Play-Based Bereavement Centers for Children and Families

This chapter outlines the structure and therapeutic foundation for a play-based bereavement center geared toward children and families experiencing grief. Organizational structure and duties are discussed along with information regarding developing a playful facility including art/expressive writing, music, drama, symbolic play, and emotional regulation and release therapeutic opportunities. The author focuses on the supervision and training of community volunteers and counselors-in-training to increase positive outcomes and drive sustainability.

Social Justice and Advocacy in University-Based Play Therapy Training Clinics

This chapter examines how university training programs and clinics can help play therapists develop social justice advocacy competency. Developing social justice advocacy can help play therapists understand social inequalities and oppressive systems, experience empathy with clients, and integrate advocacy action into their work. Training programs can help facilitate social justice advocacy for students through curriculum focus, service learning, and continuing education opportunities that promote awareness and empathy. Play therapy services offered in university clinics also offer opportunities for interns to increase understanding of social justice advocacy through client interactions and clinical supervision. Clinic directors promote social justice advocacy through managing just organization procedures and coordinating advocacy and outreach initiatives.

Role of University-Based Training Clinics

This chapter will focus on the formation and operation of a university-based play therapy clinic. Attention to the role of the clinic in experiential training, which is an important part of counselor and play therapy preparation will be addressed as well. The mission, functions, and benefits of a university-based play therapy training clinic will be explored in depth and suggestions for forming and administering the clinic will be made. Further, the authors will discuss the effect of a play therapy clinic on training, credentialing, and the promotion of play therapy along with the influence of accrediting entities such as CACREP. Finally, to assist interested programs in the development of a play therapy training clinic, components such as funding, space, design, equipment/materials, administration, and ethical considerations are discussed.

University/District Collaboration Play Therapy Clinics

Many elementary schools must make due with a single school counselor, leaving many children in need of services. The authors of this chapter propose a unique partnership to create sustainable school-based play therapy clinics. The proposed clinics provide free services to children in schools and also allow for the collection of data by university professors hoping to examine and advocate for effectiveness of play therapy. The chapter will discuss how to select appropriate partners, how to build relationships with school professionals, how to establish research and clinics in the schools, training concerns, and ethical issues.

Considerations for Setting Up Play Therapy Training Clinics

When setting up a play therapy training clinic, there are many considerations to explore regarding designing a therapeutic space, selecting toys and other materials, exploring the rationale for the toy selection and examining the cultural considerations in play therapy settings. This chapter will review the different types of play therapy clinics and the specific toys recommended based on the fourteen primary play therapy theoretical orientations. General considerations will be reviewed when utilizing art media and other materials, books and bibliotherapy, puppets and puppet theaters, sandtrays and miniatures, and psychotherapeutic games. Recommendations will be made for establishing community and university-based play therapy training sites offering clinical and mock play therapy services. Suggestions will be made regarding the importance of establishing play therapy laboratories in the classroom setting when providing graduate play therapy instruction. Additional recommendations will be made for the 2019 Play Therapy Best Practices published by the Association for Play Therapy.

Live Play Therapy Supervision

In this chapter, the author introduces live play therapy supervision as a complementary method to the traditional ways in which play therapy supervision is done, particularly in the context of play therapy training clinics. As conceived here, live play therapy supervision represents a valuable addition to the clinical supervision practices employed in the training of future play therapy practitioners. Specifically, this chapter proposes a working definition of live play therapy supervision, presents the advantages and disadvantages of using this model, explores some methods as well as techniques of live play therapy supervision, and describes the process of live play therapy supervision. Finally, the profile and role of the live play therapy supervisor is defined, the supervisory relationship is described, as well as the implications and future research possibilities in this area.

Live Supervision in University-Based Play Therapy Training Clinics

Experiential and contextualized learning experiences are essential for facilitating play therapy supervisees' skills development, understanding of play therapy, and self-insight necessary for growth. University-based training clinics have the capacities to provide such experiential learning opportunities; this setting, which often serves diverse community client populations, offers live supervision opportunities. To date, there is limited information available describing the process and procedure for providing live supervision in university-based play therapy training clinics. Therefore, the authors will discuss the functions of live supervision, the process and formats of live supervision, developmental stages of play therapy supervisees in live supervision, theoretical orientation and its impact on the play therapy live supervision process, additional considerations, and advantages and disadvantages of providing live supervision in this chapter all within the context of university-based training programs.

The Clinic as the Classroom

Play therapy training clinics are vital to the success of the field of play therapy, as they serve as the foundation for play therapists' education and clinical training. Furthermore, play therapy training differs depending on the developmental level of the play therapist. In this chapter, the authors present a clinical educational program for graduate level students designed to prepare play therapists through practicum experiences based in a play therapy training clinic. The authors address the structure of beginning and advanced play therapy trainings as well as practicum and internship courses, and provide detailed information regarding supervisors, potential course assignments, scheduling, play therapy skills, play therapy rooms, and supervision.

The Evolution of a University-Based Center of Play Therapy Education

More beginning graduate students and new mental health professionals are seeing children and families in their therapeutic work, creating a growing need for play therapy-specific training and supervision. Training students and professionals in the art of play therapy is critical to the wellbeing of children, families, and the future profession. A university-based approved center of play therapy education aims to fulfill this growing need while undertaking a momentous amount of responsibility. Training skilled play therapists is a complex endeavor requiring a combination of foundational knowledge, advanced clinical and conceptual skills, and supervision that surpasses classroom coursework requirements. The authors describe the evolution of Georgia State University's Center of Play Therapy Education and Play Therapy Training Institute to provide readers with a comprehensive model for play therapy training and supervision.

Valuing Your Play Therapy Practice

Developing, growing, and maintaining a sustainable play therapy training clinic involves creating meaningful contact within the clinic's targeted community. How the play therapist developing the training clinic goes about creating contact within a community reflects that clinic's overall identity or brand. Counselors are often not trained regarding business practices, brand development, or marketing in their graduate programs. This chapter focuses on providing play therapists with information regarding branding a business and tools for promoting that brand in a manner that aids in the development, growth, and maintenance of a play therapy training clinic. Ethical considerations, as well as thought-provoking questions specific for the development and promotion of a play therapy training clinic are included.