Michigan Association for Play Therapy upcoming events

Play Therapy Across Cultures: Responsive Interventions for Identity, Bias, and Diverse Family Systems (08/07/2026)

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Play Therapy Across Cultures: Responsive Interventions for Identity, Bias, and Diverse Family Systems

Presented by Ebony Hutchinson, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist™

Children do not enter the playroom separate from their cultural experiences. Their emotional expression, attachment patterns, communication styles, family roles, coping strategies, spiritual beliefs, and behavioral responses are shaped by multiple intersecting identities and environmental influences. In today’s clinical landscape, play therapists must move beyond surface-level multicultural awareness and develop the ability to recognize how culture is continuously present within the therapeutic process.

This Play Therapy workshop examines culturally responsive clinical practice through an expanded lens culture that includes race, ethnicity, religion and spirituality, socioeconomic status, immigration experiences, neurodivergence, gender identity, regional culture, family structure, and community context. Rather than focusing primarily on definitions, this training emphasizes clinical application through interactive case scenarios, reflective discussion, and practical intervention strategies that therapists can immediately integrate into practice.

Participants will explore how bias and assumptions may unintentionally appear in the playroom through assessment practices, interpretation of play themes, treatment planning, communication with caregivers, toy and material selection, expectations around emotional expression, and perceptions of behavior. The workshop will examine how children’s cultural identities and lived experiences influence symbolic play, emotional regulation, relationship dynamics, and responses to therapeutic interventions.

Using Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) and Gestalt Play Therapy frameworks, participants will learn how to create culturally responsive play therapy environments that support safety, empowerment, and authentic self-expression for children and families from diverse backgrounds. Special attention will be given to understanding systemic stressors and contextual factors impacting children, including community violence, religious identity conflicts, financial instability, relocation, discrimination, educational inequities, caregiver stress, and experiences of marginalization.

Through clinical illustrations and experiential activities, participants will analyze complex case examples involving culturally diverse children and caregivers. Therapists will practice identifying culturally responsive interventions, adapting play materials, increasing cultural humility, and strengthening therapeutic attunement without stereotyping or over pathologizing clients.

This workshop is designed for mental health professionals seeking to strengthen culturally responsive Play Therapy practice through practical application, clinical reflection, and increased awareness of how culture and systemic experiences shape children’s emotional worlds both inside and outside the playroom.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify at least five ways cultural assumptions, systemic bias, or contextual factors may influence Play Therapy assessment, interpretation, and intervention.
Analyze how cultural identities including religion, socioeconomic status, family structure, neurodivergence, immigration experiences, and geographical context may appear within children’s Play Therapy themes and behaviors.
Demonstrate at least three culturally responsive Play Therapy interventions that support emotional expression and therapeutic engagement with diverse children and families.
Describe at least three strategies Play Therapists can use to increase cultural humility, reduce bias, and strengthen therapeutic attunement in the playroom.
Apply Child-Centered Play Therapy and Gestalt Play Therapy principles to culturally responsive case scenarios involving diverse family systems and identities.

This training is approved by APT Approved Provider 99-050 for 3 non-contact CE hours.

This training/event has been approved by the NASW-Michigan Chapter for 3.0 synchronous social work CEs (1.5 General, 1.5 Implicit Bias): Approval Number 20260807-CA-MIAPT

Trainings are not recorded.

Intermediate Level | Play Therapy Special Topics

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER: Ebony Hutchinson, LCSW, Registered Play Therapist™ has worked in behavioral health since 2004. In addition to her private practice, Ebony has served as an adjunct professor at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis since 2021, where she teaches future social workers about mental health, trauma, and child development. She specializes in supporting children, families, and individuals through trauma, emotional wellness, and the complexities of parenting. Ebony is also the founder of The Community Reach, a nonprofit that was established to increase access to specialized mental health services to marginalized communities.

VIRTUAL: This will be a virtual workshop. Participants will be awarded APT non-contact CE after successful completion of a post-test. Participants are requested to be present and visible throughout the presentation to facilitate engagement. MIAPT is approved by the Association for Play Therapy to offer continuing education specific to Play Therapy. APT Approved Provider 99-050. MIAPT maintains responsibility for the program.

PHOTO RELEASE: By registering for this training, you are giving permission for MIAPT to use any photographs (screenshots) that are taken at the event containing your likeness for as long as MIAPT deems appropriate and desirable. Photographs may be used on the MIAPT website, social media pages, and/or newsletter for any purpose. By completing the registration, you are also consenting to waive any rights to the photographs indefinitely. If you do not wish to have your photo used, it is your responsibility to notify MIAPT of your request to be omitted.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you notify MIAPT you are canceling, and we are able to fill your spot, you will receive a refund for the registration fee minus $20 administrative fee. Cancellation requests must be made in writing. No refunds after July 17, 2026.

