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Growing Through Play: Play Therapy Training - Schedule‍ ‍

Instructed by: Alice Payne Heath, LPC-S, RPT-S, CCST, and Anna Sand, LCSW-S, RPT‍ ‍

Each course will be hosted from 9 am-4 pm and will provide 6 credit hours with an hour lunch‍ ‍

Prices: $175 for each individual training; $90 for half-day trainings; $3200 for a complete set of 20 trainings‍ ‍

Dates, times, content, and guest speakers are tentative and subject to change

Approved Provider # 26-817

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PHASE ONE

August 28, 2026

Session 1: History of Play Therapy; Therapeutic Powers of Play; and Skills and Methods for Working with Parents (5 hours); Skills and Methods Working with Parents in Play Therapy (1 hour)

An overview of the history of Play Therapy. For nearly 100 years, play therapy has helped children express feelings, process experiences, and build resilience through the natural language of play. Explore the pioneers of play therapy, dating back to the early 20th century, and how play therapy has gained status as a tool to use with children. The therapeutic powers of play are central to play therapy and important for every play therapist to learn and use, as they offer a wide range of benefits that support emotional wellness, personal strength, and social relationships. The powers of play are crucial for therapists to understand, enabling them to effectively communicate the value of play-based therapy to parents. The skills and methods for working with parents in therapy can increase their understanding of how to further support their children at home throughout the therapeutic process.

Objectives:

1. Identify key historical milestones and influential pioneers who shaped the development of play therapy                                 

2. Describe the evolution of major theoretical approaches and how they have influenced modern practice                              

3. Recognize the cultural, social, and psychological factors that contributed to the growth of play therapy as a profession   

4. Connect historical insights to current trends and best practices in the field

5. Identify the therapeutic powers of play and their role in play therapy

6. Identify skills and methods to assist parents with the continued facilitation of therapeutic values at home         
   

September 24, 2026

Session 2: PT Seminal Theories Child-Centered PT (3 hours); Skills and Methods Reflection of feeling, Restating Content, Tracking) (3 hours)

This class will focus on child-centered play therapy theory and skills essential to effective play therapy.  The qualities a play therapist must have to develop a relationship with the child client and the skills for engaging a child in play therapy will be addressed.  Designing a playroom, selecting toys, and things to avoid in the playroom will be presented. 

This class will focus on child-centered play therapy theory and skills essential to effective play therapy.  The qualities a play therapist must have to develop a relationship with the child client and the skills for engaging a child in play therapy will be addressed.  Designing a playroom, selecting toys, and things to avoid in the playroom will be presented. 

Objectives:

1. Explore the history of Child Centered Play Therapy, and its importance in the field of play therapy

2.  Identify the fundamentals of child-centered play therapy and how to integrate it into your work

3. Identify the qualities a play therapist needs to develop a relationship with the child client

4. Learn the basic skills of tracking, reflecting content, and reflecting feelings necessary to engage a child in play therapy

5. Identify the rationale for selecting toys

6. Learn how to design a playroom, including the dos and don’ts

October 30, 2026

Session 3: PT Seminal Theories Adlerian (3 hours); Skills and Methods Setting Limits (3 hours)

Adlerian Play Therapy is a therapeutic approach that combines Adlerian Individual Psychology with play therapy, developed by Terry Kottman. A misbehaving child is seen as a “discouraged” child, and play therapy is utilized as a natural medium to help them feel capable, connected, and significant. In play therapy, limit setting is a crucial skill that balances the therapist’s radical acceptance with the need for physical and emotional safety. It transforms the playroom into a predictable, secure environment, where children can explore their feelings and develop self-control without causing harm.

Objectives:

1. Learn the therapeutic approach of Adlerian Play Therapy to help the child gain insight into their lifestyles, develop healthy ways to belong, and cope with feelings of inferiority

2. Understand the four “Crucial C’s” of Adlerian Play Therapy: Connect (belonging), Capable (mastery), Count (significance), and Courage (resilience)

3. Students will practice facilitating the reorientation phase of therapy, utilizing pretend play, storytelling, and role-play to guide the child toward increased social interest, positive compensatory strategies, and self-enhancing choices

4. Identify the rationale and process of limit setting and understand the psychological purpose of limit setting in the playroom

5. Demonstrate clinical limit-setting skills by applying the ACT method (Acknowledge feelings, communicate limits, Target acceptable alternatives

6. Integrate limits while maintaining rapport with the child

November 20, 2026

Session 4: PT Seminal Theories Developmental Play Therapy, Theraplay (3 hours); Special Topic Developmentally Appropriate Play and Developmental Delays (3 hours)

Developmental Play Therapy aims to align therapeutic interventions with a child’s natural developmental stages, utilizing play to foster emotional regulation, relational security, and cognitive growth. Theraplay is an evidence-based, dyadic play therapy approach designed to enhance attachment, self-esteem, and trust by fostering healthy parent-child interactions. Guided by therapists, it focuses on building a secure emotional connection through structured, physical, joyful activities to improve a child’s self-regulation and resilience. Developmentally appropriate play matches activities to a child’s current developmental stage and abilities rather than just their chronological age. It is a child-led approach to learning that fosters holistic growth across physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains. Understanding a child’s developmental stage, as well as any developmental delays that may impede their ability to communicate as expected for their chronological age, helps a play therapist accept the child where they are and allow them to play in ways that express their needs.

