Faculty | Workshops | One-Week Intensive Course | Register
I: Introduction and Theoretical Approaches
II: Logistical Aspects of Play Therapy & Skills I
IV: Playroom Setup, Problems & Portable Play
V: Understanding Play Behavior
VI: Pharmacology and Play Therapy
VII: Diagnosis and Recordkeeping in Play Therapy
VIII: Themes and Coding in Play Therapy
The University of Mississippi School of Education in conjunction with the Division of Outreach and Continuing Education offers a one-year training program to provide professionals the opportunity to learn more about play therapy and to receive the training necessary to become a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). The training workshops begin March 2008 and are completed December 2008. There will be ten Saturday trainings providing 8.5 contact hours per Saturday and an opportunity to enroll at the University of Mississippi for a one-week intensive course in Advanced Play Therapy which provides 67.5 contact hours. Professionals completing the entire year of workshops will have a total of 152.5 contact hours. For further clarification of requirements for becoming a Registered Play Therapist, please review the information on the Association for Play Therapy webpage at www.a4pt.org.
The University of Mississippi School of Education’s Department of Leadership and Counselor Education is an APT-Approved Provider 07-212 and maintains responsibility for the program. Continuing Education Credits (CEUs) are approved for social workers, professional counselors and educators through the University of Mississippi.
Workshops will be held in the UM Student Union Building on the 4th floor.
The cost of each workshop is $175 for professionals and $75 for students verifying enrollment in a college or university. You may receive a 20% discount if you pay for all ten workshops at the time of initial registration. Checks, money orders, Visa, MasterCard and schools’ purchase orders are acceptable forms of payment.
Dr. Snow is an Associate Professor in Leadership and Counselor Education at the University of Mississippi and the Executive Director of the Oxford Play Therapy Training Institute. She is also Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Association for Play Therapy and a member of the Clinical Communications Committee, a committee designed to assess materials published in the Play Magazine. She is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Play Therapy. Dr. Snow is the founder and past president of the Mississippi Association for Play Therapy. She has worked in the area of trauma and child abuse for the past 20 years and has specialized in play therapy for the past 10 years. She has multiple publications on play therapy in several scholarly journals and has presented for the past eight years at the Annual Conference of the Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Snow is currently developing an integral approach to counseling children and has developed an instrument that assesses patterns of relating and attachment styles in adults.
Franc Hudspeth, R.Ph., M.Ed., NCC, LPC, ACS, and Registered Play Therapist-SupervisorFranc is the Assistant Executive Director at the Oxford Play Therapy Training Institute and the President of the Mississippi Association for Play Therapy. He has been working with children using play therapy since 2002. He has experience in drug and alcohol counseling and four years of experience in research in social psychology. Franc has been a registered pharmacist since 1989 and is currently working on his Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Mississippi. His research interests include understanding play behaviors and developing reliable methods for distance supervision.
Jenny Rayner, M.S., LPC, NCC, and Registered Play Therapist- SupervisorJenny is the Clinical Director at the Oxford Play Therapy Training Institute. Her area of specialty is attachment disorders and child/parent relationships. She has counseled children in both school and community settings since 2001. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Mississippi. She is a member of the Association for Play Therapy and is president-elect of the Mississippi Association for Play Therapy. Jenny’s clinical and research interests are attachment-related issues and play therapy.
Kevin B. Stoltz, Ph.D., NCC, LPCDr. Stoltz is an Assistant Professor in Leadership and Counselor Education at the University of Mississippi. He teaches and researches in the area of career development and is exploring play therapy as an intervention in the career development of children. Dr. Stoltz was trained in play therapy at Georgia State University and is currently using play therapy with the University of Mississippi School Counseling Support Program at Lafayette County Schools in Oxford, Mississippi.
Due to inclement weather, the dates of all workshops were postponed with the new dates reflected below.
In 1947, Virginia Axline wrote the first book on Play Therapy which established standards for working with children in a playroom setting. Over the past sixty years, various theoretical approaches have been used to counsel children using play therapy. Research indicates that play therapy is a developmentally appropriate way to counsel children. This first workshop will introduce the principles of play therapy, the history of play therapy and a brief overview of theoretical approaches.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Play therapy techniques are based on specific logistical aspects which provide a structure for children in playrooms. Along with the logistical aspects, basic skills are necessary for play therapists so as to provide appropriate environments for children. This workshop will present the logistics of play therapy, the personality traits necessary for play therapists and the skills of tracking and restating. Participants will be able to practice these basic skills through viewing of play sessions on video.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
May 31 , 2008 — (Saturday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.)
Continuing to develop appropriate skills with children in a playroom is an important aspect of effective play therapy. This workshop provides an opportunity to learn more basic skills in the playroom. The skills of reflecting feeling, setting limits, returning responsibility and asking questions will be presented. Participants will be able to practice these skills through viewing of play therapy sessions on video. Objectives:
Click here to register online.