MAILING LIST: By registering for this training with MIAPT, you consent to have your contact information added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

ADA/Section 504: If you have special needs, please contact mymiapt@gmail.com.

Family Play Therapy Genograms (08/28/2026)

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Family Play Therapy Genograms

Presented by Jill Forsberg, LMFT, Registered Play Therapist™

Using a tried and true systemic intervention, the Genogram, this workshop will allow participant to deepen their work with families. Family Play Genograms allow the family members to break up old patterns and habits, see each other in new ways and tell family stories. Therapists get to see families in action, use metaphor to explore challenging ideas and understand family dynamic using Play Therapy. This training emphasizes the Powers of Play of Facilitating Communication and Enhancing Social Relationships.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify 3 developmentally appropriate Family Play Therapy Genogram directives
Create a Family Play Therapy Genogram and practice processing it
Assess family patterns using a Family Play Therapy Genogram

This training is approved by APT Approved Provider 99-050 for 3 non-contact CE hours.

This program has been submitted for approved by NASW-Michigan Chapter for 3.0 continuing education hours.

Trainings are not recorded.

Intermediate Level | Play Therapy Special Topics

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER: Jill Forsberg, LMFT, RPT-S™ is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™. She has been working in the field of child and family therapy since 2005, both in Community Mental Health and in Private Practice. She currently has a Private Practice in Seattle, WA where she sees children, teens, families and supervises pre-licensed associates and Registered Play Therapist candidates. Jill very much enjoys traveling the world teaching about the Powers of Play, specifically as they relate to Family Play Therapy. Jill has presented for New England Association for Play Therapy in Mystic CT, Arizona Association for Play Therapy in Tempe AZ and for the International Family Therapy Association Congress in Aberdeen, Scotland. Jill is also Teaching Faculty in Antioch University Seattle’s Masters Level Couple and Family Therapy Program.

Jill is originally from Phoenix, AZ but traded triple digit summers for the mountains and beaches of the Pacific Northwest in 1998. Jill currently lives in Seattle WA with her two yellow labs, Stuart Little and Charlotte Web (Charlie). Jill will soon be adding a little chocolate lab puppy named Teddy Bear. When Jill isn’t teaching, training or working directly with children and families, you can find her exploring “pretty places” with the pups around the greater Seattle area.

MAILING LIST: By registering for this training with MIAPT, you consent to have your contact information added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

ADA/Section 504: If you have special needs, please contact mymiapt@gmail.com.

Strengthening Relationships: Integrating Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Principles into Parent Consultation and Play Therapy Practice (10/09/2026)

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Strengthening Relationships: Integrating Child-Parent Relationship Therapy Principles into Parent Consultation and Play Therapy Practice

Presented by Kimberly M. Jayne, PhD, LPC, LMHC, RPT-S™, PMH-C

Working with parents and caregivers through the play therapy process can be dynamic, challenging, and ultimately transformative for children and their families. Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) can anchor play therapists’ work and provide a framework for collaborating effectively with parents and caregivers from intake to termination. CPRT offers play therapists a roadmap for fostering stronger parent-child relationships and strengthening parenting skills and efficacy to promote systemic change and healing. Learn how to integrate CPRT into your play therapy practice intentionally through assessment, CPRT adaptations, and the application of CPRT principles and interventions in parent and caregiver consultations. Participants will have opportunities to discuss key principles and tenets of CPRT, explore when and how to integrate CPRT into their practice, and practice assessment and treatment planning with case studies and case examples.

This training will not provide a comprehensive overview of Child-Parent Relationship Therapy. Prior training and familiarity with CPRT/filial therapy may be helpful for participants.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attending this workshop, participants will be able to:

Identify key social, historical, and cultural factors impacting parents and caregivers in the U.S.
Identify principles and interventions from Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) to support parent/caregiver consultations in play therapy.
Apply a decision-making model to assess when and how to integrate CPRT into the play therapy process to support children and families.

This program has been submitted for approved by NASW-Michigan Chapter for 3.0 continuing education hours.

Trainings are not recorded.

Intermediate Level | Play Therapy Skills and Methods, Seminal/Historically Significant Theories

ABOUT OUR PRESENTER: Kimberly has worked as a play therapist with children and families in schools, community settings, and private practice for over 17 years. Kimberly is a Full Professor at Saybrook University and owner of a private practice providing play therapy, family therapy, and supervision and consultation for play therapists. She is the Editor for the International Journal of Play Therapy and has written numerous articles and book chapters on child-centered play therapy, child-parent relationship therapy, and child-development. Kimberly trains and supervises play therapists nationally and internationally, is a certified CCPT and CPRT supervisor and trainer, and on the board for Child-Centered Play Therapy International. She is the director of a community-based, free preschool play therapy program to increase culturally-sustaining, mental health access for children and families in Oregon.

