Jen Taylor Play Therapy Services

* If you are NOT a mental health professional, but you are looking for more information on The AutPlay Certification Program, please see AutPlay Training for Non-Mental Health Professionals here:  https://courses.jentaylorplaytherapy.com/courses/autplay-correspondence-training-for-non-mental-health-professionals **

Required reading - Participants must purchase the book – Understanding Autism: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guidebook for Children and Teens by Robert Jason Grant. 

Optional reading - AutPlay Therapy for Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: A Behavioral Play Based Approach by Robert Jason Grant.  

Books are sold separately and are not provided through this course. The books can be purchased on Amazon and other online retailers. 

About This Training:
This is a non-contact/home study training that focuses on learning the AutPlay® Therapy approach. There are four components necessary to complete the AutPlay Certification Program and become a Certified AutPlay Therapy Provider:

1) Complete the home study AutPlay® Therapy Intensive Training (16 CE Hrs). 

2) Read the book (Grant, R. J. (2021). Understanding Autism: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guidebook for Children and Teens, AutPlay Publishing. The book can be purchased on Amazon and other online retailers. 

3) Watch the recorded webinar (1.5 CE Hrs) Understanding Ableism and Neurodiversity in Play Therapy. The recorded webinar can be found in the home study trainings page.

4) Watch the recorded webinar Neurodiversity Affirming Play Therapy (2.5 CE Hrs). The recorded webinar can be found in the home study trainings page.

You will need internet access to complete this training. 

You will be asked to read through the PowerPoint (this is your training guide), you will also be asked to read articles/readings, watch video clips, and complete experiential activities. 

It’s expected that you will complete all the exercises and not skip over any parts of this training. Many of the exercises are referenced on the post exam at the end of the training. 

The Autplay Therapy Clinic – Robert Jason Gran Ed.D is solely responsible for the creation, content, and continuing education hours of each home study training. The AutPlay Therapy Clinic – Robert Jason Grant Ed.D utilizes Jen Taylor Play Therapy as a hosting site for home study and online trainings. Any technical issue such as not being able to login to a training should be directed to Jen Taylor Play Therapy info@jentaylorplaytherapy.com.  All governance issues related to any training should be directed to The AutPlay Therapy Clinic – Robert Jason Grant Ed.D.  If you have any questions, contact us at info@autplaytherapy.com.

Description:

This is an intensive training that focuses on teaching the AutPlay Therapy protocol, an integrative family play therapy approach to working with autistic children and adolescents, neurodivergent children, children with developmental disabilities and their families. AutPlay Therapy emphasizes a neurodiversity affirming an informed approach and harnesses the therapeutic powers of play to help address mental health issues for neurodivergent children and their families. This training presents an overview of autistic and neurodivergent children. How to build relationship and assess for needs (utilizing several AutPlay inventories) for target goal areas is covered along with parent and child co-change agent processes. Goal areas of connection, emotional regulation, and social navigation are described with example play therapy interventions for each area. The three progressive phases are presented (intake and assessment, structured play interventions, and termination). 

Parent/family/child involvement is explained with protocol for working with parents and children as partners in the process. The AutPlay Therapy Follow Me Approach is explained which details how to work with children with little to no engagement and attunement ability creating special play times to improve connection and relationship development. Additional components such as theoretical underpinnings, understanding dysregulation, improving regulation ability, research, and case examples are covered.  Several play therapy interventions are explained and demonstrated through session video clips. Experiential activities are presented, and case conceptualization and planning are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

1) Explain neurodiversity and implementing a neurodiversity affirming approach.
2) Describe the components of AutPlay Therapy including conducting an AutPlay Therapy session, theoretical underpinnings, phases of therapy, assessment and screening instruments, and goal planning.
3) Describe common mental health goals addressed in AutPlay Therapy.
4) Identify several structured play therapy interventions to use for addressing goals.
5) Discuss how to involve parents and other family members as co-change agents (partners).
6) Describe the AutPlay model of dysregulation
7) Identify play therapy interventions to address dysregulation issues.
8) Implement the AutPlay Follow Me Approach, designed for children with higher needs.
9) Describe how to work with parents in implementing AutPlay Follow Me play times at home.
10)  Explain research and evidence-based practices in AutPlay Therapy.
11) Outline the theoretical underpinnings of AutPlay, including seminal play therapy theories and other integrated methods.
12) Identify at least 6 AutPlay interventions to increase experiential knowledge.  

Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals:
This training is approved for 16 CE Hrs for the below continuing education bodies. Upon completion of the training materials, training evaluation, and post exam (with a score of 80% or higher), the training certificate of completion will be issued to the participant. 

- Robert Jason Grant Ed.D APT Approved Provider #12-318 for continuing education. If you are counting this training toward the 150 hours to become an RPT or RPT-S, the 16 CE Hrs can be calculated as any combination of 16 toward special topics, 16 toward applicants’ choice, or any combination of these and 2 hours can count toward seminal play therapy theories.   

- Robert Jason Grant Ed.D Certified Training Partner for IBCCES (International Board for Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards) #CE159432.

- AutPlay Therapy Clinic has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6595. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. AutPlay Therapy Clinic is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.