Play Therapy Supervision
“I know talk therapy is not what’s right for kids.”
“Being a play therapist would be amazing, but where do I begin?”
”I also really want to know how to work well with parents.”
Here you are.
you work with kids, but really want to level it up. you want to be a registered play therapist.
You know you’re good with kids and you want to be the best therapist you can to support them.
Maybe you’re a brand new, post-masters counselor (with all that includes) and you need supervision for licensure, too. You think, “Wouldn’t it be nice to come out of this with a license and my RPT!”
Or maybe you’ve gotten your license and have been thinking about tackling your RPT, but wonder, “Do I really want yo be in supervision and training again?”
You’ve probably looked at the requirements to become a registered play therapist. Don’t worry. It’s ok to admit that you immediately closed that page; those requirements can seem really intimidating!
You’ve heard or experienced the good, bad, and (likely, but hopefully not) the ugly about supervision and you really want to have a good experience.
Maybe you’ve experienced some of the “ugly” yourself, and you’re worried about finding a supervisor who will have the right balance of support and challenge for you, where you can feel safe to share your mistakes without being shamed and receive truly helpful feedback on your work.
Even if you’ve never had a hard experience in supervision, that support and challenge balance is an important one!
“what is play therapy supervision like with you, emily?”
Pull up a chair.
In play therapy supervision with me, power is shared and we both contribute to the work…
…And the process is useless when it’s not rooted in a trusting and supportive relationship.
If you can’t show me a recording of your worst moments in a session, how can we help you grow into the play therapist you want to be?
And that type of safety doesn’t grow by chance; it takes time and attention.
I will take time to get to know you and what works for you in supervision.
We will talk about our intersectional identities and how those might influence our work together, as well as your work with clients.
I will help you notice what you are doing well AND what you can invite yourself to try differently.
We might try a sandtray (online, can you believe it?) or a drawing when words fail you; I love creative approaches.
I realize that you may come to me already licensed and pursuing only your RPT. I will respect your experience while collaborating with you to learn and grow in your play therapy skills.
now, you might be asking yourself, “You said collaboration, too, emily. What does that look like?”
I believe we both bring something to the table when we meet for supervision — you will always have expertise about your client and what’s happening in the room that I cannot have. I respect that, and we will use it!
I will ask you what’s helping and what’s not and we’ll make changes accordingly.
I will invite you to brainstorm with me and when you are drawing a blank, I will brainstorm and invite you to note what lands for you.
I will adjust to your level of experience. If you are already licensed and seeking your registered play therapist certification only, I know you need more collaboration than direction; if you are brand new and still getting your feet under you and we are doing both play therapy and pre-licensure supervision, I know you might need me to be more educationally-focused at first.
We will work together to support your growth, adjusting over time as you gain skill and confidence in your play therapy work.
“What stuff do you know, emily?”
MY CLINICAL EXPERIENCE…
I have specific expertise in working with trauma, children and young people, and parents (including supporting caregivers of LGBTQ+ kiddos). I am a registered play therapy supervisor (RPT-S), as well as an approved clinical supervisor (ACS).
I am able to supervise in North Carolina, Tennessee, & Virgina for licensure, as well as your registered play therapist certification.
I have a strong background in Child-Centered Play Therapy. However, I have taught play therapy courses for many years and can support you in developing your own theoretical orientation in play therapy.
I am well-versed in parent-child approaches, including child-parent relationship therapy. I can help you use CPRT in groups, individually, or just as a framework to teach parents skills.
I have worked with trauma in many forms over the years and have taught several classes that are focused on teaching counselors-in-training how to work with trauma.
Finally, I am well-versed in attachment theory and can use this to support your work with parents, helping them understand how to build a strong and supportive relationship with their child that will last a lifetime.
Unique
Academia
I have a unique skillset in providing clinical supervision, as I come from an academic background. This means I have experience in teaching, supervision, and consultation, allowing me to support you as your needs change.
specialized training
my training
As someone with a PhD in counseling, I have supervision training and experience that often far exceeds the state requirements for supervisors. I have received supervision of supervision, a training element that is lacking in most supervisor training protocols.
broad experience
supervisees
I have worked with both clinical mental health counselors and school counselors, both in their post-masters employment and during their internships. I have implemented play therapy in a variety of settings, including residential, outpatient, and child advocacy center settings.
Wow! That’s quite a question you ask! I don’t know!
But I know you will be different.
Below are some of the concrete things I hope you leave with from our time together in play therapy supervision…
“So, who will I be when we are done, emily?”