Objectives:

1. Assess Developmental Play Stages and be able to demonstrate the ability to observe, categorize, and document a child’s dominant play stage

2. Facilitate relational attachment by utilizing play therapy techniques to establish a safe, attuned therapeutic relationship that encourages the child to explore unresolved emotional conflicts

3. Learn about the fundamentals of Theraplay and understand the four core dimensions: Structure, Engagement, Nurture, and Challenge to foster secure attachment and emotional regulation

4. Identify and understand the child’s cognitive, emotional, and motor development at each stage of development

5. Understand and recognize how the child’s developmental stage can affect their play

6. Understand and recognize developmental delays and how these delays may affect the child’s play at different stages of life

December 18, 2026

Session 5: PT Seminal Theories Cognitive Behavioral, TF-CBT (3 hours); Special Topic Trauma and Attachment (3 hours),

Participants will learn how to integrate Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) techniques with play‑based methods to treat young children who cannot fully engage in traditional talk therapy. The core idea is that children learn and express themselves through play, so CBT concepts are delivered using developmentally appropriate tools such as puppets, art, storytelling, and structured play activities. Participants will also learn how understand trauma’s impact on children, how attachment disruptions shape behavior, and how to use play—the child’s natural language—to support healing. This section will blend trauma‑informed practice, attachment theory, and play‑based interventions to help children process overwhelming experiences safely and restore relational security.

Objectives:

1. Identify core CBPT theoretical concepts

2. Demonstrate CBPT methods and behavioral play interventions

3. Design CBPT activities tailored to specific diagnoses

4. Assess trauma through play

5. Identify attachment patterns in play

6. Learn how to create safety and structure in sessions

7. Learn how to utilize developmentally appropriate trauma interventions

PAPER DUE 10 CEs

Two research papers can be submitted for an additional 10 CEs

Paper #1 Seminal Theory of participants' choice: Participants may choose any Seminal Theory that interests them and write a 5-page paper regarding the theory, the population it is best suited for, and skills or techniques utilized by the therapist using this theory. Worth 5 CEs for Seminal Theory

Paper #2 Book Report: Participants may choose a book from the list below and write a 5-page book report. Worth 5 CEs for Skills and Methods

1. Dibs in Search of Self, Virginia Axline

2. Play Therapy, Virginia Axline

3. Play Therapy, the Art of the Relationship, Garry Landreth

4. Play Therapy Basics and Beyond, Terry Kottman

5. Doing Play Therapy, Terry Kottman

6. Other books may be requested by the participant for approval

January 28, 2027

Session 6: PT Seminal Theories Filial, CPRT, PCIT,(3 hours); Skills and Methods Mindfulness (3 hours),

This course provides an exploration of three major parent‑involved play therapy models—Filial Therapy, Child–Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT), and Parent–Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)—with a focus on how each approach strengthens the parent–child relationship, reduces behavioral and emotional difficulties, and enhances therapeutic outcomes through structured play. Students learn the theoretical foundations, core skills, and practical applications of each model, with emphasis on selecting appropriate parent participants, coaching caregivers, and facilitating therapeutic play sessions.

Participants also study Filial Therapy as a broader parent‑training paradigm rooted in CCPT principles. Filial Therapy emphasizes teaching parents to conduct special play sessions that promote emotional attunement, empathy, and secure attachment. Coursework includes the history of Filial Therapy, foundational principles, parent‑selection considerations, and practical facilitation strategies.

Drawing from the evidence‑based CPRT model, which teaches parents Child‑Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) skills to enhance attachment and reduce behavioral problems, the course examines how parents can become effective therapeutic agents in their children’s lives. CPRT’s structured 10‑session format—including didactic instruction, supervised play sessions, and group processing—is used as a framework for understanding how parent coaching can be integrated into clinical practice.

Participants will be introduced to PCIT as a complementary behavioral parent‑training model that integrates play‑based relationship enhancement with live coaching to improve compliance, reduce disruptive behaviors, and strengthen parent–child interactions. While CPRT and Filial Therapy are grounded in humanistic and attachment‑based play therapy, PCIT adds a behavioral framework that expands the clinician’s toolkit for working with externalizing behaviors.

Further more, the course will teach mindfulness techniques used in play therapy and how to integrate mindfulness principles into child‑centered therapeutic play to strengthen the therapeutic alliance, support emotional regulation, and enhance neurobiological integration. It will cover the foundations of mindfulness, its relevance across major play therapy theories, and practical methods for helping both therapists and children cultivate mindful awareness during sessions.

Objectives:

1. Identify appropriate parent–child dyads for Filial Therapy, CPRT, and PCIT

2. Gain a better understanding of how to teach and model CCPT‑based play skills, limit‑setting, and empathic responding

3. Be better able to assess when each model is most clinically appropriate

4. Learn the foundations of mindfulness and the definition of mindfulness within the therapist–child relationship

5. Understand mindfulness across play therapy theories and how mindfulness integrates with child‑centered, Jungian, cognitive‑behavioral, Gestalt, Adlerian, and attachment‑based play therapy approaches.

6. Learn mindfulness techniques for children and identify practical, developmentally appropriate methods for helping children notice sensations, feelings, and thoughts during play, supporting trauma integration and emotional regulation.

