SPECIAL SECTION 2026 Award Recipients Lifetime Achievement Award
Anne Stewart, PhD, LCP, RPT-S™, is Professor Emerita at James Madison University. Anne writes and presents globally about supervision, crisis intervention, and caregiver-child interactions. Anne founded the Virginia
Association for Play Therapy and received the APT Service Award. She served as the Chair of the Foundation for Play Therapy and the APT Board of Directors.
Service Award
Alicia Donovan, MA, LPC, RPT-S™, is a doctoral student in Counselor Education and Supervision, focusing her research on fostering resilience through cultural belonging in children through play. She is the owner and clinical director of a group
practice in Tucson, Arizona, where she provides play therapy and mentors emerging play therapists.
Congratulations 2026 Awards of Excellence recipients! These awards are designed to honor members who best represent the collective values of the play therapy community. Nominations for the 2026 Awards were evaluated by the Awards of Excellence committee, chaired by Claudia Ocampo, MS, LPC-S, RPT-S™.
Emerging Leader Service Award
Reena Freeman, PsyD, LP, RPT™, has a private practice in Upstate South Carolina. She is approved to provide telepsychology across PSYPACT®
-participating states. She is a member of the South Carolina Association for
Play Therapy and serves on committees within the Association for Play Therapy. She has held leadership roles with the California Association for Play Therapy and is an APT Leadership Graduate.
Research Award
Sarah Agarwal, PhD, LPC, RPT™, NCC, CCPT-S/T, CPRT-S/T is Assistant Professor at St. Edward's University in Austin Texas. Her research centers around play therapy with children, parents, and teachers. She has presented
Jose Luis Tapia, Jr., PhD, LPC, CRC, RPT-S™, NCC, CCPT-S/T, CPRT-S/T is an Assistant Professor at University of
Colorado Springs. His research focuses on addressing ableism in mental health services and play therapy. He has presented on his research and clinical work internationally, nationally, regionally, and locally.
Manuscript: Regulating through relationship: Child–teacher relationship therapy with preschool teachers Student Research Award
Winnie Liu, PhD, is an assistant professor at Eastern Washington University who teaches and conducts research in play therapy. She is dedicated to promoting theoretically grounded play therapy practices, training future play therapists, and enhancing access to developmentally appropriate mental health services for children and families through community collaboration.
Dissertation: Gestalt play therapy for young children with trauma
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