OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of
Education is teaming with the university’s Division of
Outreach and Continuing Education to offer a one-year
training program in play therapy.
The sessions, designed for professionals in counseling,
education and social work, provide the training necessary
to become a Registered Play Therapist. Play therapy, which
allows children to work through experiences and issues
using toys, has been gaining momentum in schools as a way
to treat the mental and emotional issues that some children
face.
“Play therapy is a method of counseling children which
utilizes toys as words and play as experience,” said
Marilyn S. Snow, UM associate professor in leadership and
counselor education and executive director of the Oxford
Play Therapy Training Institute.
“Children often become intimidated when questioned by
adults because they cannot fully understand and communicate
their emotions,” adds Jenny Rayner, clinical director at
the Oxford Play Therapy Training Institute “Play therapists
offer a nonthreatening atmosphere in which children can
express their emotions in the playroom through toys.”
The training workshops begin March 8 and run through
December. They include 10 Saturday sessions, providing 8.5
contact hours per Saturday and an opportunity to enroll at
UM for a one-week intensive course in Advanced Play
Therapy, which provides 67.5 contact hours. Professionals
completing the entire year of workshops, including the
Advanced Play Therapy course, will get 152.5 contact
hours.
For further clarification of requirements for becoming a
Registered Play Therapist, review the information on the
Association of Play Therapy Web site at
Continuing Education Credits are approved for social
workers, professional counselors and educators through UM.
Workshops meet on the fourth floor of the UM Student Union.
Each workshop costs $175 for professionals and $75 for
college or university students.
To register, download a registration form at
http://www.outreach.olemiss.edu/ProfDev/counselors. For
questions about registration, contact Mary Leach at
mleach@olemiss.edu or 662-915-7847. For questions about the
workshop, contact Marilyn Snow at mssnow@olemiss.edu or
662-915-1363.
For a feature story about play therapy, go to
http://www.olemiss.edu/cgi-bin/news2000/display.pl?id=6522&mode=full.