Greetings Playmates!

It’s been a hot summer but the sunshine and warm weather delights me. I can’t believe it’s already August and my young clients are talking about going back to school in about three weeks. Where did the summer go? Many of my teen clients are bemoaning the fact that they will soon be back into the school grind and some of the younger ones can hardly wait. I was always like one of the younger ones, even through grad school. I feel left out now when all of the back-to-school sales pop up and I don’t get to buy new crayons to put in my desk!
 
With school starting, we can plan to see a surge in new referrals as anxieties rise and problems pop up due to symptoms of ADHD in the classroom. It’s a tough transition for many of our clients which can put a burden on us as there are not enough therapists to go around. I hate having to tell prospective clients that my schedule is full and to send them away, referring them to others in the community whose schedules are also probably full. 
 
MIAPT exists to raise up and provide training and networking opportunities for play therapists. WE are the key to developing the play therapy community in Michigan. As a board, we are open to any and all ideas of new ways to provide support to our members and to spread awareness of the need for additional play therapists to other professionals. I’m ready and willing to talk with anyone who has ideas to help meet the needs for and of play therapists around the state. I’m here to help YOU find your niche within the organization. Fall is coming and with it, elections for officers to help lead the organization. Should your name be on the ballot? I’d be honored to talk with you. My personal email is dstek@sbcglobal.net.
 
Enjoy the several weeks of warm sunshine that we have left for this year. Soon it will be fall and time for sweatshirts and hot cider. My dad always said that time passes more quickly as you get older. I’m beginning to understand what he meant. 
 
Hugs to all (or other warm sentiments to those who are not huggers!)

Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2023-2024

Greetings Playmates!

It looks like we are going to have spring and summer at last! Yes, my garden is in and I am watching little plants pop themselves through the soil. It amazes me that I can put little tiny seeds in the dirt, wait a couple of weeks, and see actual plants growing. Then in a few weeks, we will start harvesting vegetables and herbs that we can eat now and throughout the next year. 

Have you registered for the APT conference in October? If you possibly can, I urge you to attend at least one APT conference during your career. It is a great experience. There is nothing like being in a room with 2500 other play therapists. You have the opportunity to rub shoulders with many of the authors and leaders in the field and learn from the best. In a week, you can earn up to 40 CEUs. It’s a big investment but it is worth it. If you can’t go this year, start saving now for a conference in the future. You won’t be sorry!

We are working on developing more networking opportunities throughout the state. Like many of you, I am the only play therapist at my office and no one else there really understands what I do. Before I got involved in the networking group in the Grand Rapids area, I felt isolated a lot. It was a long time between conferences and workshops and I didn’t have enough regular contact with other play therapists. Watch your email and social media for information about what is going on in your area. If you don’t see anything, reach out to us at mymiapt@gmail.com and we will help you get in touch with others near you.

Have a great summer, everyone!

Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022-2023

Greetings Playmates!

It looks like we’re moving toward spring in the near future. With all of the wild weather around the world lately, I’ve been grateful to live in Michigan where our weather is fairly moderate. I’ve got some seeds started to get a jump start on the garden. I’m looking forward to warm weather and watching things grow from little seeds to food we can put on the table.
 
Gardening is one of the things I do to take care of myself. It’s rewarding to see the tiny little plants poking their heads through the soil and watching them grow. It gets me outside in the sunshine and challenges my tendency toward perfectionism—because weeds are going to pop up no matter how hard I try to keep them away! As the season continues, we will get to harvest some delicious herbs, fruits, and vegetables.
 
Being a part of MIAPT is another thing that brings me joy and keeps me moving forward. I’m passionate about play therapy and convinced that the play therapy community must grow so that we can better meet the mental health needs of the children (and adults) in our state. There is a place for each of us in this organization. We are continuing to plant the seeds of committees and other opportunities for people to get involved so that we can keep MIAPT going and growing. What would you like to do to help provide good play therapy training and networking to others in Michigan? There’s a place for you! 
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022-2023

Greetings Playmates!

I’m excited!!! The MIAPT Annual Conference 2023 is just around the corner! Robyn Gobbel will be presenting on both days. Be prepared to be inspired. Robyn is an energetic presenter who knows how to take difficult subjects and make them understandable. She is encouraging and uplifting. 
 
While we are together for the conference, please take a look around and try to find the place where you can participate in the organization beyond just attending conferences. I did the conference attendance only for quite a while. I didn’t know there were needs and no one ever talked to me about it so I didn’t think I was important to MIAPT. Now I know how wrong I was. There were needs. There are needs. There is a place for each of us. You don’t have to jump right in to a board position. Would you be able to write an article for the newsletter? Would you enjoy helping out on the conference committee? What about the membership committee? There’s a place for you somewhere!
 
Finally, I want to thank you all for being part of the play therapy community. Don’t ever forget that what you do is important! See you soon!
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022-2023

Greetings Playmates!

