SPECIAL SECTION
CREDENTIALING:
Raising the Bar to Bolster the Profession
therapy organization, APT is committed to upholding a high standard of excellence so that the most competent professionals are caring for our most vulnerable populations. In 1992, APT established the Credentialing program with the primary purpose of recognizing licensed mental health practitioners who demonstrated specialized training, experience, and supervision in play therapy.
Each play therapy credential conferred by APT communicates to the public that the clinician has attained a certain level of skill, knowledge, and play therapy professionals. Therefore, strengthening the RPT/S standards bolsters the credential. Although APT has approved periodic changes to the requirements since its inception, the Credentialing program was understandably in need of a comprehensive review. Through member and registrant surveys and the examination of current Credentialing applications, several patterns of concern emerged, as well as some critical limitations to the current guidelines. The most common patterns
Revising and updating the Credentialing program to require registrants to obtain the highest quality play therapy foundational knowledge and of mind in knowing that their child’s mental health care provider has demonstrated and continues to uphold the highest available standards of his or her professional license and play therapy specialization.
To meet this outcome, on April 1, 2019, and in concert with the current APT Board of Directors, Registration and CE committee, Credentialing Task Force, and Founding Board members, APT announced a moratorium on the consideration of new Credentialing applications for six months, effective July 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019. APT will continue to consider completed Credentialing applications that are postmarked no later than June 30, 2019 under the current standards.
APT is proud to share that it has developed a three-phase approach for the appropriate obtention and documentation of play therapy instruction, clinical experience, and supervision that provides the optimal training experience (intentionality and integration) for developing well- rounded play therapists. The three-phase approach is aligned with the educational/developmental model of how psychotherapists develop their knowledge, skills, and personal capacities. In order to obtain play therapy practice competency, direct instruction must be followed by periods of application to clinical cases and must be accompanied by supervision.
We will begin considering applications that meet the updated standards and guidelines beginning January 1, 2020. The new requirements and application will be made available no later than May 31, 2019.
In the
meantime, APT is available to answer any questions you may have concerning this process. It is always best to consult APT with your email, and one of our staff members will be happy to assist you.
www.a4pt.org | June 2019 | PLAYTHERAPY | 3
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