conducting digital supervision/consultation and account for the value of multicultural considerations; and call attention to some ongoing play therapy supervision/consultation challenges.
RPT/S Registration Origin and Evolution When the RPT-S credential was established in 1992 and the RPT in 1993, different credentialing possibilities were discussed. One was an attestation to the acquisition of play therapy clinical skills and the other was offering a credential that documented specialized education, clinical experience, and supervision. The need for credentials arose from a desire to safeguard the public, calibrate practitioners’ skills, and with interest we look at the 27-year history of play therapy credentialing, its evolution, and the new criteria for obtaining the RPT/S.
One of the primary reasons a mental health professional association establishes a credentialing program is to protect the public (Hamm, 2007). APT’s added focus is to ensure that only the most well-trained professionals work with our most vulnerable population (children). Play therapy registration secures the above by setting minimum instructional standards for practice while requiring supervision of play therapy
An evolution in the APT credentialing program included extending registration to recognize school-based mental health professionals who meet these standards and practice play therapy in the school setting. Therefore, in 2016, APT created the School Based-RPT (SB-RPT) credential. Because school-based mental health professionals are not licensed for independent practice, they are not eligible to apply for RPT/S credentials. As a result, multi-disciplinary school-based professionals, to upholding play therapy instruction and practice standards and be recognized for their achievements by seeking SB-RPT registration.
APT now proudly recognizes half of its membership as play therapy registrants: 2,293 RPTs and SB-RPTs and 1,823 RPT-Ss (K. Lebby, personal communication October 18, 2019). With such remarkable growth comes challenges. APT’s organizational strength is reflected in being able to embrace forward-thinking concepts while managing thoughtful changes. The current membership provides APT with amazing new ideas, varied educational backgrounds, diverse professional experiences and perspectives. As a professional membership association, with ideas and energy.
While maintaining the integrity of Dr. Schaefer’s and Dr. O’Connor’s original vision for the organization, APT embraces the evolutionary aspects in play therapy in considering new ways education is delivered; growth in specialty areas, such as understanding how the brain functions and uses play; and the expansion of distance and online supervision. The updated RPT criteria (APT, 2019c) was responsibly vetted by the Board of Directors, stakeholder committees, and a credentialing task
24 | PLAYTHERAPY December 2019 |
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the context of honoring the founding board’s historical vision, raising the play therapy bar to a higher standard (APT, 2018), and continuing to
New RPT Requirements New credentialing requirements incorporate three phases of instruction and supervision of clinical experience that RPT candidates must achieve and document to obtain the credential. Scaffolding this education, experience, and supervision in a three-phase format leads to a thoughtful, purposeful approach to professional development.
The new requirements specify that play therapy supervision be provided by an RPT-S. With a critical mass of play therapists who have obtained the RPT-S credential, it is easier for aspiring RPTs to obtain high-quality and online methods. Although multiple RPT-Ss may provide supervision within the same phase, APT’s intent is that supervision/consultation dates do not overlap between supervisors to reduce the potential for supervisees and supervisors becoming ensnared in ethical and legal dilemmas (K. Lebby, personal communication October 15, 2019).
Another differentiation pertains to recognizing the terms supervision practicing under the supervisor’s professional license, and consultation under their own license.
Each of the three phases require obtaining knowledge through educational experiences and applying that knowledge within clinical experiences while participating in supervision/consultation. The RPT-S supervisor/consultant assists the supervisee in integrating type of education and clinical experiences aspiring RPTs must obtain, APT provides ranges for the hours to be logged, allowing for individual to be reviewed by the supervisor/consultant are also spread throughout the phases. This allows the applicant to demonstrate skills in beginning, intermediate, and more advanced stages of their play therapy training.
New to the supervision/consultation experience are the Play Therapy Competencies.
Introduced in Phase One, RPT-Ss will be asked to
intensify their oversight and to function as gatekeepers to ensure that to moving to the next phase. The RPT-in-training must demonstrate all The credential’s qualitative changes add a measure of professional standing and integrity to individual play therapy registrants who obtain individual practitioners begins to rise” (Ernstthal, 2001, p. 84).
To allow ample time for APT and aspiring RPTs to transition from previous to future criteria, APT instituted a six-month moratorium on considering new applications from July 1, 2019 that continues through December 31, 2019. The moratorium provided time for those individuals
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