Certificate in Play Therapy
Other Program Requirements
Curriculum Plan
Complete the following:
This course will cover an introduction to the theory and practice of play therapy as a primary therapeutic approach when working with children in individual and family psychotherapy. The course is designed to prepare the student to effectively provide developmentally appropriate counseling for children, focusing on the development of a therapist-child relationship and utilization of play media in the systemic counseling process as a means to facilitate expression, self-understanding, and personal growth and development. Students will become familiar with play therapy theory techniques, therapeutic stages, ethical issues, and application. Observation of and experience in play therapy are an integral part of the course. This course is intended for CMHC and MCFC students only. Pre/Corequisite: GCEP 500, GCEP 540.
This course covers an introduction to the theory and practice of filial
therapy [specifically, the CPRT (Child-Parent Relationship Therapy) model], a play
therapy-based parent training program. Filial therapy has been shown to be an
empirically effective child and family therapy intervention. Parents are trained by
experienced play therapists to be agents of therapeutic change in their children’s lives through the utilization of basic play therapy skills. These skills are employed in regularly scheduled parent-child structured play sessions in their own homes. How to train parents in the overall principles and methodology of child-centered play therapy is addressed. Prerequisite: GCEP 580 (Play Therapy) or approval from instructor.
This course will cover an introduction to the theory and practice of
sandtray therapy as psychotherapeutic approach and modality of play therapy when working with children, adolescents, adults, couples, and groups. Development of a therapist-client relationship and utilization of sandtray media in the counseling process is emphasized as a means to facilitate expression, self-understanding, and personal growth & development — for both the client and the counselor. Didactic and experiential methods are used. Prerequisite: GCEP 501 or equivalent
Special topic in the field of play therapy. Examples include: Family
Play Therapy, Group Play Therapy, Neurobiology of Trauma and Play Therapy,
Advanced Play Therapy Theory, etc. Prerequisite: GCEP 501 or equivalent