Top Online Psychology Schools
Play Therapy Certification
Professionals in the field of play therapy interact with children, teens and family groups through play. Uses of this therapy include, but are not limited to, communication of feelings and ideas, assisting in the resolution of grief, easing trauma, and helping the child master difficult skills. Practitioners are required to earn play therapy certification from a school approved by the Association for Play Therapy. Requirements include a Master’s degree in a medical or mental health field. Many play therapists come from the fields of child psychology, social work or family counseling.
What it Takes to Get a Play Therapy Certification
The curriculum of play therapy certification is made up of 150 hours of instruction and two years of supervised clinical play with patients. Classroom instruction includes therapeutic uses of art, music and dance. Students also learn to adapt techniques of role playing, goal setting and modeling to better achieve desired behavioral changes in the client. This is all done through play activities carefully formulated to fit the needs of each individual situation. A classic example is when a very young child who has been sexually molested is able to show the therapist exactly what happened to him or her through the use of an anatomically correct doll.
Because play is the “work” of the young, play therapy can achieve results faster than earlier methodologies, and do so by inflicting a lesser measure of trauma on an already fragile child. But before this is possible, the professional has to evaluate the child through careful observation coupled with solid knowledge of the field as a whole. Then, plan a course of interaction through play that will heal the underlying cause. This is serious business and can only be accomplished by a graduate of the play therapy certification process. The supervised portion of the learning process begins with simulated interactions with fellow students that are monitored via two-way mirrored windows. From there, the student graduates to working with actual patients, also behind those mirrored windows. Clients can include young children, tweens, teens or entire families.
Play therapy certification training also involves learning to select the appropriate playthings that will best serve the client. One way to do this is to compare proven protocols and choose the best for the case at hand. To do this the student must acquire a thorough knowledge of child development while considering family dynamics, ethnicity and any other pertinent variables.
Is This Career for You?
What could be more gratifying than bringing a child to mental stability or helping that child make the most of his or her abilities? If this sounds like something you would find rewarding, do some research. Before taking the plunge, talk to professionals already in the field. Arrange to visit a classroom. Observe play therapy sessions from behind a two-way window. When you’ve made up your mind to get your play therapy certification, check out the wide range of schools worldwide that offer Association for Play accredited training in the field. They can be found online through the Association. Some offer distance learning, but the student still needs to complete the supervised clinic portion of the program. By going online, you could start your enrollment today.
