APT Approved Provider #07-195
Approved Provider status is granted by the Association for Play Therapy; this allows registrants to earn credit at IAPT programs towards their Registered Play Therapist™, School Based- Registered Play Therapist™, or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™ credentials.
Upcoming IAPT Workshops
IAPT and Meraki Institute of Learning Co-Sponsoring:
Ethics in Play Therapy: Navigating the Gray
Presented by: Joella Gerber, LISW, RPT-S™
Monday, September 28, 2026, 9am- 12pm CST
VIRTUAL LIVE EVENT – 3 NONCONTACT APT APPROVED CE HOURS
Play therapists work at the intersection of the child, caregiver, family, and larger systems, creating ethical dilemmas that may not be adequately resolved by professional codes alone. Common concerns include confidentiality and privacy, informed consent and assent, caregiver access to information, competence, supervision, boundaries and multiple relationships, mandated reporting, technology, and therapist values. Research in play therapy has identified many of these areas as recurring ethical challenges, particularly because clinicians must balance the rights and welfare of children with the legal authority and involvement of caregivers.
This three-hour training combines ethical decision-making instruction with experiential case consultation. Participants will review common ethical decision-making models and the Association for Play Therapy’s Play Therapy Best Practices, then apply a structured decision-making process to complex play therapy vignettes and real-world clinical dilemmas. Particular attention will be given to competing ethical principles, power and stakeholder perspectives, cultural humility, personal bias, consultation, and the development of multiple ethically defensible courses of action.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:
- Identify at least five common ethical concerns encountered in play therapy practice, including issues related to confidentiality, informed consent and assent, competence, boundaries, caregiver involvement, and professional responsibility.
- Describe at least two ethical decision-making models relevant to play therapy and explain how ethical principles, professional codes, Association for Play Therapy Best Practices, applicable laws, and consultation inform ethical decision-making.
- Apply a structured ethical decision-making process to play therapy case scenarios by identifying relevant stakeholders, competing ethical principles, cultural and contextual considerations, personal influences, potential courses of action, and possible consequences.
- Evaluate multiple ethically defensible responses to complex play therapy dilemmas through facilitated peer consultation and articulate a rationale for a selected course of action.
Creative Interventions in Play Therapy
Presented by: Terry Kottman, Ph.D., RPT-S™, LMHC
Friday, December 11, 2026, 8:30am – 3:30pm CST
Mount Mercy University Graduate Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
6 CONTACT APT APPROVED CE HOURS
In this fun and highly experiential workshop, you will learn practical play therapy intervention techniques for building a relationship, exploring clients’ lifestyles, helping clients gain insight, and facilitating them making changes in their behavior, thinking, and feelings. We will practice metaphor design and storytelling; art techniques; and dance, movement, and music processes you can use the week after the workshop in your play therapy sessions for assessing clients and facilitating movement in their therapeutic process.
After the workshop, participants will be able to…:
- Describe 2 play therapy techniques used to build a relationship with clients.
- Describe 2 play therapy techniques used to explore clients’ lifestyles.
- Describe 2 play therapy techniques used to help clients gain insight.
- Describe 2 play therapy techniques to facilitate clients making changes in patterns of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving.
- Describe 1 method for designing therapeutic stories in play therapy.
- Explain 1 art technique for using in play therapy.
- Describe 1 way they can use dance, movement, and/or music in play therapy.
Gender Diversity in Play Therapy- From Framework to Practice
Presented by: Jessamy Whitsitt, LMFT, RPT™ and Kade Sharp, PhD, LICSW, CMHS, CST, RPT-S™
Friday, February 19, 2027, 1:30pm CST – 4:30pm CST
3 NONCONTACT APT APPROVED CE HOURS
This 3-hour intensive moves from framework to practice. Participants will work through clinical case scenarios, guardian communication challenges, and ethical decision points that arise when supporting gender diverse youth in Play Therapy. Using APT’s Play Therapy Best Practices (2025) as a clinical anchor, this session emphasizes applied skill-building: translating best-practice guidance into session-level interventions, structuring guardian conversations that hold both child authenticity and family concerns, and navigating ethical gray areas within current state and licensure requirements. Time is built in for small-group case consultation and Q&A.
- Participants will apply APT’s Play Therapy Best Practices (2025) guidance to clinical case scenarios,
identifying appropriate Play Therapy interventions for gender diverse youth. - Participants will demonstrate at least two harm-reduction-informed communication strategies for guiding guardians through the Play Therapy process when a child’s gender identity or expression is a clinical focus.
- Participants will evaluate ethical decision-making frameworks for navigating conflicts between client
authenticity and guardian concerns within the Play Therapy relationship, consistent with current state and licensure requirements. - Participants will design a Play Therapy treatment plan component that supports authenticity for a gender diverse client using Child Centered Play Therapy.
2027 Spring One-Day Conference
The 2027 Spring Conference will be held in Cedar Falls, IA on April 23, 2027 at the Hilton Garden Inn. Kate Haberman will provide the keynote presentation: Working with Children in High Conflict Systems.
See our Spring Conference Page for more information!
Want to present a breakout session at our conference? Complete the Proposal Form by November 13, 2026!
2027 Annual Fall Conference
IAPT’s Annual Fall Conference 2027 will be held in Des Moines, IA at the Airport Holiday Inn & Conference Center, featuring workshops presented by Jared Andes. Check back for more information!