New Information on Becoming a Registered Play Therapist

Image: Child with Toys To become an RPT, you must satisfy the academic and clinical requirements listed below.

Academic:

Applicants must have a Masters degree in a medical or mental health profession and 150 clock hours of instruction in play therapy.

Specialized degrees in the mental health field are generally NOT eligible for registration requirements. Examples are art, music, play, and drama therapy.

Graduate degrees must be awarded by regionally accredited colleges and universities and, if not a traditional degree (e.g. PhD, MSW, etc.), may be reviewed by the Registration Committee. If degree is questionable, contact APT for determination of eligibility.

Clinical:

Applicants must first be licensed or certified by their state board or professional organization. They must also have two years (2,000 hours) of clinical experience (one year post-Masters), have provided a minimum of 500 hours of supervised play therapy experience, and must document supervision of both general and Play Therapy clinical experience. If your supervision is provided by an RPT-S, please consult the Meeting the Supervision Requirements for Becoming a Registered Play Therapist.

Upon approval of your application, you will be billed a member or non-member annual fee of $50 and $100 respectively for Registered Play Therapists. Although this fee does not include APT dues, non-member applicants are invited to become Professional members. Registrants are required to complete 36 hours of continuing education every three years and are encouraged to maintain their APT memberships.

For more information, please visit: http://www.a4pt.org/credential/index.html