Johns Hopkins University Offers graduate degrees in Education:

Play Therapy

The Department of Counseling and Human Services offers a graduate certificate in the emerging, specialized field of play therapy. Play therapy has been applied as part of responsive services within comprehensive, developmental elementary and middle school counseling programs to facilitate self-esteem, increase self-efficacy, and decrease maladaptive behaviors to remove barriers for success in social, career, and emotional spheres. Play therapy is also utilized in many clinical community settings and with private practice clinicians as the preferred, developmentally-appropriate treatment modality when working with young children and their families affected by parental divorce, ADHD, bereavement, trauma, and other diverse psychosocial and psychological issues that negatively impact psychosocial functioning.

This certificate offers training to mental health students and seasoned practitioners in expanding their knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the practice of counseling children and their families by developing a non-evaluative, warm therapeutic relationship and utilizing evidence-based practices and creative interventions. Students who satisfactorily complete the coursework contained within this graduate certificate program will earn the 150 hours of play therapy-specific graduate training required to secure the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential issued by the Association for Play Therapy. Also, the program offers students the opportunity to enroll in Play Therapy Practicum, where students accumulate clinical hours and receive supervision by a RPT-S while conducting play therapy with children and families in the field. Play Therapy Practicum ultimately leads students towards fulfilling the supervised play therapy experience and supervision components to become a RPT.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Hold a minimum of a master's degree in one of the following disciplines-counseling, counselor education, psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, school counseling, rehabilitation counseling, marriage and family therapy, social work, or a closely-related mental health graduate program
  • Possess a strong interest in expanding their knowledge, skills, and dispositions in the practice of counseling children and adolescents by utilizing play therapy
  • Have the ability to understand and integrate diverse viewpoints and to practice within the boundaries of professional and ethical standards

Course Requirements

The plan of study requires a minimum of 15 graduate credits to be completed within three years. However, many students may develop a program of study to complete the certificate in one calendar year. The program comprises nine graduate hours of play therapy coursework, 3 graduate hours of ethics, and at least 3 graduate hours of play therapy-specific electives.

Required Courses

Note: The first three courses listed below must be taken in the order listed with Introduction to Play Therapy as the first in the sequence:

Electives

A minimum of three play therapy-specific elective credits may be chosen with program adviser approval. They include:

 

  • 863.526 Introduction to Play Therapy with Children (formerly Practices of Counseling Young Children)

    The major goal of this course is to facilitate students' knowledge, dispositions and skills to counsel children through play therapy and other major theoretical applications. Students' learning will be facilitated through didactic presentations, interactive discussions, and supervised counseling practice with elementary school children. This course also emphasizes the counselor's collaborative work with children's legal guardians/family members. (3 credits) (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.507

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  • 863.652 Advanced Play Therapy Interventions

    This course is designed for those who have had previous preparation in basic play therapy, and who desire to enhance their understanding and refine their skills in techniques and methods of play therapy when working with children and adolescents in school, community-based, and private counseling settings. Advanced interventions and strategies will focus on aspects related to various theoretical orientations and creative approaches to counseling young children, adolescents, and families. The usefulness of expressive art techniques, sand play, bibliotherapy, and school-based play therapy will be some of the advanced topics covered. Students will have the opportunity to receive supervised experience as they practice and observe play therapy techniques through experiential assignments. Specific discussions will focus on how counseling and play therapy influences the practice of counseling with children and adolescents, and how current empirically based research and ethical clinical practice influence the development of play therapy and counseling theories. (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.863.526

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  • 863.654 Special Topics in Play Therapy

    The major goal of this course is to facilitate students' knowledge, skills and dispositions to effectively and ethically conduct filial (parent/family) therapy, and different applications of play therapy with diverse populations. Some of the special populations that might be included in this course are children and adolescents (a) affected by a natural or man-made disaster, (b) affected by physical and/or sexual abuse, (c) affected by death/dying, (d) affected by parental divorce, and (e) diagnosed with a DSM-IV disorder(s). Teaching strategies will include interactive lectures, classroom discussions, role-plays, video presentations, and experiential assignments. Specific discussions will focus on how counseling and play therapy influences\the practice of counseling with children and adolescents, and how current research and ethical clinical practice influence the development of play therapy and counseling theories. Prerequisite(s): A minimum of 15 credits of required coursework in this d (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.863.526 AND ED.863.652

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  • 863.633 The Ethics and Legal Issues of Counseling Young Children And Adolescents

    Participants explore an overview of ethical and legal issues related to professional orientation and responsibility across the lifespan, with an emphasis on counseling young children and adolescents. Some of the topics will include professional responsibility, competence, boundaries, confidentiality, collaborative professional relationships, licensing and certification, research, and cultural competency. Students will examine the ethics and legal issues involved when working with clients over the developmental life span, with an emphasis on children and adolescents engaged in educational systems, social institutions, and counseling practices.

