About this course

Learning Objectives

• Apply an Ecosystemic Play Therapy approach to conceptualize psychosocial stressors impacting LGBTQ+ clients and their families.
• Design affirmative approaches to clinical intervention using Play Therapy.
• Apply affirmative approaches of Play Therapy through interactive practice to abate cultural, internalized, and political oppression.
• Develop at least three ethical practice and risk management strategies for supporting LGBTQ+ families receiving Play Therapy services.
• Explain the value of affirmative Play Therapy approaches to parents, educators, and adults in the client’s ecosystem
• Identify ethical Play Therapy practices of documentation and treatment planning for LGBTQ* families.

Learning Levels

• Intermediate

Course Instructor(s)

• 

  Steven L. Parks, LCSW-S, MBA, RPT-S

  Executive Director, A Time for Play | Play Therapy Training Series

  Steven L. Parks is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Board Approved Supervisor and serves in the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work as a full-time clinical Senior Lecturing Faculty professor. Steven is a Registered Play Therapist & Supervisor (RPT-S) and the Executive Director of the A Time for Play nonprofit organization based in Houston, TX. He also maintains a private practice in Sugar Land, Texas and specializes in working with children, adolescents, and adults experiencing trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, and externalizing behaviors. Steven has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree of Psychology from Texas Tech University, a Master’s of Business Administration degree from University of Houston Bauer College of Business, and a Master’s of Social Work degree from the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. Steven volunteers regularly with the National Association of Social Workers Texas (NASWTx), and serves as the Board Chair of Tony's Place, a local LGBTQ+ Community Organization.

Disclosure

References

• Oster, K. W., & Wilson, M. (Eds.). (2025). Transformative Expressions in Play Therapy: Working with LGBTQ+ Clients, Foundations and Applications (Vol. 1). Perceptions Press.
• Oster, K. W., & Wilson, M. (Eds.). (2025). Transformative Expressions in Play Therapy: Working with LGBTQ+ Clients, Seminal Theories and Models of Practice (Vol. 2). Perceptions Press.
• Parks, S.L. (2025). LGBTQ+ Affirmative Therapy: Play Therapy Skills and Methods. In K. W. Oster & M. Wilson (Eds.), Transformative Expressions in Play Therapy: Working with LGBTQ+ Clients, Seminal Theories and Models of Practice (Vol. 2, pp. 2–20). Perceptions Press.
• Byrd, R., Lorelle, S., & Donald, E. (2021). Transgender and gender-expansive affirming child-centered play therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 30(2), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000155
• Smelser, Q. K. (2021). Exploring gender and sexuality using play therapy. In E. Gil & A. A. Drewes (Eds.), Cultural issues in play therapy (pp. 90–110). The Guilford Press.