(Clovis, CA) The Professional Counseling Program at Texas State University San Marcos has earned designation as an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), according to its CEO, Bill Burns, CAE.

      The Center will be launched in January by its director, Mary Morrison Bennett, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S, assistant professor of in the Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psychology Department of Texas State University-San Marcos.

      “Because the rapidly increasing use of play therapy is also boosting demand for more university play therapy programs, APT applauds College of Education Dean, Stan Carpenter, and Department Chair Linda Homeyer for approving the establishment of the Center,” says Burns. “We are confident that, under the leadership of Dr. Bennett, it will significantly advance our growing field and serve those who counsel clients, particularly children, in schools, public agencies, private practices, and other venues.” 

      APT, a national professional society, estimates that play therapy is routinely utilized by thousands of licensed psychologists, social workers, counselors, and marriage and family therapists within and outside of the United States. Noting membership has doubled during the last decade, Burns reports that nearly 16% of accredited universities now offer some combination of play therapy graduate instruction and supervised play therapy experiences.

 

Photo caption: Center Director Mary Morrison Bennett (center) with Dr. Stan Carpenter, Dean of the College of Education (left) and CLAS Department Chair, Dr. Linda Homeyer (right).

For interviews: Mary Morrison Bennett, (512) 245-9071, mbennett@txstate.edu , or Bill Burns, APT, (559) 294-2128, x6, bburns@a4pt.org.

For more information: Play Therapy, www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=_4ovwAdxCs0&vq=medium, APT, www.a4pt.org, and Texas State University-San Marcos, http://www.txstate.edu/clas/