Help Children Heal Through Play
Play therapy can be a powerful method to support children in their healing and help them reconnect with others after difficult and traumatic experiences. Designed for practicing mental health and related helping professionals, including school counselors, school psychologists, psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family therapists, UW-Stout Polytechnic's Play Therapy Certificate can be completed by starting in either the fall or spring semester and finished by the end of the summer term.
Our Play Therapy Certificate provides training designed to meet the 150 educational training hours required by the Association for Play Therapy to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or School-Based Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT). Certificate students also have the option to accrue supervision & observation hours by enrolling in our practicum course.
Career-Defining Curriculum
Distinguish your counseling career through a developmentally, ethically, and evidentially based approach to assist children in learning to communicate with others, express their needs, and develop problem-solving and coping skills, while relating to others. Throughout the certificate courses, you will have multiple opportunities to apply your learning by directly engaging with children to develop their play therapy skills under the supervision of a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor.
Certificate Requirements
Certificate Outcomes
- Develop an identity as a play therapist as a professional.
- Incorporate relevant knowledge for assessment and treatment of children and families through play therapy.
- Employ effective, ethical play therapy skills to diverse populations and presenting concerns for children and their families.
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Play Therapy Certificate.
Request Information
Frequently Asked Questions
APT requires a total of 150 hours of educational instruction, direct play clinical hours (350 for Registered Play Therapist, 500 for School Based-Registered Play Therapist), clinical supervision by a RPT-S (35 hours for RPT, 50 hours for SB-RPT), and five session observations. APT requires that your instruction, clinical hours, supervision, and observations are integrated across three phases over a period over 24 months.
We strongly encourage you to review the APT Standards based on your area of interest and let us know if you have additional questions.
A RPT is for mental health clinicians that hold an active state license to provide clinical mental health services in one of the following general practices: counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychiatry, psychology or social work.
A SB-RPT is for individuals that hold an active license or certificate from the State Department of Education and practice as a school counselor or school psychologist.
To be a Registered Play Therapist or School Based-Registered Play Therapist you must hold a master's or higher mental health degree in one of the following disciplines: counseling, marriage and family therapy, psychiatry, psychology, or social work.
You must also be licensed in your state of practice to obtain this credential.
It is encouraged that certificate courses are completed in a 24-month period to match the three-phase process required by APT. Students interested in the practicum will be responsible for identifying their own sites for clinical practice, but we can assist you in this process.
It is possible to complete the certificate in as short as 8 months. If you choose to complete the certificate in less than 24 months, RPT applicants must continue earning play therapy continuing education (CE) hours while completing the required supervision hours during the minimum two-year (24-month) period, following the three-phase process. Certificate students choosing not to take the practicum course will be responsible for finding their own supervision by an RPT-S and accrue clinical hours.
APT members can take advantage of the complementary non-contact CE APT offers monthly to fulfill the requirement of having CE in each phase of the application. Current APT members can access these free non-contact CEs by logging into their member profile and navigating to: Quick Links > NEW Play Therapy Forums > General Discussion > FREE “Current Month” Workshop: E-Learning Center.
APT sets limitations on the amount of training you can receive virtually unless you are enrolled in a graduate level certificate program. Our Play Therapy Certificate is entirely online, allowing you the flexibility to complete courses that fit more of your timeline and busy schedule. If you have additional questions about the Play Therapy Certificate, please feel free to contact the program advisor, Andy Felton, feltonan@uwstout.edu.
You can absolutely pursue your supervision elsewhere, just make sure it is with a RPT-S, the credential required for play therapy supervision. The certificate advisor is a RPT-S, making him readily available for supervision. Accruing clinical supervision can be expensive to complete on your own. Our practicum experience will provide the opportunity for both individual and group supervision to make sure you get a rich learning experience.
Enrollment for practicum occurs in the winter and summer terms; however, supervision can continue until your hours are completed.