Presenter: Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT-S™

Leslie Baker, MFT, NCC, RPT-S™, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with over 30 years of experience in mental health. She is the Owner and Executive Director of Therapy2Thrive® Marriage and Family Counseling Center, Inc., where she provides therapy, consultation, and supervision. A former Lead Area Chair at the University of Phoenix, Leslie is passionate about helping play therapists explore theory and find their theoretical home in play therapy. 

Format: Virtual | Link will be sent prior to workshop

CE Hours: 3 Non Contact Hours

This training supports play therapists in developing a clear and ethically grounded theoretical identity by exploring how personal philosophy, worldview, cultural context, and clinical style influence the selection of a foundational play therapy theory. Participants will examine key philosophical traditions that underpin psychology and play therapy, including humanistic, empiricist, constructivist, holistic, and culturally responsive perspectives, and how these worldviews shape beliefs about human nature, relationships, and mechanisms of change. 

Through an examination of major play therapy theories and their founders, clinicians will explore core theoretical tenets, therapist roles, and change agents from a philosophical lens. Emphasis is placed on understanding why play therapy theories work, for whom, and under what conditions, rather than applying techniques in isolation. 

The workshop further addresses the ethical and culturally responsive integration of prescriptive and integrative play therapy approaches, supporting clinicians in maintaining fidelity to their primary theoretical orientation while adapting interventions to meet the diverse developmental, cultural, and systemic needs of children and families within evidence-based practice.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

Describe how major philosophical traditions and assumptions about human development, change, and healing have influenced contemporary psychology and major play therapy theories, including how these foundations shape therapeutic goals, therapist roles, and methods in play therapy practice.

Compare major play therapy theories by identifying key differences in therapist stance, level of directiveness, mechanisms of change, and the intentional use of the Four Therapeutic Powers of Play and 20 Core Agents of Change within at least two theoretical orientations.

Differentiate between prescriptive and integrative play therapy approaches and explain how identifying a foundational theoretical home supports ethical, developmentally appropriate, and culturally responsive integration of techniques from other play therapy models within the clinician’s scope of practice.

Who Should Attend

• Play therapists

• Mental health professionals working with children

• Graduate students in counseling or related fields

• Professionals seeking to strengthen their theoretical foundation

What to Expect

This interactive virtual training will include:

• Instruction and discussion

• Clinical examples

• Guided reflection activities

Registration Options

A discount of $10.00 per registrant for groups of 3 or more registering together. Email Continuing Education and Registration (ceandregistration@alabamaplaytherapy.org) to receive a code for Group Registration. All payments will be processed online.

Additional Information

• Registration confirmation and virtual access details will be sent via email

• Please ensure your email address is entered correctly at registration

Cancellation Policy

Registrants canceling up to 48 hours before a workshop will receive a tuition refund less a $20 administrative fee (per day). All requests must be made in writing or by email. No refunds will be issued for any reason after September 9, 2026.  In the unlikely event the workshop cannot be held, registrants will receive complimentary admission to a rescheduled workshop or a full value voucher, good for one year, for a future workshop.

Membership

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