Play Therapy Training Programs
Are Play Therapy training programs useful?
Play therapy training programs are widely recognized as critical building blocks for child patient care because they provide therapists the opportunity to practice innovative and exciting therapy techniques that can be used during play therapy sessions. These play therapy training programs allow mental health professionals to begin or continue the path to becoming a Registered Play Therapist.
If you are interested in play therapy training programs, please contact the team at the Academy for Play Therapy Training. You can reach us at 925-626-0084 or at 8 Crow Canyon Court, Suite #207 San Ramon, CA. 94583. As an approved provider for the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, the Association for Play Therapy, and the American Psychological Association, we are approved to provide play therapy continuing education units to MFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s, and Psychologists. (APT Approved Provider 09-2411 CE for Marriage & Family Therapists, Licensed Social Workers, Professional Counselors, and Psychologists offered through Sierra Institute for Contemporary Gestalt Therapy BBS provider 349 and approved by APA AND Association for Play Therapy -APT Approved Provider 09-241.) We provide these CE through play therapy programs, such as our play therapy continuing education workshops and play therapist credential.
How does Play Therapy training work?
One example of the play therapy training program with Mary Ruth Cross and the Academy for Play Therapy Training is the introduction to play therapy. This workshop presents the history, theories, and components of play therapy as a model to work with children, adolescents, and families. We cover theories such as psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, humanistic, Ecosystemic Play Therapy, family therapy, and expressive arts. The learning is both didactic and experiential. In addition, this course meets one of the course requirements for basic play therapy training to become a Registered Play Therapist.
Using sand to explore the inner world.
Another example of the play therapy training programs at the Academy for Play Therapy Training is the Sandtray Therapy. A unique modality of incorporating the use of sand and miniatures to explore the client’s internal world, sandtray therapy helps children work through issues and challenges in a safe way. This workshop takes participants beyond basic understanding and explores the use of Sandtray Therapy with different populations and clinical issues. It uses the sandtray to explore working with traumatized clients, couples, groups and families. Participants will be able to use the sandtray to explore their own clinical issues with clients. This is a highly interactive and experiential workshop. Participants are encouraged to bring their own miniatures to use throughout the workshop.
If you are interested in learning the ins and outs of Sandtray therapy, you may also want to consider the Miniature Sandtray Workshop at the Academy for Play Therapy Training. Miniature figures represent all aspects of life and are used to create an external representation of our internal world. This workshop will examine the theoretical foundation of Sandtray Therapy and explore the use of Sandtray Therapy within play therapy sessions. Participants will be able to use the miniatures to create their own Sandtray worlds to explore aspects of themselves and their clients. This is a highly interactive and experiential workshop.
Learn the entire Play Therapy process.
A final example of the play therapy training programs at the Academy for Play Therapy Training is a class called “Playing Around: Integrating Play into Child Therapy”. This workshop gives participants a full perspective of play therapy from beginning theory and understanding to integrating play therapy techniques into each stage of development. Throughout this class, we build a firm foundation for understanding play therapy and becoming comfortable using play therapy in a child therapy practice. This is a highly interactive workshop that integrates theory, techniques and creativity to build play into every session. Play interventions include expressive arts, role-play, puppet play, storytelling, sensory play, games and activities for every developmental stage.
When you are ready to learn more about any of our play therapy training programs, including our play therapy programs, play therapy continuing education workshops, or play therapist certification, please contact the Academy for Play Therapy Training at 925-626-0084. You may also review our play therapy continuing education and play therapy workshops here on our website. You will find a list of our classes, including a look at our upcoming play therapy training’s, conferences, and workshops. We look forward to hearing from you soon and answering any questions you may have about play therapy and play therapy training!