The garden is resting for the winter. As I sit, avoiding some new reports I should be doing, I’m sipping on some chocolate tea and enjoying one of the fruits of our spring and summer labor. Eh, it’s the holiday season and this is supposed to be my morning off so those reports will have to wait!
 
I’m still extra hyped up about play therapy after the APT conference in October. It was invigorating, and even a little overwhelming to be in a room with over 2000 play therapists. Sitting next to some of the authors and presenters from whom I’ve learned AND being able to make friends with them made me feel like one of the “cool kids.”
 
After an experience like the APT conference, I am more committed than ever to doing all I can to help MIAPT grow and thrive. There just aren’t enough play therapists. Many of us have waiting lists. Thousands of children who need help are completely unserved or are served by clinicians who are not adequately trained to provide the best treatment for them. What can I do to spread interest in play therapy among other professionals? How can I help to make certain that more therapists are trained in play therapy? How can I build excitement among our members and inspire them to become more involved? 
 
I don’t have all of the answers to my questions. I do know that I can’t spread play therapy across the state by myself. Each and every person reading these words holds a small piece of the answer to my questions. Together, we can do much more than any one of us can do alone. Together, we can grow our organization and help it to thrive. Please join me in talking with others about play therapy. Become a part of one of the committees and get more involved. Run for a board position in the upcoming election. Working together, we can reach more of the clients in this state who need the help of play therapists.
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022-2023

Greetings Playmates!

My gardening saga is coming to an end for the year. The dogs have stolen their last cucumbers and beans and the harvest is winding down. As we were pulling out some of the spent vines and starting to put the garden away for the year, I was thinking about how mental health issues don’t have a season. October is filled with ADHD Awareness Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct 2-8), Bullying Prevention Month, National Depression Screening Day (Oct 6), and World Mental Health Day (Oct 10) among others. But in reality, every day needs to be mental health day.
 
I could site suicide rates, drug overdose rates, or hospitalizations for mental health issues, but those are just the tip of a very big iceberg. What about the mental health issues that aren’t counted? What about the children who fail in school because they have ADHD or depression or anxiety yet fall under the radar? What about the functioning addicts and alcoholics whose lives revolve around keeping their addictions secret? What about the relationships that are torn apart because of untreated mental health issues?
 
Where does MIAPT fit in the solution to these problems? Right now, we are a relatively small organization with just under 160 members. We certainly make a difference for the clients we see, but I don’t think that’s enough. What can we do to build a larger force to battle the need in our state? What can each of us do to help MIAPT grow to become a bigger part of the solution? I’m working on personally talking with three clinicians who work with children but are not play therapists before the end of the year. Will you join me? What other things can we do to help MIAPT reach more clinicians to help them reach more clients in need? Ideas are welcome.  Email me, please.
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022

Greetings Playmates!

The vegetable garden has started to produce! If you’re in the Grand Rapids area and need zucchini or cucumbers, let me know! My husband and I have been eating so many that we are about to turn green! The peas are almost done and the tomatoes, beans, okra, and squash are getting ready. My broccoli is looking rather hopeless. I’ve been harvesting herbs and have lots dried for the winter. Our dogs have found the cucumbers that have slipped through the fence and made unauthorized snacks of them. One of them pulled a towel from the countertop with peas that were just harvested and were drying. They both shared those…
 
MIAPT is also growing and producing! Just like the glitches involved in gardening, harvesting, and having pets who like to share, there are glitches in a growing organization. We are working on developing both a membership committee and a newsletter committee. It has been a struggle to get enough committed people on board to really get these off the ground. The committees are both excellent ways for YOU to get involved that don’t require a huge investment of time and energy. Elections for the board and nominations and elections committee members will be coming up in a couple of months. What are your interests? What holes can you help us fill? I know that I have received far more than I have contributed in new relationships, educational experiences, and the joy of being a part of a thriving organization. Please consider joining us. You won’t regret it! I’d welcome the opportunity to talk with any of you about what’s involved, answer your questions, and hear your ideas. YOU and the growing population of play therapists are why we do what we do. Call me at (616) 204-5663 and let’s talk!
 
Don’t forget to register for the APT conference that happens in October. This year it’s in St. Louis and there are a few of us registered to go. It’s an amazing experience learning from some of the big names in play therapy and getting to rub shoulders with people from all over. Also, check your email for the call for proposals for Saturday breakout sessions for the MIAPT 2023 Annual Conference that will take place on February 24-25, 2023.  
 
I’m headed out to the garden with a couple of buckets if you want to join me out there. I have to keep the dogs from eating the cucumbers that have snuck through the fence!
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022

Greetings Playmates!

It appears that spring has actually arrived in Michigan! My lilacs have just finished blooming and the seeds I planted in the garden have begun to push their tiny stems through the ground. I must now provide the care that will nurture them and help them to grow. They’ll need water, nutrients, mulch, weeding, and possibly some removal of destructive pests. I have work to do (but it’s fun work to me!)
 
