1. How do I become credentialed as a play therapist?
There are currently two credentialing options to play therapists in BC: British Columbia Registered Play Therapist (BCRPT) through the British Columbia Play Therapy Association (BCPTA) or Certified Play Therapist (CPT) through the Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy (CACPT). Credentialing requires completing specific requirements for play therapy training, supervision and clinical experience. Information regarding credentialing can be obtained by contacting the BCPTA or CAPT:
BCPTA
Email: certification@bcplaytherapy.ca
Web Site: https://www.bcplaytherapy.ca/play-therapy-certification/
CACPT
Phone: 519-827-1506
Fax: 519-827-1825
Email: Elizabeth@cacpt.com
Web Site: https://cacpt.com/
If you are a member of a college (Social Worker or Psychologist), you could also get certified though the Association for Play Therapy (United States) as a Registered Play Therapist (RPT). Their contact information is:
Email: info@a4pt.org
Web Site: https://www.a4pt.org/
2. Where can I find a credentialed Play Therapy Supervisor?
Visit Find a Therapist to locate a supervisor by region.
You can also obtain the names of BC Registered Play Therapist Supervisors (BCRPT-S), Registered Play Therapy Supervisors (RPT-S) or Certified Play Therapist Supervisors (CPT-S) from their respective websites (see above links).
3. How do I find a play therapist for my child?
Visit Find a Therapist to locate a therapist by region.
4. What is the cancellation policy for BCPTA events.
- CANCELLATION POLICY: To cancel your registration, please send us a cancellation notice via email at info@bcplaytherapy.ca no later than 2 weeks before the start of an event for a full refund less a $25.00 cancellation fee. No refund is issued if you cancel your registration within 2 weeks of the event.
- Please note that all payments received and/or processed on workshop day will be processed at manual registration rates.
- If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact us at info@bcplaytherapy.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions About Certification:
1. Do I need a master’s degree in counselling to apply?
Yes, a master’s degree in a mental health field or medicine is required for certification.
2. How many hours of the 180 continuing education credits hours (CEUs) of play therapy specific instruction are required in each area (History, Theories, Techniques, Applications, Research)?
There is no set requirement for each domain. It is expected that most workshop time will be spent learning about theories, techniques, and applications. Three hours of Play Therapy History is an accepted minimum. Play Therapy history courses can be obtained online from APT’s site and BCPTA hopes to host a Play Therapy history course in the near future. For Research, 1-3 hours is a desirable minimum.
Most workshops will spend time on most or all of the domains. BCPTA will create and post a chart on how credit hours are dispersed amongst the domains after BCPTA workshops.
3. Is there one course that I can take to satisfy the requirements for BCRPT?
There is no one course that satisfies the requirements of education, supervision, and client hours. BCPTA workshops, and other workshops from local and non-local providers awarding APT and CAPT credits can be used to fulfil the 180 CE hours of play therapy specific instruction.
4. What is meant by “supervision hours”?
– From pages 7-11 of the BCRPT application form:
- “Supervision hours” refers to the time spent with your supervisor, not the time with clients. Counselling (general clinical practice)/play therapy time with clients needs to be supervised at a ratio of 1:10, i.e. one hour of supervision for every 10 hours with clients. The hours spent with clients are indicated in the chart on page 4 as “supervised clinical practice hours.”
- “Total # of group hours” refers to time in group supervision (the group needs to have a max. of 6 members, and you can use a maximum of 20 group supervision hours with a credentialed supervisor)
- “Total # of hours” refers to the total number of hours with a supervisor and includes supervision time 1:1 and supervision time in a group with a group meeting the requirements listed above.
– On pages 7-8 -the client hours/supervision hours refer to play therapy/supervision of play therapy only
– For the verification of hours of clinical practice/supervision of general clinical practice, we have asked for supervisors to fill in the form on pages 10-11. This may be challenging for some members if this work was completed some time ago. If you have a signed document verifying these general clinical hours, we may accept it. For the play therapy hours we need our forms signed, please.