7. Assess clinical applications of how Mindfulness‑based play therapy is presented as effective for children experiencing anxiety, trauma, grief, adjustment challenges, and neurodivergence.

PHASE TWO

February 28, 2026

Session 7: PT Seminal Theories Gestalt, (3 hours); Skills and Methods Symbolic Meaning of Toys and Play, Assessing Patterns, Themes and Metaphors in Play Therapy;  (3 hours),

Participants will learn how to apply Gestalt principles—present‑moment awareness, authentic therapist–child contact, sensory expression, and projective play—to support children’s emotional healing. These courses typically combine theoretical foundations with hands‑on experiential learning, including sand tray, expressive arts, miniatures, movement, and mindfulness‑based interventions.

This course provides an exploration of how children communicate their inner world through symbolic play, focusing on the interpretation of toys, themes, patterns, and metaphors that emerge in the playroom. Participants will understand toys as the child’s language and play as their narrative. Participants learn to observe, decode, and therapeutically respond to symbolic expressions that reveal emotional states, developmental needs, trauma narratives, and relational dynamics.

Participants will examine the psychological significance of common play symbols—such as animals, dolls, houses, weapons, vehicles, and art materials—and learn how these objects represent emotions, family roles, internal conflicts, and coping strategies. The course emphasizes identifying recurring patterns and themes in child‑led play, including power and control, safety, nurturance, aggression, loss, mastery, and exploration. Special attention is given to the role of metaphor in play, helping clinicians recognize how children use symbolic storylines, characters, and even board games to express complex experiences indirectly and safely.

Through case examples, video demonstrations, and guided practice, participants develop skills to interpret symbolic content, track thematic sequences, and respond in ways that deepen therapeutic engagement. The course also integrates somatic awareness, teaching therapists to consider the child’s physiological state when interpreting and responding to symbolic play. By the end of the course, students are equipped to use symbolic meaning, thematic assessment, and metaphor interpretation to support emotional processing, strengthen the therapeutic relationship, and facilitate healing in children.

Objectives:

1. Learn to apply Gestalt theory to children’s developmental needs.

2. Identify Gestalt constructs relevant to play therapy practice.

3. Understand how to support emotional expression through projective and sensory‑based methods

4. Understand symbolic play by learning how commonly used toys and materials communicate internal experiences

5. Learn how to assess recurring play patterns and themes such as power/control, nurturance, safety, aggression, mastery, loss, and exploration and track patterns across sessions

6. Identify how to work with metaphors in play by recognizing the metaphorical expressions in children’s stories, characters, conflicts, and symbolic choices and how to respond to therapeutically to metaphors

March 28, 2027

Session 8: PT Seminal Theories Ecosystemic (3 hours); Skills and Methods Using Games; Using play therapy in Telehealth (3 hours),

The core idea of Ecosystemic Play Therapy (EPT) is that children exist within multiple interconnected systems—family, school, community, and culture—and therapy must address these systems together rather than focusing solely on the child. This course courses introduces participants to the theory, assessment methods, and intervention strategies used to conceptualize and treat children through a systemic lens. It emphasizes understanding the child within their broader environment and integrating play‑based and cognitive approaches to support healing and development.

This course provides a comprehensive, practice‑focused introduction to adapting play therapy and therapeutic games for virtual delivery, equipping clinicians to confidently engage children and families through telehealth. Grounded in trauma‑informed, developmentally appropriate, and evidence‑supported approaches, the course demonstrates how play—rather than verbal processing—remains the primary pathway for connection, assessment, and healing even when delivered online.

Participants learn how to translate in‑person play therapy strategies into engaging virtual interventions, strengthen rapport through screen‑based attunement, and creatively use digital and household materials to support emotional expression, regulation, and problem‑solving. The course emphasizes the therapist’s role as the central therapeutic tool and provides a wide range of ready‑to‑use games, activities, scripts, and virtual adaptations.

Objectives:

1. Define Ecosystemic Play Therapy and its theoretical foundations

2. Identify core concepts of EPT and apply them to case conceptualization

3. Assess developmental needs and select appropriate interventions

4. Integrate systemic and play‑based interventions in work with children and families

5. Mobilize the child’s broader system (family, school, community) to support treatment goals

6. Understand how play communicates children’s internal experiences and how to maintain therapeutic presence, attunement, and co‑regulation online

7. Learn structured and non‑directive virtual activities such as art, scavenger hunts, digital sand trays, collaborative family games, and emotional‑literacy check‑ins

8. Learn how to modify cognitive‑behavioral play therapy tools, expressive arts, and relationship‑based interventions for telehealth delivery

April 30, 2027

Session 9: PT Seminal Theories Psychoanalytical Play Therapy (3 hours); Skills and Methods Returning Responsibility to the child (3 hours)

Psychoanalytical Play Therapy is an advanced clinical training course designed to introduce students to the theory, history, and practice of psychoanalytic approaches to child treatment. The course explores how children communicate through symbolic play and how therapists can interpret and respond to these communications to promote emotional growth and symptom relief. The course emphasizes how early childhood experiences, anxieties, and relationships shape internal worlds and how these emerge in play themes such as aggression, abandonment, envy, or fear.

