Welcome to the Playroom: A Beginner’s Guide to Child-Centered Play Therapy

Welcome to the Playroom is a 2-day training designed to introduce counselors to the foundations of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). This workshop provides 12 Contact Play Therapy Training Hours.

This engaging training will guide participants through the philosophy and core skills that make CCPT a trusted and developmentally responsive approach for supporting children’s growth and emotional well-being.

Across two days, participants will learn how to set up a playroom with purposeful toys and materials, understand how play supports development, and practice foundational responses that strengthen the therapeutic relationship. The training will also cover strategies for therapeutic limit setting and ways to collaborate with parents as part of the treatment process.

Through a blend of instruction, demonstration, hands-on practice, and reflection, this workshop is ideal for counselors who are new to play therapy as well as clinicians seeking to refresh or deepen their understanding of child-centered principles. By the end of the training, participants will feel equipped to begin integrating CCPT into their clinical practice with confidence and clarity.

This training is designed for mental health professionals, including LPCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, psychologists, school counselors, and graduate students seeking foundational skills in play therapy. This training may also be applied toward continuing education requirements for LPCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and other licensed professionals, in accordance with individual licensing board guidelines.

For more information email: [email protected]

Days/Times

July 17-18, 2026

• Friday July 17, 9am-4pm with one-hour lunch break
• Saturday July 18, 9am-4pm with one-hour lunch break

Location

Mansfield Mission Center

78 Regency Parkway

Mansfield, TX 76063

Important: Drive around to the back, park, and enter through the market. Please do not enter throught the front of the YMCA.

Objectives

By the end of this 2-day training, participants will be able to:

• Explain the historical foundations of Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT).
• Describe how play supports children's development, emotional expression, and healing.
• Identify the core beliefs and attitudes that guide the counselor’s role in Child-Centered Play Therapy.
• Identify essential toys and materials used to create an effective play therapy playroom.
• Demonstrate basic Child-Centered Play Therapy responses that support the therapeutic relationship.
• Apply a foundational limit-setting framework that maintains connection while establishing safety in the playroom.
• Discuss ways to involve and support parents within the Child-Centered Play Therapy process.

Heather Pina-McGhee, LPC-S, RPT-S, is an Approved Provider of Play Therapy Continuing Education by the Association for Play Therapy (APT Approved Provider #25-775). This program is co-sponsored by Mansfield-Arlington Play Therapy Training Center (MAPT). Heather Pina-McGhee maintains full responsibility for the content, quality, conduct, and awarding of play therapy credit for this program in accordance with APT Approved Provider Standards

Speakers:

Heather Pina-McGhee, M.A., LPC-S, RPT-S™ , Certified CCPT-S

Heather is the owner and clinical director of Life Chapters Counseling, PLLC in Mansfield, Texas. A Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™, Certified Child-Centered Play Therapy Supervisor (CCPT-S), EMDR Certified Practitioner and TBRI® Practitioner, she specializes in helping children, teens, and families through play therapy, sandtray, EMDR, and trauma-informed approaches. Heather’s background includes experience as a classroom teacher, school counselor, and child protective services worker, which gives her a unique perspective on the systems that impact children’s lives. She provides supervision for LPC-Associates and Registered Play Therapist™ candidates and is passionate about mentoring the next generation of play therapists. As co-founder of the Mansfield-Arlington Play Therapy Training Center (MAPT Training Center, LLC), Heather is committed to making high-quality, practical play therapy training accessible to mental health professionals.

Amy Andra, M.S., LPC-S, RPT-S™ , Certified CCPT-S

Amy is the co-founder of Spirit Therapy, PLLC in Midlothian, Texas, where she provides counseling for children, adolescents, and families. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor ™, Certified Child-Centered Play Therapy Supervisor (CCPT-S) and EMDR certified practitioner. She specializes in working with all ages integrating Play, activity based interventions, somatic interventions, Internal Family Systems interventions and animal assisted therapy. With extensive experience in both school and private practice settings, Amy brings warmth and expertise to her work with children and to her supervision of LPC-Associates and Registered Play Therapist™ candidates. As co-founder of the MAPT Training Center, Amy enjoys equipping counselors with the skills and confidence to integrate Child-Centered Play Therapy into their practice.

CANCELATION/REFUND POLICY

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing to [email protected]

Requests received by 11:59 p.m. on July 8, 2026 will be eligible for a refund of the registration fee, less a $50 administrative processing fee.

No refunds will be issued for requests received after this date.

MAPT Training Center reserves the right to cancel or reschedule this training due to unforeseen circumstances. In such cases, every effort will be made to notify registered participants in advance, and all registration and continuing education fees will be fully refunded.

Please note: MAPT Training Center’s financial responsibility is limited solely to the amount of the registration fee paid.

MAPT Training Center is committed to providing accessible learning experiences. Please contact us at [email protected] by July 1st to request accommodations

If you have concerns or grievances regarding this training, please contact MAPT Training Center at [email protected]. We will make every effort to resolve complaints in a fair and timely manner.

Play Therapy credit is only awarded to mental health professionals.

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Host or Publisher Mansfield-Arlington Play Therapy (MAPT) Training Center