In order to provide appropriate play therapy for children, it is necessary to set up a playroom with specific toys and in a specific manner. If a clinician does not have the space for setting up a room dedicated to play therapy, the clinician may be able to provide play therapy with the use of a portable play setup. With a room of toys and other expressive objects, play therapists are often confronted with problems in the playroom. This workshop will provide information on how to set up a playroom or what toys are necessary for portable play. The workshop will also discuss the problems that can be encountered in the playroom and how to address those problems.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
When working with children, the play therapist will experience a variety of play behaviors. The significance of the particular play behavior is a vital component of the expression of the child’s problems and child’s experiences. Understanding play behavior is one of the most important components of counseling children through play therapy. This workshop will present the variety of play behaviors through presentations of videotaped play sessions.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Each year we see more and more children being medicated for behavioral and emotional issues. It often seems that a psychopharmacological treatment is considered prior to a counseling intervention. With little control over this, it is our job as Play Therapists to understand the potential indications for medications and any subsequent effect on child behavior. Whether the medication’s effect is intended or is a side effect, there will be a change in the way a child presents. The purpose of this workshop is to take a look at common psychopharmacological treatments and their impact on behavior both in and out of the playroom.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
The unique methods of play therapy require clinicians to assess and diagnose children in a particular manner. Record keeping and treatment plans are distinctive to play therapy. This workshop will discuss diagnostic techniques in a play therapy setting, assessment methods for determining the presenting problems, along with a special form for recording play therapy sessions. It will also provide information on intake methods that assist the therapist in assessing the needs of the child outside the playroom. A more integral approach to working with the child will be presented.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Over the past ten years, Helen Benedict at Baylor University in Texas has been developing a coding system for play themes of children in the playroom. Using the play themes of Benedict has provided a consistent method for play therapists — a language of play that can be used for research and court proceedings. This workshop provides the participants an opportunity to learn Benedict’s themes, how to use the themes in research and how to explain themes to others such as parents, school personnel and lawyers. Participants will learn how to code themes by practice through video presentations.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Children frequently choose activities in the playroom that incorporate expressive arts such as drawings, painting, puppets, music and drama. This workshop will focus on expressive arts in the playroom including an experiential component that allows participants to participate in expression of emotions through art forms. The meaning of drawings, certain figures in the sand trays and the meaning of the tactile materials will be discussed.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Research indicates that parents can incorporate play therapy techniques with their children, which builds a healthier parent-child relationship. This workshop provides techniques and strategies for filial play therapy. Demonstrations of filial play therapy will be provided through videotaped sessions. Research also indicates that children who are experiencing attachment issues may benefit from play therapy sessions that include specific activities to incorporate the parent into the sessions. A brief introduction of Theraplay, a method for working with children who have attachment disorders, will be included.
Objectives:Click here to register online.
Registration for this workshop involves a two-stage process that may be undertaken simultaneously: (1) admission to the University of Mississippi as a graduate or undergraduate student, and (2) enrollment in the workshop of your choice. The Office of Summer School alone may enroll you in a workshop, but we cannot do this officially until you have been admitted to the University as a student — which is your responsibility.
Participants are encouraged to enroll as students at the University of Mississippi for the 2008 Full Summer Term in order to take a workshop and receive academic credit for it.
* In order to assist workshop participants who are admitted as graduate students (both degree seeking and nondegree-seeking students), two types of graduate scholarships are offered.
July 21–25, 2008 — (Monday–Friday, 8:00–5:00 p.m.)
This course is a comprehensive overview of theoretical foundations of play therapy. Students will learn various theories and will be expected to assimilate theory into their work with children. Students will present a video case study and will be required to frame their work within a specific theoretical base. The course will provide specialized training in specific areas of concerns, such as trauma, selective mutism, aggressive children, etc. The course will also provide experiences in techniques used in play therapy such as art work and sandplay. Also, the course will provide an overview of current issues of concern in play therapy such as parental attachment, oppositional behavior and conduct disorders. A special emphasis will be placed on the student’s integrating the various theories and perspectives along with the biological, cultural and systemic influences on children.
Objectives:Click here for more information about this intensive workshop.
Return to:
Division of Outreach and Continuing Studies
Attn: Mary Leach
Post Office Box 879
University, MS 38677
Click here to be directed to our online registration system.
Questions about registration:
Phone: 662-915-7847, Fax: 662-915-5138, Email: mleach@olemiss.edu
Questions about workshops:
Contact Dr. Marilyn Snow at 662-915-1363, Email: mssnow@olemiss.edu
For additional information on Continuing Education Units (CEUs), please contact:
Office of Professional Development
and Non-Credit Education
E.F. Yerby Conference Center
University Avenue at Grove Loop
The University of Mississippi
University, MS 38677-0879
Telephone: 662-915-7283
