Date: Friday, July 18, 2025 
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM 
Format: Virtual (Zoom) 
APT CEU Hours: 2 Non-Contact Hours (History Hours) 
Cost: FREE 2-hour training ($50)  

Program Presenters: 

• Emily Van Laan, LCSW-S, RPT-S™ 
• Katie Harlan, LCSW-S, RPT™ 

Description: Take your first steps into the world of play therapy! Learn the major components of play therapy, knowledge of the Association for Play Therapy (APT), and the steps to becoming a Registered Play Therapist™. Participants will gain an understanding of how play can be utilized as the therapeutic agent of change when working with children. 

Objectives: 

• Increase knowledge of the Association for Play Therapy & the process of becoming a Registered Play Therapist™ 
• Define Play Therapy 
• Identify the Seminal and Historically Significant Play Therapy Theories 
• Identify the Therapeutic Powers of Play

Date: Friday, July 25, 2025 
Time: 9:00am-11:00am 
Format: In person 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025  

APT CEU Hours: 2 Contact Hours (History Hours) 

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am-12:00pm- Training, 12:00pm- Check-out 
Cost: FREE 2-hour training ($50 value)  

Program Presenters: 

• Emily Van Laan, LCSW-S, RPT-S™ 
• Katie Harlan, LCSW-S, RPT™ 

Description: Take your first steps into the world of play therapy! Learn the major components of play therapy, knowledge of the Association for Play Therapy (APT), and the steps to becoming a Registered Play Therapist™. Participants will gain an understanding of how play can be utilized as the therapeutic agent of change when working with children. 

Objectives: 

• Increase knowledge of the Association for Play Therapy & the process of becoming a Registered Play Therapist™ 
• Define Play Therapy 
• Identify the Seminal and Historically Significant Play Therapy Theories 
• Identify the Therapeutic Powers of Play

Date: Friday, August 22, 2025, 9:00am- 12:00pm 

Format: In-person 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 

APT CE Hours: 3 contact hours – Skills and Methods 

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am-12:00pm- Training, 12:00pm- Check-out 

Program Presenter:  

• Emily Van Laan, LCSW-S, RPT-S™ 
• Katie Harlan, LCSW-S, RPT™ 

Description: This training is designed to help participants understand the growth and development of children. Participants will dive into the nuances of determining when play therapy is appropriate for a child by learning strategies to assess typical and atypical behaviors. Participants will also learn appropriate play therapy interventions based on a child’s age and stage of development.  

Objectives:  

• Increase knowledge of typical and atypical child development 
• Identify when play therapy is an appropriate intervention  
• Examine the ethical and cultural considerations play therapists must integrate when working with children at different developmental stages. 
• Identify which models of play therapy are appropriate based on a child’s age and cognitive development

Date: Thursday and Friday, September 18-19, 2025, 9:00am-4:00pm (Participants must attend two days training to receive APT CE hours) 

Format: In-person 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 

APT CE Hours: 12 Contact Hours  

Part 1: 6 contact hours: 1 Hour of History, 5 hours of Historically Significant 

Part 2: 6 contact hours: 4 Hours Historically Significant, 2 Hours of Skills and Methods  

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am- Training Begins, 12:00pm-1:00pm- Lunch, 4:00pm- Check-out 

Program Presenter:  

• Emily Van Laan, LCSW-S, RPT-S™ 
• Katie Harlan, LCSW-S, RPT™ 

Description: This two-day interactive training will teach participants the foundational child centered play therapy skills! Participants will take a deep dive into utilizing non-directive play therapy strategies to promote growth and change in children. Through lecture and practice participants will have the opportunity to learn the essential skills of Child-Centered Play Therapy.  

Objectives Day 1:  

• Describe the history and foundational principles of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). 
• Differentiate between directive and non-directive play therapy approaches. 
• Identify commonly used toys and their therapeutic functions in CCPT. 
• Recognize the core conditions necessary to facilitate therapeutic change in play therapy. 
• Develop essential skills to establish a safe and supportive non-directive environment for children. 
• Demonstrate key CCPT skills through guided practice and receive constructive feedback. 

