts everybody, even if you don't identify as part of this community. And so I love, I love, jessica, that you I mean you were the voice of feminist theory and play therapy last year You're the voice for I call them the alphabet mafia community stand on principle and are willing to have these conversations, because not everybody is, I mean, speaking of feminist theory Lilliana talks about like it had been ages since she had heard anyone talk about feminist theory and never having someone connect that to play and that's so important.
Jessica:It really is and you know one of the stats I found from the Trevor Project, which everybody can look up online. I will read it because I don't want to be incorrect. So nearly one in three LGBTQ youth people said their mental health was poor. Most of the time are always due to anti-LGBTQ policies and legislation, and nearly two in three young people said hearing about potential state laws banning the discussion of LGBTQ in the schools made their mental health a lot worse. So that's the other thing People. They're plugged in Right and know what's going on and they have to Absolutely, and it's survivorship Absolutely.
Jessica:And 41% of queer youth seriously considered suicide back in 2022 at the last risk youth behavior survey that was done and so high and 32 attempted, 32 percent. Yeah, and I know that's dark and heavy, but I'm like that's that's the bottom line. Right, if you and there's other factors that contribute to it, which we go into in the presentation but if you're not supported, if you are not not seen, if you are not safe, you're at risk of saying that this world doesn't want me and I am better off not in it. Yeah, and that's not acceptable. We need to do better.
Liliana:No, so we definitely all of you, please, please, please, go and attend. We will have Jessica back so that we can talk more about this topic, because we need all of the therapists to be informed. We need to give them tools for what's coming for the next four years and not that it has to be the next four years, it's always an issue but because of all the laws, because of the philosophy that we're going into, we need to be prepared for the amount of anxiety, and just that is coming our way.
Jessica:Yes, yes, absolutely. We need to be able to support and take care of everyone during this period of uncertainty and fear. A lot of people are living in daily fear all the time.
Liliana:Yeah, yeah, thank you. Thank you for talking about this topic. Thank you for sharing about you and your daughter.
Maria:Who I adore, by the way. I'm just going to go on record so when she gets mad at me next time I'm like everyone knows I love you, so it's fine. And she's letting me use the picture of her in the presentation at Pride looking fabulous with her little pride flag on.
Maria:I really appreciate this. Jessica, you're the last speaker we've gotten to chat with and I know you know I know this idea of going to a conference at Disneyland seems really far fetched for those that did not drink the Kool-Aid with us. And I do want to highlight that these sessions you know we've talked to all the speakers these are important sessions to attend.
Maria:These are important lectures and learning opportunities, in addition to being able to play and integrate into the parks, to being able to play and integrate into the parks we this is not, this is not a blow-off um, there is so much heavy learning that we then integrate by being able to go move our bodies, trade our pins, wear our ears, our characters and foster a community of other people of like. This was meaningful, and it was meaningful that you were also there.
Jessica:Yeah, yes absolutely, maria, and that's part of the beauty of this conference. It's, yes, it's fun and play, but there's also deep, important learning that takes place with all of the presentations and presenters.
Liliana:Yeah, so don't miss out. Please go register Maria. Name the website so that everyone is listening where they can go and register. Yeah, so don't miss out. Please go register Maria. Name the website so that everyone is listening where they can go and register.
Maria:Sure, and we'll drop it in the text as well, but it's anewhopeacademyorg slash play at Disneyland.
Liliana:Woo-hoo, hello. Thank you, jamie. And what?
Jessica:better way to deal with the frustrations of the world than screaming your brains out on an awesome fun ride.
Maria:Yeah, if you need, yeah. And if you're worried, we have lots of people who will hold your hand for the guardian's drop or the Incredicoaster. You don't have to be afraid.
Liliana:You can be afraid and still do it and you will lose your voice because you will be screaming a lot.
Jessica:This is true. I might not have a voice to present with because I believe I'm on the last day, but I'll do my darndest.
Liliana:I'll drink a lot of tea. You're going to have a sexy voice at the end. There you go, let's reframe it right now. So thank you, jessica, for being here. Listeners, please go register and then we will have Jessica to come back and talk more about this.