    Notes: This course must be taken prior to the Internship. (3 credits)

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  • 860.657 Children and Resiliency: Helping Children Cope With Trauma and Violence

    Students develop an understanding of the effect of trauma and violence on children and learn practical concepts and tools to use with young children to adolescents. The course focuses on children and traumatic grief, techniques for traumatic grief work with special considerations for terrorism, war, school violence, and bullying and victimization issues. The course also provides information on children and resiliency, and ways counselors can encourage caring adults to support attributes of resiliency in children and adolescents. (1 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.502 AND ED.861.507 AND ED.861.609

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  • 863.655 Play Therapy Practicum

    The course includes both didactic and experiential learning, in which individual, group, and peer-supervision are utilized to enhance clinical skills related to play therapy with children and affords students the opportunity to accrue play therapy-specific supervision hours necessary to secure the Registered Play Therapist credential. Limited to students admitted to the graduate certificate in play therapy or with special permission from the play therapy program coordinator. (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.863.526 AND ED.863.652 AND ED.863.654

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  • 860.653 Family Play Therapy

    Family play therapy engages the family's ability to utilize symbol language, metaphor, and expansive communication; decreases resistance; increases dynamic participation; allows for playful experience; and improves family members' sense of well-being. This course highlights experiential activities, including family puppet stories, family art, family play, genograms, and family sand trays. (1 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.863.603

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  • 863.651 Sand Therapy

    This course examines the use of sand in counseling including historical, theoretical, and ethical considerations. Case examples will ground our exploration of sand as a projective technique and as a culturally sensitive clinical intervention. A focus in this course is on creating a safe and protected space considering client needs, the clinical environment, and the skills and attitude of the clinician. This course is both didactic and experiential. Special topics will focus on dynamic process, understanding sand scenes, styles of intervention, and the use of literature such as mythology, symbolism and folklore. (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.507

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  • 863.653 Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy

    This course teaches how to adapt cognitive-behavioral (CB) therapy to the practice of play therapy (PT) with children, ages four years through late school age. In addition to CBPT theory and implications, students will learn how to select toys for CBPT. A variety of CBPT techniques will be presented and videotapes of CBPT sessions will be shown. Students will implement CBPT with practice in large and small groups and through written assignments. (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.502

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  • 863.656 Narrative Therapy

    This course will explore the social construction of lived experience and the use of narratives in counseling. Demonstrating the vitality of the client's interior monologue, students will focus on how the theory and philosophical roots of Narrative Therapy support an array of approaches applicable to diverse populations, including children, adolescents, and adults. This course will balance theory, counseling methods, and clinician skills for students to learn the knowledge, skills, and dispositions associated with Narrative Therapy. (3 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.507

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  • 860.652 Jungian Analytical Play Therapy: Activating the Child's Self-Healing Archetype

    Participants explore an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of Jungian Analytical Play Therapy (JAPT) and an exposition of the metaphysical tenets that directionalize it. While covering specific play activities, participants are introduced to the Jungian therapist's understanding of the child's psyche, the meaning of play, and the developmental stages involved in the play therapy process with children and adolescents. The course objectives include (a) assisting participants to guide their clients towards self-healing within the therapeutic relationship, (b) introducing participants to experiential JAPT activities to bridge the theoretical to the practical, and (c) involving participants in an interactive discussion of the practicality of utilizing JAPT in diverse mental health settings. (1 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.502

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  • 860.654 Client-Centered Play Therapy

    This course explores theoretical formulations of client-centered play therapy (CCPT). Because CCPT provides a useful basis for establishing, maintaining, and re-establishing the client-therapist relationship, it can be used in conjunction with most directive and non-directive play therapy theoretical frameworks. This makes it extremely useful as a foundational basis for play therapy clinical practice. Core conditions foundational to the practice of CCPT are analyzed and synthesized through didactic instruction, processing of videotapes of actual play therapy sessions, and participant role-play. Course objectives include (a) preparing counselors to structure and conduct play therapy sessions that optimize the child's feelings of safety and freedom, (b) analyzing experiential CCPT activities to facilitate successful achievement of therapeutic CCPT response skills, and (c) conducting an interactive discussion on ways CCPT can meet clinical goals in diverse mental health settings. (1 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.507

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  • 860.657 Children and Resiliency: Helping Children Cope With Trauma and Violence

    Students develop an understanding of the effect of trauma and violence on children and learn practical concepts and tools to use with young children to adolescents. The course focuses on children and traumatic grief, techniques for traumatic grief work with special considerations for terrorism, war, school violence, and bullying and victimization issues. The course also provides information on children and resiliency, and ways counselors can encourage caring adults to support attributes of resiliency in children and adolescents. (1 credits)

    Prerequisite(s): ED.861.502 AND ED.861.507 AND ED.861.609

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