Play Therapy Training Program

The Power of Play

Explore and learn how to apply the therapeutic power of play to communicate with, and treat clients. Association for Play Therapy Approved Provider Logo [View Image]

The VCU Office of Continuing and Professional Education (OCPE) is an approved continuing education provider (APT Approved Provider 15-397) by the Association for Play Therapy, Inc.

Check dates

Ask about our military discount. Please note, coupon codes cannot be combined with other discounts/coupons or waivers, and will not be retroactively applied.

Videos

Credentialing

All VCU play therapy workshops meet the play therapy training requirements for the Registered Play Therapist (RPT), Registered Play Therapist—Supervisor (RPT-S), and School-Based Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT) credentials. Our workshops meet all guidelines established by the Association for Play Therapy, Inc. in the areas of Play Therapy History, Play Therapy Theories, Play Therapy Techniques and Methods, and Play Therapy Applications. Digital badging is available for workshop participants.

Already have your RPT, RPT-S or SB-RPT credential? Check back for future advanced workshops.

See the Association for Play Therapy credentialing guides for details on the education, training, experience, and supervision required for your credential application or renewal:

• Play Therapy Credentialing Guides

Play Therapy Workshops 

In order to fully align with the new Association for Play Therapy (APT) credentialing requirements, we have refreshed all of our play therapy workshops. The APT now requires that candidates for Registered Play Therapist credentials complete phased continuing education, experience, and supervision. Please see the APT Credentialing Program Announcement for more information about the new APT requirements and rationale.

You'll note that each VCU Play Therapy workshop is now held on Saturdays and Sundays for a total of 16 contact hours over a single weekend, with the exception of Synchronous Telehealth Format Sessions, which are held over two weekends.

We offer the following APT-approved play therapy training workshops:

• Principles of Play Therapy (16 contact hours)
  In this foundational workshop, you will explore the history of play therapy and compare multiple models of play therapy. You will examine Child-Centered and Cognitive-Behavioral theories as they apply to play therapy. In addition, you will delve into the rationale, philosophy, and history essential to practicing in the field of play therapy. You will explore how to use play therapy with children in playrooms, how to use available space effectively in creating a therapeutic play space, and how to develop a mobile play therapy kit. You will build the foundational skills needed to use play therapy effectively and leave with the confidence to begin immediately working with clients using play-based interventions.

  Read more about Principles of Play Therapy

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Describe play therapy and role of a play therapy in interventions and identify play therapists’ characteristics;
  2. Discuss the history of play therapy, its foundations, and describe and use two historically significant theories to the field of play therapy recognized by the Association for Play Therapy;
  3. Discuss the basics of, the difference between, and rationale for using non-directive and directive approaches;
  4. Explain prescriptive and integrated play therapy approaches;
  5. Describe the rationale for selecting therapeutic toys and be able to communicate how to organize and care for a professional playroom;
  6. Communicate with parents about why we use play therapy, explain how we collaborate with parents for the best outcomes, and describe how children progress in play therapy;
  7. Set and enforce limits in an effective and therapeutic way; and
  8. Identify the stages of play therapy, ethical and cultural issues, and demonstrate how to terminate play therapy appropriately.

• Games and Activities in Play Therapy (16 contact hours)
  Using play therapy principles, you will explore the use of a directive approach in play therapy. You will develop skills to select and use therapeutic play therapy activities as well as traditional and therapeutic games. You will use games and activities to help children reflect their inner world, enhance healthy development, and strengthen coping skills. In addition, you will learn to engage children in various creative, sensory and stimulating activities that decrease stress, increase emotional regulation, and improve self-esteem. You will learn to choose activities and games that address a specific therapeutic need.

  • Prerequisite: Principles of Play Therapy

  Read more about Games and Activities in Play Therapy

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Describe and apply Cognitive Behavioral Theory in a play therapy setting, which the Association for Play Therapy recognizes as historically significant to the field of play therapy;
  2. Articulate the rationale for using a directive approach in play therapy while incorporating play therapy principles;
  3. Apply Landreth’s limit setting Acknowledge, Communicate, Target (ACT) technique and demonstrate the ability to apply limit setting in the playroom;
  4. Analyze when to choose a particular directive play-based play therapy activity in accord with a client's developmental stage, clinical issue, and specific therapy goals;
  5. Discuss developmental stages and limitations that may apply in choosing a play therapy activity;
  6. Demonstrate which play therapy games and activities might be most useful to target a specific issue; and
  7. Prepare to stock and organize the playroom with recommended games and materials for play therapy activities.

• Group, Filial and Family Play Therapy: Systematic Intervention (16 contact hours)
  In this workshop, you will develop skills to implement systematic interventions with groups and families. You will learn how filial play therapy strengthens the parent-child relationship, simultaneously improves communication between caregivers, and increases overall family functioning. You will gain confidence in working with groups using play therapy interventions and develop skills to use the power of play to help children increase insight, develop social skills, and strengthen relationships in group settings.