Returning Responsibility to the Child is an applied skills module withinChild‑Centered Play Therapy (CCPT)that trains clinicians to help children develop autonomy, confidence, and problem‑solving abilities by appropriately shifting decision‑making back to them. This module emphasizes the CCPT belief that children can direct their own growth when provided with a supportive therapeutic environment. Trainees learn to recognize moments when a child seeks help—explicitly or implicitly—and to respond in ways that convey belief in the child’s competence and capacity.

The course covers the purpose, theory, and techniques of returning responsibility, including how to avoid rescuing, over‑directing, or solving problems for the child. Participants practice language that empowers children, supports independence, and fosters internal control. This skill is taught alongside other CCPT core responses, such as tracking and reflecting feelings, forming part of the foundational competencies required for effective nondirective play therapy.

Objectives:

1. Identify and interpret unconscious themes expressed through play

2. Understand the role of transference, countertransference, and resistance in child therapy

3. Apply psychoanalytic concepts to real clinical cases

4. Use play to help children work through trauma, anxiety, and developmental conflicts

5. Understanding the therapeutic rationale for returning responsibility, including its role in autonomy, resilience, and self‑efficacy.

6. Demonstrating verbal responses that communicate belief in the child’s capability to make decisions or complete tasks.

7. Applying the skill in situations where children explicitly ask for help, implicitly seek assistance, or when the therapist feels compelled to intervene.

8. Differentiating between supportive facilitation and directive problem‑solving.

May27, 2027

Session 10: PT Seminal Theories Experiential Play Therapy (3 hours); Skills and Methods Story Play; Bibliotherapy (3 hours)

Experiential Play Therapy is an immersive, body‑informed therapeutic training that teaches clinicians to use play, sensory engagement, and relational attunement to support children’s emotional and nervous system regulation. The course introduces the stages of experiential play, the therapist’s role in each stage, and the types of play and responses that help children safely explore and resolve internal conflicts.

StoryPlay and bibliotherapy‑in‑play‑therapy will instruct participants in using stories, metaphor, and play‑based interventions to support children’s emotional healing. They cover history, theory, therapeutic goals, integration methods, case examples, and practical interventions. Below is a synthesized, citation‑grounded course description based on available training programs. Story‑based play therapy courses focus on integrating therapeutic storytelling, children’s literature, and directive play interventions to help children process emotions, build skills, and achieve treatment goals.

Objectives:

1. Identify and navigate the stages of experiential play therapy

2. Use somatic and sensory‑based interventions confidently

3. Interpret symbolic play themes

4. Support children’s nervous‑system regulation through attuned responses

5. Identify therapeutic goals when integrating books into play therapy.

6. List multiple ways bibliotherapy and play therapy can be combined (e.g., directive activities, emotional processing, skill‑building).

7. Select appropriate books for issues such as emotional regulation, self‑esteem, attachment, social skills, and special topics.

8. Implement play‑based interventions paired with stories to deepen meaning and support treatment goals.

June 25, 2027

Session 11: PT Seminal Theories Jungian Play Therapy (3 hours); Special Topic Anxiety and Selective Mutism (3 hours)

Jungian Play Therapy is a non‑directive, symbol‑rich therapeutic modality grounded in Carl Jung’s analytic psychology. It assumes that children naturally communicate through play and that symbolic expression allows them to externalize inner conflicts, trauma, and emotional overwhelm. Through sandtray, art, storytelling, and imaginative play, the therapist helps the child access the psyche’s innate self‑healing archetype and move toward wholeness.

Anxiety and Selective Mutism is a comprehensive course that examines the nature, development, assessment, and treatment of anxiety disorders with a special focus on Selective Mutism (SM)—a childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a consistent inability to speak in specific social situations despite speaking comfortably in others. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions and include generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobia‑related disorders. Selective Mutism is recognized as one of the least common but most impairing childhood anxiety disorders, often emerging between ages 3 and 6 and becoming most visible in school settings. This course explores the clinical features, diagnostic criteria, and underlying mechanisms of anxiety disorders, including genetic, neurobiological, environmental, and developmental contributors.

Objectives:

1. Identify Jungian foundations — Understand key concepts such as the psyche, unconscious, archetypes, Self, shadow, persona, and individuation, and how they inform Jungian play therapy practice.

2. Recognize symbolic expression — Describe how children use play, drawings, sand, story, dreams, mandalas, and symbolic toys to express unconscious or emotionally significant material.

3. Demonstrate attuned responses — Apply developmentally appropriate responses that reflect the therapist’s role as a non‑directive, symbolically attuned witness rather than an interpreter.

4. Identify and differentiate major anxiety disorders across childhood and adolescence.

5. Explain the diagnostic criteria and behavioral presentation of Selective Mutism.

6. Analyze contributing factors, including temperament, family history, trauma, and communication disorders.

July 30, 2027

Session 12: PT Seminal Theories Prescriptive Play Therapy and Narrative Play Therapy (6 hours)

Prescriptive Play Therapy (PPT) courses teach therapists how to flexibly combine multiple play therapy theories and techniques to create individualized, evidence‑based treatment plans for children, families, and groups. The core emphasis is on therapeutic flexibility, theoretical integration, and tailoring interventions to each client’s needs. The goal is to help clinicians select the right intervention at the right time based on the child’s presenting concerns, developmental level, and therapeutic goals.

