Dr. Paul Hoard is a licensed counselor, psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. For over a decade, he has trained graduate students and professionals in how to listen carefully, discern layered relational dynamics, and exercise sound judgment in complex human settings.
Praxplay emerged from his work in clinical training and his scholarship on play and simulation as environments for professional formation. He saw that meaningful skill development requires more than information — it requires structured practice grounded in psychological insight.
As Chief Strategic Officer, Paul provides the philosophical and psychological foundation of Praxplay. He leads the development of the company's conceptual frameworks, scenario architecture, and evaluative models, ensuring that the platform remains grounded in behavioral science while adaptable across industries, including clinical education, leadership development, and organizational training.
He maintains a private practice, provides professional supervision, and writes at the intersection of psychology, culture, and human development. He is co-author (with Billie Hoard) of Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life.
Adding simulation doesn’t mean redesigning your curriculum. By targeting the points where students tend to get stuck, instructors can give them focused, repeatable practice that strengthens learning and prepares them for real client work.
Play is not a distraction from serious learning. It creates a safe, structured space where people can experiment, fail, adjust, and try again. That is why play is essential to meaningful growth, especially when preparing for high-stakes clinical conversations.
When client care has to come first, supervision can get stuck in triage mode. This post explores how simulation-based practice can move foundational skill-building outside the supervision hour, creating more space for clinical reasoning, mentorship, and deeper learning.
Intake sessions require interns to juggle rapport, assessment, documentation, ethics, and diagnosis all at once. While practice is essential, traditional roleplays and case studies rarely capture the complexity of real clinical work. Learn how realistic simulation and actionable feedback help new clinicians develop confidence before their first real client walks through the door.
Clinical internships have a way of exposing the gap between what we know intellectually and what it feels like to sit with a real person for the first time. Imposter syndrome doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unqualified. More often, it means you understand the weight of the work. The goal isn’t to eliminate fear entirely, but to build enough structure, support, and practice that you can move through it with confidence.
Dr. Paul Hoard introduces the Turn-Based Therapy model, where students pause, reflect, and collaborate during AI-assisted client interactions to build deeper clinical reasoning—bridging the gap between theory and real-world counseling practice.