As we on the Board look toward the future, we have responsibilities to the membership of MIAPT and work to do here as well. Our Strategic Plan includes new ideas for ways to grow and nurture both the organization and the play therapists who sprout from the seeds we plant. I invite each of you, as members, to share your vision and ideas for the organization with those of us on the Board. The easiest way to reach us is by email and I invite you to reach out. I would very much like to hear from YOU if you have idea seeds or are interested in getting more involved in the care and nurturing of the organization. We will grow and develop faster and healthier with more of us working together to nourish the organization and the individual play therapists who comprise it. 
 
Summer is quickly approaching. My hope is that each of us will have the opportunity at this time of year to take stock of our own schedules. This is a good time of year to weed out the things that cause us to grow unnecessarily weary. It is a good time to fertilize those parts of our lives that enrich us and cause us to grow. It is a good time to prepare for a full harvest of wisdom, knowledge, and productivity to reach out and help the clients with whom we work and help them learn to best care for their own life gardens.

I know of a few people who have already made plans to go to the APT International Conference in St. Louis this October. It's an amazing experience and an opportunity to learn a lot in a short period of time. If you're interested in going, I encourage you to register ASAP as classes fill quickly. We Michiganians who attend will have a chance to get to know one another better and have some fun in the process!
 
Once again, if you need me, I’ll be in the garden!
 
Playfully,

Diana

Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022

Greetings Playmates!
 
As I look outside, I’m anxious to get the garden tilled and some seeds planted so that we can have a bountiful harvest of vegetables and herbs later in the year. I enjoy the transitions from tilled dirt to tiny seedlings to strong plants to an abundant crop. Watching things grow, whether gardens or children or MIAPT is exciting. Planting a tiny seed and nurturing the growing plants makes me feel as though I’ve accomplished something good. 
 
We’ve made the transition to the new faces and roles on the board of MIAPT. We can be proud of our achievements over the past year. We have once again achieved Gold Branch status, the harvest of the past year’s work. Now we’re in the process of developing the Strategic Plan for the next three years and have some seeds of ideas about what we would like to do next. The biggest and best ideas include YOU. There are several committees that need members who are willing to spend some time in a more active role within the organization. Most are small commitments of a couple of hours a month. We need more hands to join us to continue to grow and thrive—and growing and thriving means a healthy crop of more therapists trained in play therapy and serving clients throughout the state. 
 
Spring is here according to the calendar! I’m not certain the weather has gotten the message yet but we who live in Michigan know that we will eventually transition to a new season. Let’s work together to help MIAPT remain a healthy, vibrant, growing organization. Our clients and future clients need a healthy crop of new play therapists to provide the best service possible. If anyone needs me, I’ll be out in the garden!
 
Playfully,

 
Diana Steketee, LLP, Registered Play Therapist™
President, MIAPT 2022

Hey there, MIAPT Branch Members!

It’s been an awesome privilege to have served as Branch president this year! I’m looking forward to seeing many of you in person this month for our Annual Conference in Lansing. It will be a great chance for us to reconnect, network with new faces, learn from our amazing presenters, and celebrate MIAPT turning 26!

Here’s some interesting MIAPT history …

The seeds of the Michigan Association for Play Therapy (MIAPT) began in 1993 when Patricia Armstrong began to inquire about interest in forming a Branch of the Association for Play Therapy in Michigan. In August of 1994 a letter of application was sent to the Association for Play Therapy (APT) by Patricia Armstrong. She received the Charter of the Michigan Association for Play Therapy on October 15, 1995 at the 12th Annual APT conference in San Francisco. MIAPT was the 20th official state Branch.

Pretty, cool, huh??? Why don’t we celebrate as a Branch, and thank all the board and committee members who have served us, by actively promoting play therapy … especially during National Play Therapy Week (February 6-12)! Make sure to:

• Attend our Virtual Member Kick-Off Meeting on Sunday, February 6th at 11:00 a.m.
• Promote our free virtual workshop “Intro to Play Therapy” to any interested agencies, professionals, and schools on Monday, February 7th at 7:00 p.m.
• On Tuesday, February 8th participate in our “Show Us Some Social Media Love” contest by following, liking, and sharing on any of the MIAPT social media platforms (one point for every new follow, like, or share … get the most points and win half off a 2022 MIAPT virtual training!)
• Post a Picture of your Playroom on social media on Wednesday, February 9th
• On Thursday, February 10th reach out to at least one person to have them become a new MIAPT member!
• Post of picture of YOU playing on Friday, February 11th
• Wrap up the week on Saturday, February 12th by connecting with a fellow MIAPT member and share a kind message or small gift!

Thank you so much for this opportunity to serve the Branch. I look forward to my commitment as past-president throughout the next year as we welcome in the new board at the annual conference later this month!
 
Playfully yours,

 
Laura Hutchison, PsyD, LP, RPT-S
President, MIAPT 2021