Narrative Play Therapy is a post‑modern, story‑centered therapeutic approach that integrates narrative therapy principles with the expressive language of play. This course trains clinicians to use storytelling, symbolism, and play-based interventions to help children explore and rewrite their personal narratives. Through lecture, demonstration, and experiential activities, participants learn to externalize problems, identify narrative themes, and support children in constructing empowering stories. The course covers directive and child‑centered narrative interventions, cultural narrative considerations, case applications, and the therapist’s role as a collaborative story facilitator.

Objectives:

1. Describe the philosophy and process of Prescriptive Play Therapy.

2. Identify and differentiate major play therapy theories.

3. Assess client needs and select appropriate interventions.

4. Analyze cases and adapt approaches for specific childhood disorders.

5. Design individualized treatment plans using prescriptive principles.

6. Use storytelling & symbolism in both directive and child‑centered play therapy.

7. Explain core principles of narrative play therapy, including its view of psychopathology and treatment goals.

8. Apply narrative interventions in clinical practice.

PAPER DUE 10 CEs

Two research papers can be submitted for an additional 10 CEs

Paper #1 Seminal Theory of participants' choice: Participants may choose any Seminal Theory that interests them and write a 3-page paper regarding the theory, the population it is best suited for, and skills or techniques utilized by the therapist using this theory. Worth 3 CEs for Seminal Theory

Paper #2 Book Report: Participants may choose a book from the list below(or a book from the previous list) and write a 7-page book report. Worth 7 CEs for Skills and Methods

1. Aggression in Play Therapy; Lisa Dion

2. Doing Play Therapy; Terry Kottman

3. Handbook of Play Therapy; Kevin O’Connor, Charles Schaefer, and Lisa Braverman

4. Partners in Play: An Adlerian Approach to Play Therapy; Terry Kottman and Kristin Meany-Walen

5. Other books may be requested by the participant for approval

August 27, 2027

Session 13: Special Topics LGBTQIA; Suicidal Clients, (Guest Speaker Laura Lynch LPC (3 hours); Skills and Methods Teenagers and Play (3 hours)

This course provides an in‑depth exploration of culturally responsive, developmentally attuned play therapy with LGBTQIA+ children and adolescents. Students examine how sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and intersectional identities shape a young person’s internal world, relationships, and therapeutic needs. Emphasis is placed on creating affirming playroom environments, understanding minority stress and resilience, and applying play-based interventions that honor each child’s lived experience.

Through case studies, expressive modalities, and experiential learning, students learn to identify and challenge heteronormative and cis-normative assumptions in clinical practice. The course addresses working with questioning youth, supporting gender‑expansive play, navigating family dynamics, and collaborating with caregivers, schools, and multidisciplinary teams. Ethical considerations, trauma‑informed approaches, and current research on LGBTQIA+ mental health guide the curriculum.

This course provides an in‑depth exploration of suicide risk assessment, prevention, and intervention within the context of Play Therapy, equipping clinicians to recognize, understand, and respond to suicidal ideation in children through developmentally attuned methods. Students will examine the unique ways children communicate distress, including symbolic expression, metaphor, and nonverbal play themes, and learn how these expressions can signal elevated risk.

Drawing from evidence‑based frameworks in child development, trauma, and crisis response, the course emphasizes how play‑based modalities can support safety planning, emotional regulation, and protective factors. Participants will learn to integrate structured and non‑directive play therapy approaches with suicide‑specific interventions, while maintaining ethical and culturally responsive practice.

This course equips mental health professionals with developmentally appropriate, creative, and relationship‑centered play therapy approaches tailored specifically for adolescents. Because teens often straddle the worlds of childhood and adulthood, the course emphasizes flexible, experiential methods that strengthen engagement, build rapport, and address common adolescent challenges.

Participants learn to assess a teen’s readiness for therapy, determine the appropriate level of parent or caregiver involvement, and integrate play‑based interventions that align with their preferred therapeutic modalities. Through hands‑on, experiential learning, the course explores how to use expressive, strengths‑based, and creative techniques to support teens’ self‑esteem, social relationships, emotional regulation, and family connection.

The course also addresses common barriers in working with teens—such as resistance, mistrust, or difficulty verbalizing emotions—and provides practical tools to navigate these challenges in the playroom.

Objectives:

1. The Participant will understand core principles of LGBTQIA+‑affirming mental health care and how they translate into play therapy settings and be able to analyze developmental models of sexual and gender identity formation in children and adolescents.

2. Recognize the impact of stigma, discrimination, and systemic barriers on emotional and behavioral health.

3. Create inclusive, non‑pathologizing play environments and materials.

4. Implement expressive, symbolic, and narrative play interventions tailored to LGBTQIA+ experiences and apply strategies for supporting caregivers, navigating conflict, and fostering acceptance.

5. Evaluate ethical considerations and the therapist’s role in advocacy within schools and communities.

6. Participants will identify child suicide risk factors and understand developmental considerations when conducting risk assessments, setting safety plans, and collaborating with caregivers, schools, and multidisciplinary teams.

7. Recognize suicidal themes in play and symbolic communication and integrate play therapy techniques into crisis intervention.

8. Understand developmental factors that shape how teens engage in play therapy and identify common challenges that impact rapport and progress with teen clients.

