Fall Newsletter
 
In This Issue

 

Happy Holidays Play Therapists!  

 

Thank you for being a member of the Washington State Association for Play Therapy, or for showing interest in learning more about Play Therapy.  This newsletter issue will provide you with information about local trainings, opportunities to meet other play therapists and play therapy news and resources. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any requests you have regarding content that you would like to see in future editions of our newsletter. 

 

What You Need to Know About Becoming a Registered Play Therapist (RPT):
Many therapists with varying levels of training work with children and may utilize play as part of their therapy. Registered Play Therapists receive specialized training to meet the rigorous credentialing requirements through the national Association for Play Therapy. Currently, there are only 15 Registered Play Therapists (RPT)/(RPT-S) in the state of Washington.

Requirements  
* Masters level or higher mental health educational degree
* Licensed in your state to practice mental health (LMHC, LMFT, LCISW)
* 500 hours of supervised play therapy experience that includes 50 supervision hours
* 150 APT- Approved Education hours- like CEs from WAAPT's conferences or join
   us for one of our movie nights!


Useful Tips: 

* You can start accruing APT approved hours before you graduate or have your license!

* Of your 150 education hours, 50 can be accrued online! Check out APT e-learning center to download audio lectures from this years conference. You can also earn CEs from reading books and watching DVDs

 

Working on becoming and RPT/RPT-S and need some mentoring? Contact us at [email protected]. We are happy to support you!  

Eastern Washington Play Corner

WA APT is Heating up in Eastern Washington

By Becky Rudd PhD, LMFT, RPT-S

 

     Washington Association for Play Therapy (WAAPT) is a young and vibrant branch of the Association for Play Therapy which started in 1982 by Charles Schaefer, Louise Guerney and Garry Landreth to name a few (Association for Play Therapy, 2013). WAAPT was started 26 years later in 2008 by Melissa Garthwait, Greg Olsen, Candace McKenzie and Ivey Price (Washington Association for Play Therapy, 2008). Since that time the WAAPT has grown to over 68 members with 15 Registered Play Therapists or Registered Play Therapist Supervisors (Association for Play Therapy, 2013). The association has successfully put on an annual conference each year and has continued to promote awareness of play therapy through outreach trainings, and most recently our networking meetings, Summer Picnic Potluck and Movie Night in the Seattle area.

 

     WAAPT has not forgotten the Eastern side of the state, which is home to 16% of our current state-wide membership (Association for Play Therapy, 2013). Eastern Washington also houses several universities -- Washington State University, Eastern Washington University, Central Washington University, Gonzaga University and Whitworth University - with social work and mental health and school counseling programs brimming with students interested in learning about play therapy. Not to mention the number of community mental health, private practice, school districts and private agency professionals who work with children. We are gearing up for a very exciting year in Eastern Washington!

 

     Dr. Becky Rudd LMHC RPT-S, our President Elect and Ms. Shakesha Costict M.Ed our Eastern Washington Committee Chair has created a strong foundation for the stability of WA APT on the Eastern Side of the State. Ms. Costict has a growing committee in Spokane with hopes to recruit committee members from Pullman, Tri-Cities and Ellensburg area. We are pleased to announce that over the next year we plan to hold four free networking meetings for students, professionals or anyone interested in play therapy. Our first Eastern Networking meeting was held on November 18th from 6-7:30 pm at the EWU/WSU Riverpoint Campus in Downtown Spokane.  

 

This spring we will be holding an all-day sand tray training. We hope to see you all there!

 

References

 

Association for Play Therapy (2013). Historical Milestones. Retrieved on November 3, 2013 from http://www.a4pt.org/ps.index.cfm?ID=2385.

 

Washington Association for Play Therapy. (2013). 09-25-08 [meeting minutes]. Retrieved on November 3, 2013 from http://www.wa4pt.com/Minutes092508.html.

 

 

Networking Update
Movie Night Event!

Our first movie night event was a success! We had a great turn out  and a yummy line up of potluck dishes. We watched  Gar
Our Movie Night viewers with a very washed out Landreth behind us!
y Landreth's Understanding Play Behavior & Themes in Play and had some great conversations after the viewing. Those in attendance were able to go home and take the online CE test and receive 3 non-contact CEs! We are looking to hold more of these events in the future and would love to hear your ideas about places to hold a Movie Night event and if you have an APT DVD that you would be willing to offer for an event! Please email me with your ideas! [email protected]
Play Therapy Book Review
Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control: A Love-Based Approach to Helping Attachment-Challenged Children With Severe Behaviors
By Heather T. Forbes, LSCW and B. Bryan Post, LSCW
Book Review  Written By: Alex Molleston Luke, LMFT
 
