Claire Lewis, LMFT, of Nicholasville has earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), according to the organization’s CEO, Kathryn Lebby.

Lewis is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.

To become a Registered Play Therapist, applicants must have earned a traditional master’s or higher mental health degree from an institution of higher education, 150 clock hours of play therapy training, two years and 2,000 hours of clinical experience, 500 hours of supervised play therapy experience, and be licensed or certified by their state boards of practice.

Play therapy continues to gain popularity as an effective modality by which licensed mental health professionals, school counselors and school psychologists use play therapy theories and techniques in developmentally appropriate ways to better communicate with and help clients. This is especially the case for children.

APT is a national professional society formed in 1982 to advance the field of play therapy. It sponsors research, training and credentialing programs to assist the professional development of its nearly 6,000 member psychologists, social workers, counselors and marriage and family therapists in more than 25 nations.

Play Therapy is a mental health modality used by licensed mental health professionals, when developmentally appropriate, to better communicate with and help clients achieve optimal mental health. It is particularly effective with children because, just as adults use words to communicate ideas and feelings, children use play. See the Why Play Therapy section of the APT website for additional information.

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a national professional society formed in 1982 to advance the play therapy modality and serve the research, training, and credentialing needs of its member counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Licensed mental health professionals may earn and maintain its Registered Play Therapist (RPT), Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S), and School Based-Registered Play Therapist credentials.

Visit the APT website, www.a4pt.org, for more on play therapy.