  • Prerequisite: Principles of Play Therapy

  Read more about Group, Filial and Family Play Therapy: Systematic Intervention

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Explain and apply the filial approach and Developmental theory in a play therapy setting, which the Association for Play Therapy recognizes as historically significant to the field of play therapy;
  2. Use fundamental principles of play therapy and a child-centered approach to develop skills to engage children and parents in filial play therapy;
  3. Articulate how filial play therapy helps the parent/child relationship become stronger and improves the ability for both child and parent to communicate more effectively, enjoy being together, and relax in one another's presence;
  4. Educate parents on the benefit of strengthening family relationships by using play to meet specific goals and demonstrate skills to teach parents child-centered play therapy techniques;
  5. Demonstrate how to approach, educate, support and provide meaningful feedback to parents engaging in various modalities of family-based play therapy;
  6. Discuss how group play therapy techniques can strengthen relationships, resolve conflict, teach social and communication skills, and shift the group dynamic;
  7. Select and use specific activities and games for working with groups across populations and settings; and
  8. Use limit setting per Landreth’s Acknowledge, Communicate, Target (ACT) technique to establish boundries, work with groups, and help parents effectively set limits.

• Play Therapy and the Expressive Arts: Using Creative Interventions with Tweens, Teens, and Other Populations (16 contact hours)
  Explore the rationale for, philosophy, history, and Gestalt theory supporting the use of expressive arts in play therapy. You will learn the basic skills needed to enter the world of expressive arts, which includes drama, music, art, storytelling, poetry, and movement. You will leave the workshop with the confidence to begin working with clients using expressive arts-based interventions. In addition, you will be able to use expressive modalities with a variety of populations and ages both in the playroom and in other settings.

  • Prerequisite: Principles of Play Therapy

  Read more about Play Therapy and the Expressive Arts: Using Creative Interventions with Tweens, Teens and Other Populations

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Explain and apply Gestalt theory, an Association for Play Therapy historically significant theory to the field of play therapy, in a play therapy setting;
  2. Demonstrate how various expressive modalities (art, music, drama, poetry) are used in play therapy;
  3. Describe and demonstrate how to create a safe and protected space in which clients can freely communicate using expressive arts and play therapy;
  4. Compile materials and items useful for clients at various developmental stages for in-depth expression;
  5. Demonstrate the ability to work with clients through multimodal expressive arts to engage the senses in ways that offer experiences to strengthen the self; and
  6. Discuss archetypes, symbols, and metaphor and demonstrate how to recognize these in expressive and play therapy work.

• The Hero’s Journey: Using Sand Tray and Narrative Techniques in Play Therapy (16 contact hours)
  In this workshop you will explore the history of sand tray work and compare different aspects of the early development of sand tray leading to both sand tray and sand play approaches.  We will examine the theories of Jungian psychology and Humanistic psychology that contributed to the formation of sand tray use in child therapy today.  You will also learn about narrative work and the important role it plays in sand tray work, particularly with play therapy. You will explore how to use the sand tray in the playroom in different modalities including: sensory work, directive work, non-directive work and as a medium for creating narratives with children.  Through case presentations, you will identify the different stages of sand tray work and how to utilize the tray in the playroom.  You will learn how to build the collection of miniatures needed for this work and the reasoning behind their selections as well as practice interventions for using the tray in play sessions with children and adolescents.

  • Prerequisite: Principles of Play Therapy

  Read more about The Hero’s Journey: Using Sand Tray and Narrative Techniques in Play Therapy

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Describe the characteristics of sand tray therapists and the role of the sand tray in therapeutic play with children and adolescents;
  2. Discuss the history and foundations of sand tray work and identify the theoretical approaches sand tray work was built on;
  3. Identify and select the miniatures needed to conduct sand tray work with children, identify the categories used and the practical steps to setting up your sand tray within the playroom;
  4. Discuss the differences between sensory work, directive work, non-directive work and narrative work with a sand tray;
  5. Communicate with parents, the purpose and importance of play therapy and the use of sand tray within play therapy treatment;
  6. Identify and explain the different phases of sand tray work and how to recognize them within the playroom setting;
  7. Develop a narrative approach using the “Hero’s Journey” to explain the connection between themes within the sand tray and universal symbols found in Jungian psychology;
  8. Practice the basics of creating trays and “reading” trays through identifying symbolic meanings and commonly found themes in children’s sand trays.

• Healing Childhood Trauma through Play Therapy (16 contact hours)
  In this workshop, you will learn how trauma impacts children and how play therapy allows children to use the language of play to resolve these issues and return to the necessary tasks needed for healthy development.  The historically significant approaches to trauma research and treatment are essential to understanding and practicing in the field of play therapy.  Treatment protocols have been developed based on the theoretical approaches that include Trauma Focused-Integrated Play Therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Expressive Therapy for addressing trauma in children and adolescents. You will learn how to develop a safe and protected space in the playroom through play therapy techniques that include directive, non-directive, expressive and sand tray work.  The importance of offering both verbal and non-verbal approaches to working with trauma in children will be explained.  You will be able to identify the recognized phases of trauma treatment and implement interventions for different age groups and developmental levels for each of the three phases.  Ways to work with parents and guardians in conjunction with play therapy treatment will also be presented, including different family systems and cultural considerations.

  • Prerequisite: Principles of Play Therapy

  Read more about Healing Childhood Trauma through Play Therapy

  Objectives

  This workshop is designed to help you:

  1. Discuss the theoretical approaches that comprise the history of trauma-informed treatment in children;
  2. Develop and maintain a trauma-informed safe and protected playroom for treatment purposes;
  3. Compare the three major protocols being used for treating children with traumatic histories;
  4. Describe the three phases of treatment utilized for the treatment of trauma with children and adolescents;
  5. Explain the different treatment needs of children according to their developmental level;
  6. Practice play-based interventions utilizing directive, non-directive, expressive and sand tray work;
  7. Recognize family and cultural issues in treating trauma;
  8. Discuss parent/guardian sessions and support of parents/guardians during the treatment of children and adolescents.

Check dates

Workshop Facilitators

Our workshop facilitators are Registered Play Therapist-Supervisors (RPT-S) with substantive relevant experience in the field.

Jan Williamson, LCSW, RPT-S

Jan Williamson serves as the lead instructor with the VCU Play Therapy program. She is also the clinical supervisor and a mental health clinician providing trauma-informed mental health services for the non-profit agency, ChildSavers in Richmond. Previously she worked for the Child Advocacy Center and has also been an adjunct professor for the VCU Graduate School of Social Work. She has a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and a Master's in Clinical Social Work. First licensed as a family therapist, she has over 40 years of experience in the mental health field working with families, adults and children. Jan worked internationally with refugee children and families in Southeast Asia and in Africa in areas of armed conflict and mass displacement.

Jan is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and a past member of the board of the Virginia Association for Play Therapy. Jan's areas of expertise also include work with sand trays.

What to Expect

Synchronous Telehealth Format Sessions

Due to COVID-19 health concerns, APT Approved Providers may temporarily offer contact hours for online continuing education through June 30, 2021. VCU training workshops meet specific conditions, including being offered via a synchronous telehealth format, and have been approved by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) for 16 contact continuing education (CE) hours each.

Our Zoom sessions are in real-time and offer an opportunity to interact with the instructor and other participants. There will be a one-hour break per day. These sessions may include the following: didactics, discussions, videos, activities/exercises, practice/demonstrations of skills, and role plays/observations. Your instructor will send you a list of creative materials to have on-hand during the session.

You are required to have your camera on during these sessions to allow for verified engagement. In addition, you are required to pass a multiple-choice post-test in order to receive Association for Play Therapy credit for your participation.

Who Should Attend

VCU play therapy workshops are for individuals who are employed and/or pursuing education in the behavioral health or school social work field. This would include licensed clinicians, school social workers, students working toward a master’s degree in social work, counseling, school social work or counseling, or psychology. We welcome resident clinicians who have graduated with a master’s degree and are in supervision toward licensure.

If you have questions about whether the workshops would be beneficial to you, please contact the VCU Office of Continuing and Professional Education at ocpe@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1322.

Prerequisites

We recommend that therapists take the VCU “Principles of Play Therapy” workshop first as the foundation for all the other play therapy training.  This foundation workshop is offered twice per year. After completing the “Principles of Play Therapy” workshop, you are welcome to take the other play therapy workshops in any order. Exceptions may be made if you have had previous workshops or classes that cover the principles of play therapy.

Location

Synchronous Telehealth Format Sessions

Real-time telehealth format sessions will be held online via the Zoom platform. VCU OCPE will provide you with a link where you can connect through your PC, Mac, Linux, iOS, or Android device.

Groups

Additional scheduling and custom training options are available for groups. Please contact Jennifer Sisane at jsisane@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1322 for more information.

Cancellation and Refund Policies

You may cancel your registration up until the cancellation deadline listed on the registration page and receive a full refund minus a $35 credit card processing fee. After that date, no refunds will be given. Cancellations must be received via email at ocpe@vcu.edu.

In the unlikely event that this workshop is cancelled or postponed due to insufficient enrollments or unforeseen circumstances, the university will fully refund registration fees, but cannot be held responsible for any other expenses, including change or cancellation charges to include but not limited to airlines, hotels, travel agencies, or other organizations.

Transfer Policy

Workshop registrations may be transferred to a different workshop or person if requested in writing via email at ocpe@vcu.edu by the cancellation deadline listed on the registration page.  The participant must meet all prerequisites or qualifications required by the program.

Questions?

For registration questions, please contact ocpe@vcu.edu.
For questions regarding the workshop content or eligibility, please contact Jennifer Sisane, program manager and school liaison at (804) 828-1322.