MAILING LIST: By registering for this training with MIAPT, you consent to have your contact information added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

ADA/Section 504: If you have special needs, please contact mymiapt@gmail.com.

West Regional Workshop 2026 (11/13/2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 14:00:00 GMT

West Regional Workshop 2026

Top 12 Creative Interventions for Working with Teens and Tweens

Presenter: Juliet Fortino, LPC, RPT-S™

Teens and tweens present unique treatment challenges for play therapists. Adolescents are often harder to engage and may resist direct verbal communication. Play Therapy is often underused or misunderstood with adolescents. Some clinician association play therapy with young children, but play therapy is just as valuable a tool for adolescents. Many therapists have a limited understanding in the use of play therapy with teens and tweens. Learning developmentally appropriate interventions to engage teens is of vital importance to the therapeutic process.

This introductory 6-hour workshop examines 12 creative interventions for working effectively with teens and tweens through an Adlerian play therapy lens. Designed for clinicians seeking practical, developmentally responsive strategies, this workshop addresses that gap by providing practical, play therapy strategies that clinicians can use to improve engagement, treatment planning, and intervention effectiveness with teens and tweens.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

Discuss four common challenges facing teens and tweens.
Develop effective play therapy treatment plans for teens and tweens.
Explain how adolescent development influences play therapy.
Identify strategies for engaging teens in play therapy.
Select one appropriate creative play therapy intervention for each common challenge facing teens and tweens.
Demonstrate at least four creative play therapy interventions for teens and tweens.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Juliet Fortino, MC, LPC, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™ works with Children and Families involved with Department of Child Safety and the various child mental health agencies in the Tucson community in a private practice setting. She has over 25 years experience working with child trauma, abuse, attachment, and play therapy. She currently uses play therapy in individual and family therapy to help children heal from their previous traumas. She has extensive experience working with children of all ages, including the 0-5 age group. She speaks locally and nationally on a variety of play therapy topics.

Skill Level: Foundational

Play Therapy Primary Areas of Instruction: Play Therapy Skills and Methods

Seating is limited so register early!

6 APT Contact CEs. This program is currently pending approval for social work continuing education contact hours.

Payment must be made online at the time of registration to guarantee your seat. Registration is limited.

Workshop Schedule

Registration: 8:15-9:00 a.m.

Announcements/Sponsor sharing: 8:50- 9:00 a.m.

Workshop Session: 9:00-10:30 a.m.

Break: 10:30-10:45 a.m.

Workshop Session: 10:45-12:15 p.m.

Lunch (on your own): 12:15-1:30 p.m.

Workshop Session: 1:30-3:00 p.m.

Break: 3:00- 3:15 p.m.

Workshop Session: 3:15-4:45 p.m.

End of the Workshop: 4:45 p.m.

FOOD: Food and snacks are NOT provided at this workshop. You may bring your own food or go to a local restaurant during break.

CANCELLATION POLICY: All cancellations must be requested in writing and received no later than October 23, 2026. Cancellations are subject to a $25 processing fee. Substitutions may be made in writing for no additional cost. No refunds after October 23, 2026. No refunds are given due to inclement weather.

HANDOUTS: In an effort to reduce paper waste and be more “green,” our policy is to email all handouts. Please include a valid email address with your registration to receive the handouts.

PHOTO RELEASE: By registering for this conference, you are giving permission for MIAPT to use any photographs that are taken at the event containing your likeness for as long as MIAPT deems appropriate and desirable. Photographs may be used on the MIAPT website, social media pages, and/or newsletter for any purpose. By completing the registration, you are also consenting to waive any rights to the photographs indefinitely. If you do not wish to have your photo used, it is your responsibility to notify someone at registration of your request to be omitted.

MAILING LIST: By registering for this training with MIAPT, you consent to have your contact information added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time.

CONTINUING EDUCATION: This workshop for mental health professionals is sponsored by the Michigan Association for Play Therapy. APT Approved Provider 99-050. CE credit is offered for play therapy. The program offers 6.00 contact hours, with full attendance required. This program is currently pending approval for social work continuing education contact hours.

ADA: If you have special needs, please contact Sabrina Slagter at mymiapt@gmail.com.

The YMCA Kidzone MAY NOT BE USED for childcare during this workshop.

Thank you to our sponsor!