Strong play therapy skills, such as knowing when to use a specific intervention, how to conceptualize a case to best support your client, ie: “What do you think is going on here?” so that you can do things like:
Talk to a psychiatrist or a school
Write a report for a court hearing, or
Have a family session
A deep understanding of how to explain play therapy to stakeholders so that they get it, too. You will know how to translate play therapy skills into measurable goals that bring about the changes parents and caregivers want!
We’ll have helped you determine what you believe about how play therapists help people change so that you’re more confident about what you’re choosing to do in session. You will start to develop that theoretical orientation everyone talks about.
You will be confident in your ability to talk to parents or caregivers effectively without violating your client’s confidentiality; you will be able to give them concrete, actionable steps that support the work you’re doing with their child in session.
How to use your personality in play therapy and not just say the same thing over and over.
Self-advocacy skills; sometimes the system is hard and I want you to know when to speak up for yourself and set a boundary (ie: when your front desk assigns you a client you don’t have the training to work with).
Learning how to really look at yourself as a therapist and what you’re bringing to the table that may or may not be helpful, as well as dealing with transference and countertransference, and how to know when you need support (“Hey colleague down the hall, can you talk to me about this for a sec?”) vs. consultation with a more experienced/senior clinician.
Identifying what you’re good at already and what you can do with that, ie: you’re good at processing sand trays with kids, so you lean into that as an intervention. Or playroom permissiveness is absolutely your jam, so kids with “big behaviors” end up being your specialty. And, you’ll learn to use your strengths to grow in the areas you want to grow in.
Areas for continued growth: trust me, it’s fewer than the 10,000 things you’ve identified post-masters.
Which brings me to my next point about self-compassion; my supervisees are often harder on themselves than I would EVER be. I always strive to increase self-compassion. This makes you a better therapist: you’ll be more present because you’re not in your head critiquing everything you’re doing or saying. You’ll be able to connect with your clients in a way that makes a huge difference.
If you’re ready to…
01
Advance your play therapy skills.
02
Grow as a person and a professional.
03
Build on your strengths from your play therapy education.
04
Have fun while learning.
…then let’s chat.
i’m Emily.
Welcome!
As a therapist with a PhD in counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and experience in various counseling settings (from general mental health to play therapy to teaching), I bring both clinical expertise and teaching experience to online therapy, supervision, and consultation. My expertise includes supporting parents and caregivers, adult therapy, and teen therapy, with a focus on reducing anxiety and improving relationships. I am a Level II AEDP therapist and have training in interpersonal neurobiology, advanced training and certification in play therapy, and certification in providing services online.
If you’d like to learn more about me than can fit in a short blurb, please explore the link below.
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frequently asked questions
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Both are registered play therapist certifications. The RPT is for folks with mental health related licenses (e.g., counselor, social worker, marriage and family therapist) and the SB-RPT is for folks licensed by their state as school counselors or school psychologists.
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Yes. You must be independently licensed to practice by your state’s department of education or mental health professions board.
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The Association for Play Therapy has developed a 3-phase model for getting your RPT. This models consists of instruction, hours of play therapy specific experience, and hours of play therapy specific supervision. The model is completed in a phase-oriented manner with hour requirements at each level.
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Yes. The SB-RPT does not operate on a phase model, has different setting requirements, and requires different amount of hours.
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For RPTs there is a requirement of at least 35 hours of supervision and 5 session observations split into 3 phases. This is paired with a minimum of 350 hours of direct play therapy client contact. For SB-RPT, the applicant must show 500 hours of direct play therapy client contact and 50 hours of supervision completed simultaneously.
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Yes, your supervision for your RPT or SB-RPT must be completed by someone who has their RPT-S credential.
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Yes! Just make sure that your supervisor has both the RPT-S credential and is credentialed to provide supervision for licensure in your state. I can do this in VA, TN, and NC!
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You must accrue the required experience and supervision over the course of two-ten years.
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Ask any play therapist this and you better pull up a chair (or a bean bag or flop out on the floor) cause they will have something to say about this question. In short though—play is the language of children. They do not have the advanced language and perspective taking skills needed for talk therapy. And research shows that play therapy really works! (Ok, I kept that pretty short. Good for me!)
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A credential in play therapy lets people know that you have a certain level of expertise. While a license is what allows you to practice in a certain state, it does not imply advanced training in any specific area. Having your RPT or SB-RPT allows you to demonstrate that you have spent time gaining knowledge and skills in the specific area of play therapy.
Contact me
Let’s get started.
I’ll answer your questions and we can decide if I’m the right supervisor for you.
Complete this form and I’ll be back in touch via email or text usually within 1 business day.
Call or Text
423.281.4089
emily@alignedcounseling.com
office mailing address
404 S Roan St., Johnson City, TN, 37604