How does the Certificate in Play Therapy align with the three-phase structure of the RPT^TM? 

Students enrolled in the Certificate in Play Therapy complete coursework concurrently while earning supervised direct contact play therapy experience hours. Each term is designed for students to complete the minimum play therapy instructional hours alongside the minimum play therapy direct experience and supervision hours required for each phase. 

Do I need to enroll in EDC 477 multiple times to complete the supervision hours? 

Yes. Students only need to enroll in EDC 477 one time to earn the Certificate in Play Therapy from Sacramento State. However, students will need to enroll in EDC 477 each term to complete the required supervision hours needed for the RPT^TM or SB-RPT^TM credential. 

What if I complete the Certificate in Play Therapy and still have remaining hours to earn of supervised direct play therapy experience to be eligible for the RPT^TM or SB-RPT^TM credential? 

Students may continue to enroll in EDC 477 after completion of the certificate to finish earning their required direct contact play therapy experience and supervision hours.

Can I enroll in more than one section of EDC 477 each term? 

Yes. Direct contact play therapy hours may be earned at a ratio of 1:10 (one hour of supervision for every 10 hours of experience). Students may enroll in multiple sections of EDC 477 each term to increase their hours of supervision and the number of direct play therapy experience hours they earn each week. 

What are the seminal and historically significant play therapy theories studied in the Certificate of Play Therapy? 

Students enrolled in the Certificate of Play Therapy will study Adlerian Play Therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, Gestalt Play Therapy, and Filial Therapy. Students will receive a minimum of 25 hours of instruction in Child-Centered Play Therapy in EDC 242 and a minimum of 25 hours of instruction in Filial Therapy in EDC 246. 

Will the Certificate of Play Therapy program arrange a field placement for me to earn my direct contact play therapy experience hours? 

No. Students enrolled in the Certificate of Play Therapy program should already be employed at or volunteering with a private practice, community organization, hospital, school, or other clinical setting where they provide counseling services to clients on a regular basis. 

Who is eligible to apply for the Certificate in Play Therapy?

Anyone who has an interest in applying play-based approaches in their work with children, adolescents, and/or adults may apply for the program as long as they have already earned a postgraduate degree or are enrolled in a graduate-level or postbaccalaureate credential program. This can include counselors, school psychologists, social workers, teachers, child development specialists, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, speech language pathologists, etc.

Students enrolled in the program must be employed at or volunteering with a school, private practice, community organization, hospital, school, or other clinical setting where they are providing direct services to children, adolescents, and/or adults on a regular basis. If volunteering, students must be doing so in an official capacity and have completed fingerprinting and a background check with the sponsoring agency, as well as receive supervision from the agency.

Students enrolled in the Certificate who are not enrolled in a degree program that prepares them for licensure as a counselor or psychologist or credentialing as a school counselor, school psychologist, or school social worker will NOT be eligible for credentialing through APT as a Registered Play-Therapist™ or School-Based Registered Play-Therapist™, but they are eligible to earn the certificate from Sac State, and they will be able to find the information directly applicable to their work with children, adolescents, and/or adults.

What if I took EDC 242 virtually (100% online with no in-person component) through Sac State during the pandemic, will that be accepted?

To earn the Certificate in Play Therapy from Sac State, students would not need to retake EDC 242 if their equivalent class was completed virtually. However, it will limit their ability to apply the coursework toward credentialing as an RPT^TM or SB-RPT^TM through the Association for Play Therapy because APT requires a minimum of 75 of the 150 instructional hours to be completed in person. Since EDC 245 and EDC 246 are offered only virtually through our CCE program (except for 8 hours of the EDC 245 micro-practicums, which are in person), that means they would still need to fulfill 67 additional hours in person through another avenue.