British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
For a Registered Play Therapist certification, you must have two (2) years and 2,000 hours of supervised clinical mental health experience (postgraduate direct client contact hours) required by state licensure.
Each state has a different criteria set up for counselor or mental health licensure in the United States. To become licensed in the state you live in one usually must hold a Master’s Degree or higher in mental health, take a state test, and have at least two to three years of supervision from a licensed supervisor.
If you are interested in practicing play therapy, it is required that play therapists first become licensed mental health professionals with a master’s or doctoral degree in any mental health field.
CAPT Route: To become a Certified Play Therapist (CPT) with the Canadian Association of Play Therapy (CAPT), Canadian standards require 180 hours of play therapy training from a CAPT Approved Provider, or from an institute of higher learning.
National Average While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $134,500 and as low as $19,000, the majority of Play Therapist salaries currently range between $48,500 (25th percentile) to $73,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $91,500 annually across the United States.
You can work as a counsellor without formal qualifications. You can also become a counsellor by completing a degree in counselling, psychology or a related field. To get into these courses you usually need to gain your Senior Secondary Certificate of Education.
Play Therapists maintain the rules and boundaries of the therapy session to help children feel safe to explore difficult feelings in whichever way they choose – through imaginative play , role play , art, puppets, sand, music or however the child chooses.
An RPT /S is a Registered Child Therapist Supervisor, which involves additional experience and training to supervise child therapists. An NCC is a National Certified Counselor. NCC’s have a master’s degree in counseling, and have met requirements for coursework, supervision, and clinical practice hours.
Play therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses play to help children deal with emotional and mental health issues. By using play as the medium, children are able to explore their feelings and share them with the therapist or the parents.
You’ll need: sensitivity and understanding . excellent verbal communication skills . the ability to understand people’s reactions. patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. the ability to work well with others. to be flexible and open to change. the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure.
A good play therapist will understand that they need to know themselves and their issues if they are going to help children with issues. They practice the value of play every day with themselves and their own families. They like to play and promote play to clients. A good play therapist is authentic with children.
To become a clinician, you must apply for registration with the College of Psychologists of Ontario , a process which requires 4 years of work experience and one year of supervised practice. In some provinces, you can be registered to practice as a psychologist with either a masters or doctoral degree.