As someone who has taught parenting classes at a community mental health agency, I have found myself wondering how some of these theories apply to children who have been abused, neglected and damaged. We often have parents of children who have had attachment difficulties ask questions that the typical parenting class doesn't fully address. As a result, I picked up a book from a coworker called Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control by Heather T. Forbes and B. Bryan Post in an effort to provide a more realistic approach for parents providing care for a child who has been traumatized or experiences problems with attachment.
   The first part of this book offers an explanation for negative behaviors by outlining the parts of the brain that process emotions. The authors detail how fear and stress affect the brain and, ultimately, behavior. They describe taking a "new view" which means looking at misbehavior as a function of unmet basic needs; essentially, an attachment based view.
   The authors go on to outline seven behaviors rooted in fear including: lying, stealing, hoarding/gorging, aggression, defiance, hostility and a lack of eye contact. In each chapter, they discuss the traditional view of the negative behavior, then introduce  their "new view" on how to look at the behavior through the lens of the impact trauma and attachment have on the brain.
  The book finishes up with an ample selection of "real-life" vignettes to provide some authentic examples from families the authors have worked with. In addition, there is a Q&A section to help parents address any number of issues within the home.
APT News: National Play Therapy Week!
February 2nd-8th is National Play Therapy Awareness Week!

February 2nd-8th is National Play Therapy Week! This week, we encourage enthusiastic Play Therapists to increase awareness to the general public about what Play Therapy is and it's importance. So, how do you get involved? Take these easy steps (the following are ideas directly from the APT website):
  • Promote the words PLAY THERAPIST and REGISTERED PLAY THERAPIST
  • "Like" APT on Facebook! 
  • "Follow" APT on Twitter! 
  • Initiate local television, radio, and print media interviews.
  • Sponsor and publicize local toy drives for donation to non-profit children's organizations.
  • Publicly wear apparel or use materials that promote play therapy.
  • Display the Dude in Geocaching - that is, produce a Dude travel bug moved by geocachers around the world. Follow the Dude on the Geocaching website and promote such via social media. Generate public and play therapy interest.

Check out the APT website for more ideas on how to get the word out! 


Play Therapy Resources
This list was compiled by play therapists in our community:

Current/Previous supporters of WA4PT trainings
Other Play Therapy Resources
2013 Conference Recap:

In September we had Scott Riviere, LPC, RPT-S present on Creative Interventions for Teens at Seattle Pacific University! We were also fortunate to have Bikers Against Child Abuse come and talk about their organization and the work they do! Our feedback was overwhelmingly positive:   

 

"Excellent speaker and content, this was a very well organized event."

 

"So many useful techniques!"

 

 "Presenter was upbeat and passionate! Great presentation by BACA!"

 

Thank you for the feedback!  

 

 

Some of your WA4PT representatives with Scott Riviere at the Happy Hour Networking event held after the conference.    

  

Organization Update:
We are working hard to provide you with useful information, more training opportunities and more outreach and networking events in your area!

Changes to our Training Calendar:
In the past, we have offered one annual training every September. For 2014, we plan to offer more smaller-scale training opportunities, both in the Eastern and Western WA to give you more access to APT approved CEs. Our plan is to work towards a 2-day annual conference in 2015! Look out for upcoming training dates planned for February 26th, 2014, April 2014, and September 2014!

Website Updates:
We are revamping our website! Be sure to check out the newly organized website coming out at the end of this month with our new "Find a Play Therapist" feature for our members!

Get Involved:
We are always looking for folks that want to be a part of our organization and serve in a leadership role on the board or on a committees! Contact us for more information at [email protected].

 

You Know You Are a Play Therapist When...
"...You come home with sand in your shoes."

 

"...Your play room goes through a box of bandages a day and most of them end up on you!"

 

"...Your child points to a toy at the store and says "You should get that for your work!"

 

"...The day after Halloween and Christmas are your favorite days to hit the stores for costumes and toy sales!!"

 

"...You get home and you notice you've had a foam butterfly  sticker on your shoe since earlier that morning!"--Rosie Newman, MA, LMHC, RPT, CMHS
WAAPT, President

 

Have a quote or picture that you would like to share in an upcoming newsletter? Email us at [email protected]!  

Mark Your Calendars
2014
Coffee/Networking Talks (TBA)
Keep your eyes open for our future networking events in January and March! We will send out an email once we get dates and locations confirmed!

Sandplay Therapists of America National Conference
June 5-8, Red Lion Hotel, Seattle, WA.

Association for Play Therapy Annual Conference, Oct 7-12th, Houston, TX.
Upcoming Trainings
January 24-25, 2014, Portland, OR. Eric Green, Ph.D., LPC-S, RPT-S, The Healing Power of Play and the Expressive Arts: Increasing Attachment in Families.

February 8, 2013, Lacey, WA

Cary McAdam Hamilton, LMFT, RPT-S. Play Therapy Applications in the Mental Health Field: Techniques, Theories, Mental Health Disorders and Relevancy.

**Save the Date!**
Feb. 26, 2014, Bellevue, WA
Washington Play Therapy Association. We are almost ready to announce our next training and location. Keep an eye out for an email within the next several weeks!

February 28 - March 2, 2014 Vancouver, BC. British Columbia Play Therapy Association conference (BCPTA):
Play and Process: In Play, Sandplay and Expressive Therapies.


Washington Association for Play Therapy |  www.wa4pt.com


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