Child-Centered Play Therapy

Child-Centered Play Therapy Training

This is an intensive 37-hour, 4-day training that focuses on teaching the principles and protocols of the Seminal theory of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). CCPT is a play-based mental health theory that allows children to lead their play while being able to explore the therapeutic playroom to get their needs met by a counselor tracking their play. Children from 2-11 years of age who are experiencing behavioral, trauma, relational, social, regulation, and emotional problems are able to express themselves through their play in the therapeutic playroom. This training provides an in-depth understanding of CCPT starting with the history, fundamentals, application, practice, and a clinical overview to ensure that all the participants are able to complete CCPT sessions with their clients after completion of the course.

Meetings are scheduled for July 8 & 9, August 6, and August 31, 2024.

A therapeutic playroom helps children work through emotional, social, developmental, and behavioral difficulties along with helping to address family problems. A deeply respectful and effective form of counseling and psychotherapy for children from 2-10 years old, it is a humanistic Play Therapy modality that provides wonderful opportunities for early intervention with children. The therapeutic playroom fosters the child’s innate potential and encourages the unique development and emotional growth of the child. In this non-directive Play Therapy approach, the counselor enters the world of the child, following the child’s lead, developing a safe place and a relationship of trust. Children often have difficulty trying to say in words what they feel and how experiences have affected them. Play is the natural language of children and the toys can be their words. Through the toys, art materials, and other things in the playroom, children can express their thoughts and feelings, explore relationships, and share their experiences.

This training is a four-day training split up into sections to allow for learning, practice, supervision, and application of knowledge. In addition to IN-PERSON class time, participants will complete 4 play sessions at home with a child and provide two video sessions to be reviewed by the instructor and cohort during Day 3 and Day 4 of the training for additional learning and opportunities for improvement. An hour-long cohort Zoom session for questions after completing practice CCPT sessions at home is offered to process struggles and achievements together. All cohort participants will need to read Play Therapy, The Art of the Relationship by Garry Landreth, and complete a test. A 3-5 page reflection paper of the participants’ experience demonstrating their ability to use all the components of the theory will be completed at the end of the class for receiving a certificate of completion. The Play Therapy Association desires for those seeking to be Registered Play Therapists to learn, practice, and be supervised. This training follows this model to ensure that all cohort participants are educated in the CCPT theory.

Learning Objectives:

Explain the history of Child-Centered Play Therapy
Identify the meaning of play and why it is important
List the materials needed to have a therapeutic playroom
Describe how to begin to have a relationship with the child
Assess play behavior and proper response
Explain the dimensions of a healing relationship
Discuss how to work with parents and teachers as partners
Analyze participants’ videos to provide feedback and correction
Recite the benefits of using the ACT model and Choice-Giving
Compare the nine categories of responses that are utilized in CCPT
Practice facilitating your own CCPT sessions

Who Should Attend:

Play Therapists, any mental health professionals, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, anyone who works with children and teens, and those who work with and/or live with children with special needs.

Skill Level:

This program is appropriate for professionals of beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels.

CE Offered:

Continuing education credit for this event is sponsored by Parsons Counseling, LLC. The program offers a total of 37.00 continuing education hours. That is made up of 6.00 non-contact live-webinar hours for each day, with each full daily attendance required. There will also be 11 non-contact book-study hours and 2 additional non-contact hours. The CE processing fee is included with registration for counseling and Play Therapy.

Provider Information

Parsons Counseling Training Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7101. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Parsons Counseling Training Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Parsons Counseling, LLC has been approved by APT as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, APT No. 17-496. Programs that do not qualify for APT credit are clearly identified.
Parsons Counseling, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

If you have any questions regarding continuing education, the program, grievance issues, or learning objectives, please contact the Training Institute Coordinator at 859-985-7862 or by emailing [email protected].

Cancellations with 14 or more days' notice will receive a full refund minus a $25 administrative fee. Cancellations with less than 14 days' notice will not be refunded. A 50% credit towards a future trainings may be applied at discretion of the training coordinator. Bundled or discounted registrations are non-refundable.