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Four-Part Series for 2026
25.5 CEs available for $700
Part One: Art of the Relationship:
Date: Saturday, June 6th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM
This introductory workshop invites students, new professionals, and experienced therapists to take a deep dive into the foundational principles of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). As the first session in a four-part series, participants will explore the roots, theory, and core therapeutic elements of CCPT. Through a blend of presentations, clinical video review, and experiential learning, participants will gain a solid understanding of the therapeutic relationship and its role in healing through play.
Participants will be able to:
Review the history of play therapy and identify key concepts of the APT-recognized seminal theory of Child-Centered Play Therapy.
Identify two ways to empower children and help them discover their own inner resources.
List and articulate the therapeutic powers of play.
Discuss the role and development of the therapeutic relationship in play therapy.
Articulate and explain the stages of the play therapy process
Explore and practice two ways to empower children in play therapy and help them discover their own resources.
Discuss and demonstrate foundational CCPT skills such as tracking, reflection of feeling, limit setting, and pacing.
Part Two: Understanding Themes, Language, and the Therapeutic Relationship in CCPT
Play Language & Themes
Date: Saturday, June 20th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM
This workshop provides mental health professionals and students with an opportunity to deepen their understanding of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). As the second session in a dedicated series, this training will focus on interpreting the meaning behind children's play, identifying themes in play behavior, and practicing therapeutic statements that use empowering language to support emotional growth and healing.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
List four characteristics of therapeutic responses in play therapy.
Identify and discuss four essential questions to ask in evaluating therapist responses.
Recognize and identify themes and key happenings in children’s play
Describe four important messages children reveal through play
Discuss the importance of allowing children to guide the therapeutic relationship and the therapeutic process in Child-Centered Play Therapy.
Apply Landreth’s model of stages in the play therapy relationship.
Part Three: Therapeutic Limit Setting:
Empowering Children Through Boundaries
Date: Saturday, July 11th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
This workshop offers mental health professionals and students a focused exploration of Therapeutic Limit Setting within the framework of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). Participants will learn and apply the ACT Model of therapeutic limit setting, which supports the development of internal self-control rather than relying on external consequences. Through case examples, experiential practice, and discussion, therapists will expand their understanding of how limit setting is not just a behavioral tool—but a vital therapeutic process that empowers children.
This training deepens the participant’s application of CCPT principles by examining how boundaries support emotional regulation, safety, and the development of autonomy in children.
After the training, participants will be able to:
Determine and discuss the purposes of therapeutic limit setting
Identify the therapist’s role in setting limits within CCPT sessions
Apply the ACT Model of therapeutic limit setting
Explore the therapeutic goal of empowering children to develop internal self-control
Describe and differentiate between therapeutic internal vs. external control
Practice responses and interventions when children break established limits
Part Four: Tools, Toys, and Therapeutic Documentation: Ethics and Essentials Elements for Effective Practice
Date: Saturday, July 25th, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM to 2:30 PM
This final session in the Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) series offers mental health professionals and students a comprehensive look at two critical areas of practice: selecting therapeutic materials and documenting the therapeutic process.
The first portion of the training focuses on choosing developmentally appropriate and therapeutically purposeful toys and materials for the playroom. Participants will examine categories of toys that support the core goals of CCPT, review what to include when a full playroom isn't available, and explore which items should be excluded—and why.
The second half of the training provides an in-depth exploration of clinical documentation in play therapy. Participants will learn how to maintain ethical, clear, and developmentally appropriate records by applying the Golden Thread—the consistent connection between assessment, diagnosis, treatment goals, and progress notes. Real-world examples and exercises will help clinicians translate their therapeutic intuition and observations into effective, professional documentation that safeguards confidentiality while capturing meaningful clinical work.
Participants will be able to:
Identify categories of toys and materials appropriate for a CCPT playroom
List and articulate essential materials needed when a dedicated playroom is not available
Identify and explain the therapeutic concerns with certain toys and materials
Discuss and apply the Golden Thread to the client file and clinical documentation
Identify and explore documentation expectations throughout the phases of therapy
Translate clinical skill and intuition into developmentally appropriate, professional documentation.
Recognize and address common obstacles to writing clear, concise, and ethical documentation.
Identify how to document the therapeutic process in play therapy while preserving client confidentiality.
The participant was able to recognize obstacles to writing clear, concise, and ethical documentation.