9. Practice at least two creative interventions that increase engagement and build rapport, and apply strategies that support self-esteem, social connection, and family relationships.

10. Integrate creative play therapy techniques with your existing therapeutic approach

PHASE THREE

September 24, 2027

Session 14: Skills and Methods Incorporating the Powers of Play (3 hours); Special Topics Autism Spectrum Disorder (3 hours)

This course explores how the therapeutic powers of play can be intentionally integrated into clinical play therapy to support children’s communication, emotional regulation, relationship building, and personal strengths. Drawing from established play‑therapy theory and current research, the course helps clinicians understand why play works, how to apply it effectively, and how to articulate its value to caregivers and stakeholders.

Participants learn to differentiate between everyday play and therapeutic play, examine the neurobiological impact of play, and practice hands‑on interventions aligned with the 20 core therapeutic powers of play. Through experiential activities, case examples, and practical demonstrations, clinicians gain tools to incorporate play‑based methods into sessions with children and adolescents.

This course is designed to help play therapists understand autism through a neuroaffirming, individualized lens. The course emphasizes that autism represents a broad range of neurodevelopmental differences and therefore requires flexible, customized therapeutic approaches rather than one-size-fits-all methods. Participants learn both directive and non‑directive play therapy strategies, how to adapt child‑centered play therapy for autistic clients, how to address sensory needs, and how to collaborate effectively with caregivers and support systems. The course also explores research on play therapy with autistic children and provides guidance on creating sensory‑friendly playrooms and selecting appropriate materials.

Objectives:

1. Understand the therapeutic foundations of play therapy, including communication, emotional regulation, relationship enhancement, and personal strengths.

2. Describe and apply the therapeutic powers of play, including how they support treatment goals and neurobiological development.

3. Learn and practice play‑therapy interventions that address core developmental needs in children and teens.

4. Participants will learn to use a Neuroaffirming framework and emphasize strengths-based, individualized approaches rather than deficit-focused models.

5. Learn when and how to use structured vs. child-led interventions with autistic clients.

6. Develop sensory adaptations and understand how sensory processing differences affect play and how to create a sensory-friendly playroom.

7. Explore communication and social differences to explain how autism-related communication styles influence the play therapy process.

October 28, 2027

Session 15: Special Topics ADHD and ODD and other Disruptive Behavioral Disorders; Expressing Feelings; Depression; Anger Management (6 hours)

This training provides a skills‑based approach to supporting children diagnosed with Attention‑Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) through play therapy interventions. Participants explore the developmental, emotional, and behavioral features of ADHD and learn how play‑based methods can reduce treatment barriers, strengthen self‑regulation, and enhance therapeutic engagement. Through a combination of lecture, case examples, and experiential practice, the course emphasizes how the therapeutic powers of play can be strategically applied to address impulsivity, inattention, emotional dysregulation, and social challenges commonly experienced by children with ADHD.

Grounded in evidence‑based principles, this training explores how play therapy techniques can reduce defiance, strengthen emotional regulation, and repair strained adult–child relationships in children diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Participants learn to recognize the core features of ODD, understand the neurological and relational roots of oppositional behavior, and apply structured and non‑directive play‑based interventions to promote cooperation, empathy, and self‑control. Interventions for children exhibiting other Disruptive Behavioral Disorders will also be explored to help participants learn to assess behavioral patterns, apply developmentally attuned play‑based techniques, strengthen emotional regulation, and collaborate with caregivers to support long‑term behavioral change.

Expressing Feelings; Depression; Anger Management Using Play Therapy is an experiential, skills‑based training designed for participants who work with children and adolescents. This course explores how play therapy can be used as a developmentally appropriate, evidence‑informed approach to help young clients identify, express, and regulate difficult emotions—including sadness, frustration, and anger—within a safe therapeutic environment. Participants learn how emotional expression develops in childhood, how depression and anger may present through play, and how to use structured and unstructured play‑based interventions to support emotional regulation. Through demonstrations, case examples, and hands‑on practice, trainees gain confidence in applying play therapy techniques that promote self‑awareness, coping skills, and healthier communication.

Objectives:

1. Understand ADHD features and be able to describe the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of ADHD and their impact on daily functioning.

2. Apply play‑therapy assessment and identify assessment strategies and conceptualization methods specific to ADHD within a play‑therapy framework.

3. Use therapeutic play skills and demonstrate play‑therapy techniques that support self‑regulation, attention, and emotional expression.

4. Understand the foundations of ODD and the diagnostic criteria, developmental pathways, and common co‑occurring conditions as well as understand how emotional dysregulation, attachment patterns, and environmental stressors shape oppositional behavior

5. Learn and integrate Play Therapy Modalities such as Child‑Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive‑Behavioral Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, and directive techniques, as well as intervention skills that support building rapport, tracking behavior, limit‑setting, therapeutic play themes, and emotional‑regulation play.

6. Identify emotional themes commonly expressed through play and understand how they relate to depression and anger, and apply play‑based interventions that support children in expressing and regulating difficult feelings.

7. Recognize behavioral indicators of childhood depression and differentiate them from typical developmental behaviors.

8. Use therapeutic play techniques to help children manage anger safely and constructively

November 18, 2027

Session 16; Special Topics OCD; Self-Esteem; and Bereavement (6 hours)

This training introduces participants to the developmental presentation of pediatric OCD and the rationale for using play as both an assessment and treatment modality. It emphasizes recognizing OCD symptoms in children, understanding the regulatory function of compulsions, and integrating evidence‑based OCD treatment models within a play therapy framework.

