Sunday, February 10, 2019

Understanding How To Become A Registered Play Therapist

By Martha Anderson


Most often, individuals working in this area of the therapeutic field must have completed a Bachelors, Masters or hold a PhD which includes coursework in five core areas. It should be noted that different licensing organizations like the Association of Play Therapy aka APT and others have different requirements on How To Become A Registered Play Therapist. Although, most all require coursework in the areas of psychopathology, psychotherapy, theories of personality and child development.

When seeking to become involved in this type of work, individuals must already hold a state license, be working, or having had worked as a mental health professional. Whether a school counselor or child psychologist, all those interested in must meet a specific set of criteria. The criteria for becoming this type of therapist is often set by the association to which the individual is applying such as the Association of Play Therapy aka APT and state agencies.

Before applying, applicants need to understand the meaning of three job titles in the area and overall job descriptions. The positions and titles in this area include Registered Play Therapist, Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and School Based Play Therapist. While each position is similar in providing therapy to clients, SB-RPTs must hold a certificate and license from the a state Department of Education.

Individuals which are licensed by a mental health board of a state are not eligible for SB-RPT positions though may be eligible for others. Whereas, a number of associations allow therapists to hold multiple credentials. As such, there may be some therapists which are certified, licensed and qualified to work as a RPT, RPT-S and SB-RPT and in other areas.

While there are specific criteria and requirements, there are benefits to working in this area. In one case, being a therapist in this area often helps relay the knowledge the individual has in the area of play therapy to colleges, universities, schools, children, teachers, parents and associates. Whereas, active registered play therapists also prove the credibility and visibility of the position to the general public and perspective clients.

Applicants must also have specific work based requirements. These include, two thousand direct hours and two years of client contact for those applying for RPT positions and three thousand hours and three years of client contact for becoming a RPT-S. For, these requirements are set by local mental state boards in order to obtain a full clinical license. As a result, anyone working in this area must have completed these requirements to protect oneself and associated agencies from claims of fraud and malpractice.

While these are the basic requirements to become a RPT-S, RPT or SB-RPT, different licensing organizations have others. As such, it is important to review any and all information related to specific organizations. After which, individuals can then submit an application to become registered therapists in this area.

If individuals can not prove education and employment and provide the information requested, most often an application will be rejected. In some cases, there may a waiting period before the individual can replay while in others individuals can do so immediately. As such, it is important to do a thorough review of the application and associated documents before submitting the information to an association or agency for review.




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