Certification in Adlerian Play Therapy

To become a Certified Adlerian Play Therapist (CAdPT)(after or at the same time you become a Registered Play Therapist through the Association for Play Therapy), you must…

  • Successfully complete:
    • Beginning Adlerian Play Therapy (1-week class that includes 35 hours of instruction and 5 hours of group supervision)
    • Advanced Adlerian Play Therapy (1-week class that includes 35 hours of instruction and 5 hours of group supervision)
    • Conceptualizing and Treatment Planning (3-day class which includes 24 hours of instruction)
  • Conduct at least 50 sessions of Adlerian play therapy, making sure to proceed through the entire process:  building the relationship, exploring the client’s lifestyle, helping the client gain insight into his/her lifestyle, and reorienting/reeducating the client. These sessions should be done with at least 3 different clients.  You will be responsible for keeping track of these hours, using the client’s initials, session number, phase, and date.
  • Complete 10 hours of consultation with an Approved Adlerian Play Therapy Consultant–
    • In 7 of these sessions, you will provide a video recording of a session demonstrating Adlerian play therapy, with–
      • one session focusing on a recording that illustrates Phase 1,
      • one session focusing on a recording that illustrates Phase 2,
      • two tapes for Phase 3 and Phase 4 of Adlerian play therapy,
      • and one tape of parent or teacher consultation.
    • In the other 3 consultation sessions, you will work on perfecting conceptualization and treatment planning for clients from an Adlerian perspective.

At the end of this series of consultation sessions, the consultant, using the rubric of the Adlerian play therapy checklist from the Adlerian Play Therapy Treatment Manual, can recommend that you proceed to the final step in becoming a certified Adlerian play therapist—the certification evaluation. At this time, if the consultant believes you are not quite ready to take the certification evaluation, the consultant can also suggest that more consultation sessions are necessary. The purpose of additional consultation sessions would be to ensure that you have fully mastered the Adlerian play therapy and parent/teacher consultation skills and strategies and can demonstrate expertise in using Adlerian play therapy conceptualizing and treatment planning tools.

  • Submit a certification evaluation portfolio. This portfolio will include:
    • A letter of support from the Approved Adlerian Play Therapy Consultant who conducted the consultation sessions with the candidate.  This letter should address your strengths and struggles and contain suggestions for future areas of growth in Adlerian play therapy.
    • A 25-30-minute video recording of a play therapy session from Phase 3 or Phase 4 that demonstrates mastery of the hallmark Adlerian play therapy skills of:
      • encouragement;
      • metacommunication;
      • a variety of directive and non-directive play techniques for helping the child gain insight into his or her lifestyle, and/or reorienting/reeducating the child (e.g., art techniques, metaphor design and storytelling, movement strategies, adventure techniques, sand tray activities).
    • This tape will be evaluated using the checklist from the Adlerian Play Therapy Treatment Manual to ensure that you are demonstrating treatment fidelity to the Adlerian play therapy model.
  • A written case report that describes the client from the video recording.  This case report must include:
    • the session number,
    • the phase of therapy (needs to be either Phase 3 or 4),
    • a description of the presenting problem, and
    • a narrative write-up of your Adlerian play therapy lifestyle conceptualization and Adlerian play therapy treatment plan. (A template with the required elements and an example narrative will be available from your consultant.)    

Maintaining your certification

Your LEAPT certification as a Certified Adlerian Play Therapist (CAdPT) is good for two years.  Here are details of what to do to maintain your certification:

  • Timing
    • All certifications attained before the end of 2023 start the two-year validity period on January 01, 2024. (Renewal due before January 01, 2026)
    • In general, the two-year period starts the first of the year following certification (e.g., someone achieving certification in June of 2024 must renew by January 01 of 2027).
    • Your renewal is due December 31 of the year your certification expires.
  • Continuing Education requirements
    • 8 hours of LEAPT special topics class time (can be one 8-hour or longer class or multiple shorter classes)
    • 2 consultation sessions with a LEAPT Approved Consultant
    • Ongoing use of Adlerian play therapy with children (50 sessions… this requirement is self-reported as being met.  No documentation is required.)
  • Maintain your status as a Registered Play Therapist or equivalent
  • Renewal procedure
    • Register on Arlo for “Certification Renewal” and pay the $50 fee
    • Email the LEAPT administrator with the following information:
      • Date and hours for class(es) attended to meet the training requirement
      • Date and consultant used for consultation sessions
      • Confirm your status as a Registered Play Therapist
      • Confirm that you have conducted at least 50 sessions using Adlerian play therapy in the preceding 2 years
  • If you let your certification expire, you will be removed from the certified list. There is a six-month grace period to meet requirements and reinstate your certification. If the grace period has lapsed you will need to retake the Certification Evaluation.
Find Classes

______________________________________________

To be granted an Advanced Certificate (CAdPT-A), you must be certified in Adlerian play therapy and must

  • Successfully complete:
    • Adlerian Applications of Sand Tray Play Therapy (1-week class, 40 hours of instruction)
    • Adlerian Family Play Therapy (3-day class, 24 hours of instruction)
    • Special Topics in Adlerian Play Therapy (1, 2, or 3-day class, at least 8 hours of instruction) The purpose of a special topics class is to engage participants, individually or in a group setting, in an in-depth dialogue of Adlerian play therapy as it intersects with contemporary issues, populations, or strategies. The class is meant to deepen the knowledge-base of counselors who want to master Adlerian play therapy in greater depth and encourage critical thinking and discussion among Adlerian play therapists about the different applications of Adlerian play therapy.
  • Conduct at least 50 additional sessions of Adlerian play therapy, making sure to proceed through the entire process:  building the relationship, exploring the client’s lifestyle, helping the client gain insight into his/her lifestyle, and reorienting/reeducating the client.  Ten of these sessions should focus primarily on using sand tray as a treatment modality, and ten should focus on using family play therapy as a treatment modality.  These sessions should be done with at least 3 different clients.  you will be responsible for keeping track of these hours, using the client’s initials, session number, phase, and date.
  • Do 6 hours of consultation with an Approved Consultant, with an emphasis on you being able to use the checklists from the treatment manual in order to be able to self-evaluate your fidelity to the Adlerian play therapy model.
    • In two of the consultation sessions, you will demonstrate your self-evaluation prowess with a time stamped video and the skills checklists.
    • In two of the consultation sessions, you must provide a video of a family play therapy session.
    • In two of the consultation sessions, you must provide a video of a sand tray session. 
  • At the end of this series of consultation sessions, if the consultant deems you are ready for receiving the Advanced Certificate, he or she will complete an endorsement form.
  • Write a short (3-5 page) self-reflection describing your experience with the learning from the classes and the consultation, along with a description of your strengths and struggles as an Adlerian play therapist, a description of how you have grown personally and professionally from this process, and a plan for continued future growth related to Adlerian play therapy. (A template for the contents of this self-reflection and an example self-reflection will be available from your consultant.)

APT Approved Provider 99-055