Objectives Day 2:  

• Identify appropriate moments for limit-setting within play therapy sessions. 
• Explore strategies for assessing the effectiveness of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) with clients. 
• Understand effective methods for integrating parents into the CCPT process. 
• Recognize common play themes that emerge during therapy. 
• Apply best practices for documenting CCPT sessions. 
• Examine common ethical dilemmas encountered in the practice of CCPT.

Date: Friday, October 24, 2025, 9:00am- 12:00pm 

Format: In-person 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 

APT CE Hours: 3 contact hours 1 Hour of Historically Significant; 2 Hours of Skills and Methods  

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am-12:00pm- Training, 12:00pm- Check-out 

Program Presenter:  

• Emily Van Laan, LCSW-S, RPT-S™ 
• Katie Harlan, LCSW-S, RPT™ 

Description: This 3-hour continuing education event will give participants an introduction to utilizing sand tray with play therapy theories. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own sand tray and practice reflecting and tracking skills in sand tray work.  

Objectives:  

• Identify ways to integrate Sand Tray work with seminal and historically significant play therapy theories. 
• Understand developmentally appropriate Sand Tray prompts for clients across the lifespan. 
• Demonstrate tracking and reflecting skills through experiential Sand Tray practice.

Date: Thursday and Friday, November 20-21, 2025, 9:00am-4:00pm (Participants must attend two days training to receive APT CE hours) 

Format: In-Person 

APT CE Hours: 12 Contact Hours  

Part 1: 6 contact hours: 5 hours of Historically Significant, 1 hour of Skills and Methods 

Part 2: 6 contact hours: 4 Hours of Historically Significant, 2 hours of Skills and Methods 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am- Training Begins, 12:00pm-1:00pm- Lunch, 4:00pm- Check-out 

Description: In this two-day training, participants will learn the basic skills and interventions of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy! Through lecture and practice, participants will understand how to incorporate play into therapeutic work to meet the developmental needs of children. This training will give participants practical play therapy activities to incorporate into each phase of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy.  

Part 1 Objectives: 

• Understand the importance of adapting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when working with children  
• Identify four phases of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy 
• Learn how to utilize assessment tools to inform therapeutic interventions  
• Understand how to collaborate with children and parents to develop a treatment plan  
• Learn basic Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy methods and skills 
• Apply assessment and treatment planning strategies to practice through case example discussion  

Part 2 Objectives: 

• Learn basic Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy methods and skills 
• Increase understanding of four phases of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy and process of moving between phases  
• Utilize cognitive Play Therapy interventions to target treatment goals 
• Use assessment skills to evaluate effectiveness of treatment 
• Understand impacts of a child’s development on selecting appropriate Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy interventions 
• Practice and receive feedback on Cognitive Behavioral Play therapy skills

Date: Friday, December 12, 2025, 9:00am- 4:00pm  

Format: In-Person 

APT CE Hours: 6 Contact Hours 

Facility name and address: Alexander JFS, 4131 S Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77025 

Event Schedule: 8:45am- Check-in, 9:00am- Training Begins, 12:00pm-1:00pm- Lunch, 4:00pm- Check-out 

Program Presenter:  

• Danny Clark, LCSW 

Description: This continuing education training provides an in-depth review of how children understand and respond to grief across various developmental stages. Grounded in current bereavement theory, the course introduces evidence-based Play Therapy approaches designed to support children navigating loss. Through case examples and interactive practice, participants will build confidence in identifying grief responses, applying therapeutic techniques, and determining when Play Therapy is an appropriate clinical intervention for children experiencing grief. 

Objectives: 

• Identify the core theories and foundational ideas that explain how children experience grief. 
• Recognize how grief presents differently across developmental stages in childhood. 
• Distinguish among various forms of grief and describe common features of each. 
• Explain how Play Therapy theories apply specifically to children coping with grief. 
• Evaluate situations where Play Therapy could be an appropriate method for supporting grieving children. 
• Discuss cultural, familial, and systemic factors that influence a child's grief experience and response to Play Therapy.