Participants will use developmentally appropriate play‑based interventions to strengthen children’s sense of competence, self‑worth, and emotional resilience. Participants learn how play therapy techniques—such as symbolic play, role‑play, creative expression, and therapeutic games—can be used to identify barriers to self-esteem, support emotional regulation, and foster a positive self‑concept. The course blends theory, hands‑on practice, and case‑based application to prepare learners to confidently integrate play therapy strategies into clinical, educational, and community settings.

This course explores how children process loss, how grief manifests across developmental stages, and how play therapy interventions can safely support emotional expression when words are not enough. Participants learn to integrate symbolic play, expressive arts, sandtray techniques, and attachment‑informed approaches to help children navigate death, divorce, trauma, and ambiguous loss. Through case examples, hands‑on activities, and guided practice, clinicians gain confidence in creating developmentally attuned, culturally responsive, and trauma‑sensitive grief work.

Objectives:

1. Identify pediatric OCD symptoms and understand how obsessions and compulsions manifest in childhood and how they differ from typical developmental behaviors.

2. Learn how to provide play‑based psychoeducation and teach children and caregivers about OCD using metaphors, games, and developmentally appropriate activities.

3. Learn ways to support emotional regulation through the use of non‑directive and directive play to help children understand internal conflict, anxiety, and the function of rituals.

4. Participants will learn the foundations of Self‑Esteem, developmental considerations, and common factors that undermine self‑worth in children, and how intervention techniques, such as role-play, storytelling, art‑based activities, therapeutic games, and strengths‑focused play, can build emotional resilience and help children develop coping skills, positive self‑talk, and mastery experiences.

5. Participants will be able to assess grief responses, select appropriate play‑based modalities, support caregivers, and design treatment plans that honor each child’s unique mourning process.

December 17 2027

Session 17: Skills and Methods Sandtray and Sand Play (4 hours); Special Topics Sexual Abuse (2 hours)

Sandtray and Sand Play Therapy Training is an immersive, experiential program designed to integrate expressive, nonverbal, and play‑based modalities into the playroom. This training introduces the theoretical foundations of Sandtray Therapy and Sand Play while emphasizing their application within the broader framework of play therapy. Participants learn how symbolic expression, sensory engagement, and metaphor support emotional regulation, trauma processing, and developmental healing. Through hands‑on practice with sand, miniatures, and structured experiential exercises, clinicians develop the skills needed to facilitate both directive and nondirective sessions with children, adolescents, adults, and families.

This course provides a specialized, trauma‑informed framework for supporting children and adolescents who have experienced sexual abuse, using the principles and techniques of play therapy as the primary modality. Participants learn how to integrate trauma-informed care with play-based interventions to help children process traumatic experiences in ways that honor their developmental stage, emotional capacity, and need for safety. The course emphasizes both non-directive and directive play therapy approaches, with a strong focus on building trust, supporting emotional regulation, and facilitating post-traumatic growth.

Objectives:

1. Participants will understand the history, theory, and therapeutic mechanisms of sand‑based modalities.

2. Participants will be able to apply sand work within child‑centered, cognitive‑behavioral, and trauma‑informed approaches

3. Participants will learn the clinical skills of sandtray work, including setting up trays, selecting miniatures, facilitating sessions, and interpreting themes without imposing meaning

4. Understand the use of sand as a safe container for nonverbal trauma expression

5. Participants will recognize trauma symptoms and identify behavioral, emotional, and developmental indicators of sexual abuse in children and be able to teach grounding, containment, and self-soothing skills through play.

6. Be able to apply play therapy techniques and use symbolic play, sand tray, art-based expression, and storytelling to support trauma processing.

7. Establish therapeutic safety and create predictable, attuned, and culturally responsive therapeutic spaces.

January 2028 TBA

Session 18: Skills and Methods Art Therapy, Guest Speaker: Gigi Gomez LPC, ATR (4 hours); Special Topics: Divorce Issues (2 hours)

This course highlights Art Therapy to help participants integrate creative arts–based methods into child‑centered play therapy. Participants explore how drawing, painting, sculpting, and mixed‑media activities can deepen symbolic expression, enhance rapport, and support trauma processing within the playroom. Emphasis is placed on understanding the therapeutic powers of play, developmental considerations, and how art‑making can externalize emotions that children may not yet have the language to express. Through experiential activities and guided practice, learners develop competence in selecting appropriate materials, structuring sessions, observing symbolic themes, and responding therapeutically to children’s creative expressions.

This course provides participants with a comprehensive understanding of how divorce and separation impact children, and how play therapy can be used to assess, support, and treat children navigating these transitions. Participants learn to recognize the emotional, developmental, and relational challenges children face during and after parental separation, and gain practical, play‑based tools to help them process grief, conflict, and change. Through a blend of theory, experiential activities, and case examples, the course equips clinicians to work effectively with children and families.

Objectives:

1. Participants will learn how to use integrative techniques and apply art‑making within play therapy to enhance emotional expression, storytelling, and symbolic communication, choosing art supplies that align with therapeutic goals, sensory needs, and safety considerations.

