About this course

Learning Objectives

• 1. Identify Play therapy and Play Therapists as distinct form the general use of toys in therapy.
• 2. Describe the history and development of Play therapy as a mental health intervention.
• 3. Describe the mission, research, and resources of the Association for Play Therapy and how they inform and support Play Therapists.
• 4. Compare and differentiate the seminal theories of Play Therapy.
• 5. Identify and differentiate between the therapeutic powers of play.
• 6. Describe how Registered Play Therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to effect change.

Learning Levels

• All levels

Target Audience

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

• Association for Play Therapy. Play Therapy Best Practices (2022). https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.a4pt.org/resource/resmgr/publications/best_practices.pdf
• Johnson. (2015). The History of Play Therapy. In Handbook of Play Therapy (pp. 17–34). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119140467.ch2
• Griffin, L., & Parson, J. (2023). Evidencing the Therapeutic Powers of Play to Understand the Mechanism of Change in Filial Therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 32(2), 107–121. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000193
• Schaefer, C. E., & Drewes, A. A. (2014). The therapeutic powers of play : 20 core agents of change (C. E. Schaefer, Ed.; Second edition.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Turner, R., Schoeneberg, C., Ray, D., & Lin, Y. (2020). Establishing Play Therapy Competencies: A Delphi Study. International Journal of Play Therapy, 29(4), 177–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/pla0000138