Starting with the January 2018 issue, earn non-contact continuing education credit by completing tests based upon the International Journal of Play Therapy®. APT Members may refer to their print or online journal access to complete the tests.
Continuing Education
APA. The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is
approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor
continuing education for psychologists. APT maintains responsibility for
this program and its content.
NBCC. The Association for Play Therapy (APT) has
been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider,
ACEP No. 5636. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly
identified. APT is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
APT. The Association for Play
Therapy (APT) offers continuing education specific to play therapy. APT
Approved Provider 95-100 maintains responsibility for the program.
Why Child-Centered Play Therapists Should Care About Play-Based Social Interventions for Youth with ASD
Preview Available
Date : July 2019
Volume Issue : Volume 28, Issue 3
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
The field of child-centered play therapy has long recognized the value of play for children’s growth and development, however other fields of inquiry have come to realize the value of play as well, such as play-based social interventions for youth with autism spectrum disorder. Despite the differences between the theoretical and pragmatic applications of child-centered play therapy and play-based social interventions, the purpose of this work is to orient a play-based social intervention study with child-centered play therapy approach. In particular, this work will discuss the theoretical and pragmatic approaches of the two fields with emphasis on 2 factors of play: (a) play materials and (b) permissiveness. Additionally, the play experiences of 1 boy, Enoch, are reviewed through the typical stages of child-centered play therapy, to demonstrate how permissive play with technology-based play materials functions in play-based social interventions.
Learning Objectives:
Effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Therapy among Marginalized Children
Preview Available
Date : April 2019
Volume Issue : Volume 28, Issue 2
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
Marginalized children are often excluded from mainstream social, economic, cultural, and political life because of ethnicity or poverty. These children are more likely to have behavior problems that place them at risk later in life. The impact is evident at an early age. The purpose of this article was to review the literature that examined the impact of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) conducted with marginalized children. The literature was reviewed with regard to the results of the studies, the outcome variables used, the identification of who completed the assessments about the children, and the ethnicity of the play therapists who conducted the interventions. The findings demonstrated that CCPT is effective for marginalized children, externalized behaviors are most frequently assessed, teachers most frequently completed the assessments about the children, and the ethnicity of the play therapists is not usually reported. The results are considered in terms of implications for play therapists and future research.
Learning Objectives:Date : January 2019
Volume Issue : Volume 28, Issue 1
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
School-based filial therapy (SBFT) programs are training programs for teachers, school learning-support officers, and teacher’s aides (paraprofessionals) working in regional and remote primary-school settings. The program educates paraprofessionals in the therapeutic foundations and skills involved in facilitating child-centered play therapy (or, “special play sessions”) with children who have mild to moderate emotional and behavioral disturbances. The program is delivered in regional or remote locations over 3 days in a didactic and experiential format. When paraprofessionals become competent with therapeutic protocols involved in facilitating special play sessions, they design program implementations in their school settings to ensure the specific needs of each community are being met, in collaboration with their local school communities. This involves the use of local resources and abilities that take into consideration the unique cultural aspects of each school and community. Where children’s mental health treatment is limited by access, culture, stigma, low socioeconomic status, and/or isolation, the SBFT program provides one possible solution: prioritizing and supporting locally determined, rather than prescriptive, implementation of the program. This specific program aims to address the many barriers people living in rural communities face when they attempt to access specialist mental health care, thus potentially delivering better health outcomes. As such, this program can be adapted anywhere around the world where health-care delivery and accessibility are challenging, especially for young children.
Learning Objectives:
Play Therapy with African American Children Exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences
Preview Available
Date : October 2018
Volume Issue : Volume 27, Issue 4
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
African American children living in poverty often experience adverse childhood conditions such as overexposure to violence, either witnessing domestic violence or community violence, or direct victimization. These conditions can cause an increase in future mental health problems. In this pilot study, 12 African American children ages 5–9 participated in six weeks of child-centered individual play therapy followed by six weeks of group play therapy. Individual and group play therapy addressed the participants’ problematic behaviors as reported by teachers at an after school program for disadvantaged youth. Findings indicated that a combination of individual and group child-centered play therapy significantly decreased problematic behaviors affecting academic performance and the classroom overall. The combination of individual and group interventions also demonstrated a significant decrease in general worry and negative intrusive thought patterns. The results support therapists utilizing individual and group child-centered play therapy when working with children who experience adverse childhood experiences. Further research is needed to understand the impact of child-centered play therapy as a preventative intervention for children at-risk for developing mental health problems.