2. Participants will utilize developmental understanding to tailor interventions to children’s cognitive, emotional, and sensory needs.

3. Participants will practice therapeutic skills to facilitate safe, supportive, creative experiences that promote regulation and resilience.

4. Gain an understanding of the impact of divorce and separation on children’s emotional regulation, attachment, and behavior.

5. Through the use of expressive arts, projective play, and sand play, participants will learn how to assess children’s experiences of separation and conflict.

6. Participants will implement creative, developmentally appropriate play therapy interventions to help children process loss, transitions, and family conflict.

PAPER DUE 10 CEs

Two research papers can be submitted for an additional 10 CEs

Paper #1 Seminal Theory of participants' choice: Participants may choose any Seminal Theory that interests them and write a 2-page paper regarding the theory, the population it is best suited for, and skills or techniques utilized by the therapist using this theory. Worth 2 CEs for Seminal Theory

Paper #2 Book Report: Participants may choose a book from the list below (or a book from previous lists) and write an 8-page book report. Worth 8 CEs for Skills and Methods

1. The Handbook of Jungian Play Therapy with Children and Adolescents; Eric Green

2. Innovations in Play Therapy; Garry Landreth

3. A Handbook of Play Therapy with Aggressive Children; David Crenshaw

4. Play Therapy with Adolescents; Loretta Gallo-Lopez and Charles Schaefer

5. Other books may be requested by the participant for approval

February 2028 TBA

Session 19: Cultural and Social Diversity  Guest Speakers: Wen Wang LPC, RPT; Magdalena Benavides LPCa (6 hours)

Cultural and Social Diversity in Play Therapy examines how children’s cultural identities, family systems, community contexts, and lived experiences shape their engagement in therapeutic play. The course emphasizes culturally responsive practice, ethical awareness, and the development of competencies needed to work effectively with diverse populations. Students explore how factors such as race, ethnicity, language, socioeconomic status, disability, religion, gender identity, and immigration experiences influence play themes, communication styles, and therapeutic rapport. Through case studies, experiential activities, and reflective practice, students learn to adapt play‑based interventions to honor each child’s worldview and promote equitable mental‑health outcomes. Key topics include cultural humility, anti‑bias practice, family collaboration, and ethical decision‑making in diverse settings.

Objectives:

1. Participants will analyze cultural identity and evaluate how a child’s cultural background, family structure, and community context influence play themes, communication patterns, and therapeutic needs.

2. Demonstrate cultural humility and reflect on personal cultural assumptions and biases, and apply strategies to maintain a stance of openness and respect in therapeutic relationships.

3. Apply culturally responsive interventions and modify play therapy techniques, materials, and communication approaches to align with the cultural values and lived experiences of diverse children and families. An understanding of how to select inclusive play materials and curate a playroom environment that reflects cultural diversity, avoids stereotypes, and supports identity‑affirming expression will be explored.

4. Understand and assess sociocultural factors so that the participant can identify how systemic inequities, trauma, language differences, disability, and socioeconomic conditions shape children’s emotional expression and play behavior.

5. Participants will demonstrate ethical multicultural practice and apply ethical decision‑making models to cultural dilemmas in play therapy, including issues of power, privilege, confidentiality, and informed consent.

6. Participants will learn to communicate across cultural differences and demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication strategies with children and caregivers from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

March 2028 TBA

Session 20: Skills and Methods Advanced Clinical Skills in Play Therapy, Termination; Putting it all together; Who are You as a Play Therapist (6 hours)

‍This advanced‑level course deepens clinicians’ capacity to navigate the complex interpersonal, developmental, and emotional dynamics that arise in the playroom. Building on foundational child‑centered and integrative play‑therapy models, the course emphasizes therapeutic limit‑setting, clinical decision‑making, and relationship‑preserving interventions for challenging behaviors, difficult sessions, and complex family systems. Through experiential practice, case analysis, and applied role‑play, participants learn to maintain safety, attunement, and therapeutic presence even in the most intense moments of play. Termination is framed as a therapeutic process that supports integration, closure, and emotional growth. Techniques to assist clients with this process will be addressed.

Objectives:

1. Participants will learn how to work with aggression and destructive play, sexualized play, and self-harming themes, and gain an understanding of symbolic meaning and redirecting to safe outlets.

2. Participants will learn how to respond to clients who refuse to participate in therapy, are withdrawn, or shut down by supporting autonomy and maintaining therapeutic structure.

3. Participants will learn to navigate working with highly dysregulated children by structuring sessions, transitions, and expectations while protecting materials and ensuring the room remains usable for all clients, use advanced reflection skills to maintain attunement even during dysregulated play, and creative redirection by offering alternatives that meet the child’s underlying emotional need.

4. Participants will learn how to maintain parent collaboration by teaching caregivers therapeutic limit‑setting and supporting consistency at home, and helping them manage their anxiety, anger, or resistance by maintaining boundaries and preserving alliance.

5. Participants will explore ways to support emotional reactions and address grief, anger, avoidance, or regression.

6. Participants will learn the skills necessary to prepare children for termination through the use of symbolic play, stories, and predictable countdowns.

7. CALL 713 367 1660 or EMAIL alice@stillwatersfamilycounseling.net for more information and registration. APT Provider number 26-817

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