How to become a registered play therapist in texas

The 12-credit hour Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy is designed for students training in counseling and related fields as well as for post-master's professionals in counseling and related fields who want to specialize and/or work towards their professional registration through the national organization (Association for Play Therapy, APT). While the Play Therapy Institute at SHSU is an APT Approved Provider 07-211; APT alone holds the right to accept or deny any academic training or continuing education training at its discretion.

In order for your Certificate to show up on your transcript, once you have a earned a grade for each course, you (the student) must complete and submit the Graduate Certificate Completion Form; you will receive a physical graduate certificate issued by graduate studies to show employers.

Admission is open to students currently working on a counseling master's degree or who already have a masters in counseling in order to be eligible to pursue the play therapy certificate. Students may submit an application through graduate studies as either degree seeking or non-degree seeking. Students must indicate at the time of application that they wish to pursue the Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy. Current students of counselor education, who did not select the certificate at the time of admission, may request an Add On Certificate.

Curriculum

Course work in the Graduate Certificate Program (3 credit hours each):

COUN 5391 Child and Adolescent Counseling

Students develop approaches for putting counseling theories into practice with children and adolescents who are experiencing difficulties in their developmental, personal, and social growth.

COUN 5399 Play Therapy Basics

This course is designed to enhance/increase the counselor's understanding of the child's world as perceived by the child and the relationship between the child's world and his/her behavior. The focus of this course is a non-directive approach to play therapy and the utilization of play media to facilitate the child's self-exploration, self-expression, self-understanding, and personal growth. This course has been offered at both locations. The course meets face-to-face.

COUN 6331 Advanced Play Therapy

This course is designed to provide play therapists with extensive practical and research experience related to issues involving the advanced play therapy techniques including group play, expressive arts and components of filial therapy. Case analysis, theoretical application, advanced techniques, and current research issues and trends will be investigated. The curricula for this course include (1) knowledge of the literature of the discipline and (2) ongoing student engagement in research related to professional practice. This course has been offered at both locations. The course meets face-to-face.

COUN 5398 Sandtray

This course is designed to provide students with extensive practical and research experience related to Humanistic sandtray as a therapeutic intervention for children, adolescents, adults, and families. This course uses both didactic and experiential methods to enhance student's knowledge, skills and competence in using sandtray as a therapeutic modality with clients. The curricula for this course include (1) knowledge of the literature of the discipline and (2) ongoing student engagement in practice related to professional practice. This course has been offered at both locations. The course meets face-to-face.

This Graduate Certificate is eligible to receive Title IV funding - Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Graduate PLUS loans by request. To be considered for aid, students need to submit a FAFSA.

Mission

The mission of the Institute for Play Therapy (IPT) is to offer quality play therapy training to professionals in the community and to encourage play therapy networking, research, and resources.

Our goal in providing play therapy education is to enrich and challenge each participant’s knowledge, skills and practice. The the seminars are conducted in small groups to facilitate discussion and provide opportunities for experiential work. We remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workshops we offer and in our group of IPT facilitators and invited guest presenters. 

We offer seminars that include required reading in preparation for the full day of education and experience. This allows the participant to earn non-contact continuing education hours, in connection with the contact hours, therefore expanding the total credit hours. The readings also provide for a richer, more in-depth seminar experience.

Texas State University currently offers three play therapy graduate-level university courses through the Professional Counseling Program. Students enrolled in the Professional Counseling Program may take all three courses thus earning a total of 117.5 hours of play therapy instruction (see table below). These hours can be used toward earning the Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT™) credential. COUN 5369 and 5373 are offered at the San Marcos or Round Rock campus. COUN 5346 is offered online, and for the group experience, students lead a parent group online or face to face at a location of their choice.

Courses offered are:

• COUN 5369: Child and Adolescent Counseling Methods.
• COUN 5373: Intermediate Methods in Play Therapy
• COUN 5346: Filial Therapy

This section will provide a description of the two courses that are most commonly taken by students interested in working with children and play therapy.

COUN 5369: Child and Adolescent Counseling Methods

One of the first courses that TXST students take related to working with children is COUN 5369. This course offers an introduction to play therapy, including seminal and emerging play therapy theories. This course also provides instruction and experiential practice on expressive techniques, such as art, sandtray, and music. COUN 5369 also provides practical techniques for facilitating family play therapy sessions. This course offers 50 hours of play therapy instruction toward the RPT ™ credential.

COUN 5373: Intermediate Methods in Play Therapy

For students who are interested in working with young children ages 3 to 10, the COUN 5373 course is a perfect fit. Students must have taken COUN 5369 as a prerequisite in order to take this course. COUN 5373 offers students instruction on many topics related to working with children in play therapy. This includes caregiver consultations, initial paperwork, basic facilitative skills, seminal and emerging play therapy theories, and managing special situations in the playroom. This course also provides a micropracticum that offer students the opportunity to practice play therapy skills with volunteer clients in the playroom. Students receive individual and group supervision through this experiential process. This course offers 67.5 hours of play therapy instruction toward the RPT ™ credential.

Play Therapy Instruction Offered at TXST

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) provides guidance on requirements to earn the RPT™ credential. Here is a link: RPT™ Standards, Application, and FAQ. Please refer any questions regarding RPT™ requirements to APT at APT Contact Us. For individuals who obtain their play therapy training through graduate programs, APT provides some flexibility in the three-phase approach described in the RPT™ requirements. Read their letter to universities for more information.

The table below provides a breakdown of play therapy instruction for COUN 5369 and COUN 5373 based on content areas listed in the RPT™ Standards.

Elective Course - COUN 5346: Filial Therapy

For students who have already taken COUN 5369 and COUN 5373, there is another elective course that can be taken to earn play therapy instruction CE. This course is COUN 5346: Filial Therapy. Filial therapy provides caregivers (typically parents) with training in basic play therapy techniques so they can use these techniques with their own children and serve as therapeutic agents of change in their children’s lives. Students enrolled in this course would learn how to teach caregivers play therapy facilitative skills and methods through a group model. This course offers 67.5 hours of play therapy instruction and, added with the other two courses, would satisfy all of the 150 required play therapy instruction hours for the RPT™ credential.

Non-Degree Seeking Students

Mental health professionals who are not currently enrolled in the Texas State University Professional Counseling Program but have completed a master's in counseling or a related mental health area are able to enroll at Texas State University as a non-degree seeking student and then are eligible to take three courses: COUN 5369 - Child and Adolescent Counseling Methods, COUN 5373 - Intermediate Methods in Play Therapy, and COUN 5346 – Filial Therapy. Please note that COUN 5369 is a required pre-requisite and must be taken before Intermediate Methods in Play Therapy. Also note that Intermediate Methods in Play Therapy is either a pre or co-requisite for Filial Therapy and must be taken either before or concurrently with Filial Therapy

The Non-Degree Seeking Student information can be found here.

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