Learning Objectives:
Utilizing Child-Centered Play Therapy With Children Diagnosed With Autistm Spectrum Disorder and Endured Trauma: A Case Example
Preview Available
Date : July 2018
Volume Issue : Volume 27, Issue 3
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent childhood disorder as 1 in 68 children,8 years old and younger, are diagnosed with ASD. Additionally, childhood trauma impacts 60% of children living in the United States. Due to the lack of social awareness and increased sensitivity to various stimuli, children diagnosed with ASD are often more prone to victimization. Current treatment interventions for ASD are limited inflexibility and adaptive qualities. Flexibility is especially important for this population;therefore, a more responsive and open therapeutic approach is need. A case study is presented illustrating an adapted child-centered play therapy approach for children on the spectrum who have also endured trauma
Learning Objectives:Psychopharmacology for Play Therapists
Preview Available
Date : January 2018
Volume Issue : Volume 27, Issue 1
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
In this article, we explain why play therapists should be familiar with the effects and side effects of psychiatric medications. Nonphysician therapists are an important part of the “clinical team” in any inpatient or outpatient setting. Since the physician prescriber spends a relatively brief amount of time with a client, as opposed to the time spent with the psychotherapist, it is in the hands of the nonphysician professionals to become proficient in discovering problems and unwanted effects of medications, and report it to the client’s guardians and/or physician prescriber for reevaluation. This article focuses on the side effects of medications commonly prescribed to children with psychiatric conditions, and we explain how play therapists may tailor their play therapy interventions to cope with the side effects of medications. The side effects range from insignificant/temporary (e.g., dry mouth, stuffy nose), significant/permanent (e.g.,tardive dyskinesia), to life threatening disorders (e.g., serotonin syndrome). By under-standing the psychopharmacology, therapists can get a better grasp about the cause of new psychological or behavioral complaints. For example, excessive yawning during the interview may be due to side effects of Prozac (fluoxetine) rather than fatigue or sleep deprivation. But Prozac can also cause nightmares that result in sleep interruption and frequent yawning. Clinical literature indicates that by understanding the lethargy experienced in the child, the play therapist can tailor play therapy sessions to outdoor activities to allow for sun exposure and fresh air.
Learning Objectives:
Play Therapists’ Empathy Levels as a Predictor of Self-Perceived Advocacy Competency
Preview Available
Date : July 2020
Volume Issue : Volume 29, Issue 3
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
Advocacy has long played a central role in play therapy and is one vehicle play therapists utilize to help clients reach their goals as well as achieve their truest potential. Exploration of variables that may influence play therapist advocacy to improve client outcomes is needed to inform decisions about how to improve clinician advocacy effectiveness for clients. In this survey method–based quantitative study, a purposeful sample of 303 play therapists completed empathy and advocacy competence measures. The researchers determined higher levels of empathy to be a positive, statistically significant predictor of play therapy advocacy for clients at the individual as well as community levels. Researchers discovered play therapists possessing high levels of empathy would be better able to advocate effectively. Implications for practice, education, and research are discussed.
Learning Objectives:
Examining Gender in Play Therapy
Preview Available
Operation Level : Intermediate
Date : January 2020
Volume Issue : Volume 29, Issue 1
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
Gendered language and toy preference and use were analyzed in an observational research study with over 400 minutes of play therapy sessions with 24 adult and 22 child participants. Observations were focused around what type of toys were most selected by male compared to female children. In addition, observation research was used to determine what toys are identified as female, male, or gender neutral by both adults and children. Female children played with more toys overall and with a greater variety of toys than the male child participants. Male children chose to play with a far greater percentage of masculine toys than did female children. Across the 4 participant groups, male child, female child, male adult, and female adult, all 4 groups labeled toys as male most frequently. In addition, both the male and female children labeled toys associated with acting out or aggression as predominantly male. These findings were in keeping with expectations around learned gender stereotypes found in numerous other studies.
Learning Objectives:
Application of Adlerian Play Therapy with Multiracial Children
Preview Available
Date : October 2019
Volume Issue : Volume 28, Issue 4
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
Mental health professionals must merge multicultural awareness, knowledge, and skills into their clinical practices because of the growing cultural demographics in the United States. However, few interventions are documented that contribute to the cultural identity development of multiracial children and families. Adlerian play therapy is a developmentally appropriate intervention for children that emphasizes social interest, resilience qualities, and family atmosphere that could help multiracial children form a healthy cultural identity. This article further presents the application of Adlerian play therapy with multiracial children through the use of a case study.
Learning Objectives:
Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Evaluations of Child-Centered Play Therapy for Treating Mental Health Symptoms
Preview Available
Date : July 2019
Volume Issue : Volume 28, Issue 3
Level : Intermediate
Credits: None available.
As the demand for childhood mental health intervention rises, there is a need for increased evidentiary support for developmentally sensitive approaches that address childhood mental health symptoms. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) has been recognized as one of the most frequently used approaches for this population due to its responsiveness to cognitive and psycho-social developmental levels. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the degree of effectiveness of CCPT for decreasing common childhood mental health symptoms based on single-case research design (SCRD) data. The systematic search strategy yielded 11 CCPT SCRD studies with 65 total effect sizes that were analyzed to determine omnibus treatment effect. Results indicated CCPT had a moderate effect for decreasing internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, and social skill deficits. This study adds to the evidence base for CCPT incorporating SCRD data into the corpus of CCPT meta-analytic data and provides further support that CCPT should be considered an appropriate intervention to address common childhood mental health symptoms. Based on these results, the authors provide implications for CCPT practitioners and for future directions to build the intervention’s evidence base.
Learning Objectives: