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Certifications
 Currently, the Family Enhancement and Play Therapy Center
offers certifications in Filial Therapy. The requirements and process
are outlined below. People who attend our Intensive Filial Therapy
Training Program or the more advanced Filial Therapy trainings automatically
receive information about this certification program.
Please Note: If you are interested in a more general
play therapy credential, the Registered Play Therapist or Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor,
please visit the Association for
Play Therapy website. All of our training programs and video workshops
meet the requirements for this credential as well.
About Certification in Filial Therapy
Certification in filial therapy is a credential which shows that you have achieved
proficiency and specialized competency in this field. Certification shows
that you have had extensive training, supervision, and experience in filial play
therapy. The Certified Filial Therapist has demonstrated competence in
this family therapy/play therapy approach, and we will work with you to help
you achieve this credential. (Please note: Many of the requirements
for this certification parallel those for the Association for Play Therapy's
Registered Play Therapist credential and can be used for both.)
The following certifications are available:
• Filial Play Associate
• Filial Therapist
• Filial Therapy Instructor
Purpose
This certification is designed to establish a stringent and meaningful credential
for professionals using Filial Therapy. Its purpose is to demonstrate to
consumers and referral sources that a person has achieved a high level of
training, experience, and competence in the practice of Filial Therapy. (The
specific licensing laws of the candidate’s state, province, or country
govern the independent practice of mental health and must be followed; this
certification has no impact or authority in that arena.)
The Filial Therapy Certification is a competence-based
credential. As such, it is awarded to professionals who have clearly
demonstrated their ability to conduct Filial Therapy. The requirements
for certification listed herein are guidelines toward achieving that
competence but should not be viewed as “absolutes.” The over-riding
requirement is demonstrated competence.
Requirements
The requirements for certification are listed below.
The Family Enhancement and Play Therapy Center, Inc. offers training
and supervision that meet
these requirements. If you have any questions about your own background
and equivalent
training/experience you’ve had, please contact us early in the application
process.
Education:
Applicants must have a Master’s degree or higher from an accredited institution
in a mental health, medical, or educational profession and demonstrate a well-rounded
background in child development, clinical intervention, and family systems.
Graduate coursework (or its equivalent in workshops) is expected in the following
subject areas:
Child Development
Family Development
Intervention Theories and Techniques
Family Therapy from a Systemic Perspective
Basic Research Methods/Outcome Evaluation
Experience:
A clinical or counseling license to practice in their state, province, or country
usually demonstrates that applicants have sufficient general practice experience.
In general, applicants for Filial Therapy Certification will have approximately
2 years of post-master’s experience, although they may take the trainings
and supervised practice leading up to the FT Certification before achieving
this level of experience.
Sequence of Training and Supervision
Requirements:
Nondirective play therapy
~21-25 hours
Successful completion of a university course or intensive training, or its
equivalent
Completion of one or both of the following educational resources:
Wilson & Ryan
book: Nondirective Play Therapy
VanFleet DVD workshop: Child-Centered Play Therapy
Supervised practice of nondirective/child-centered
play therapy
2 children with at least 10-12 sessions each (need not be “clinical” cases)
With live or videotaped supervision/consultation from a pre-approved supervisor
Introduction to Filial Therapy (overview
and basic practice)
~12 hours
2-day introductory training in Filial Therapy + VanFleet book (Filial Therapy)
Or VanFleet DVD workshop + VanFleet book (Filial Therapy) + completed CE
exam
Intensive Filial Therapy
Training Program (how to conduct it)
~27 hours
Prerequisites: Training and supervised experience with nondirective play
therapy; Introduction to FTcourse and/or DVD-book option
4-day training with experienced Filial Therapist who has completed the Instructor
Training or its equivalent (must include all elements of original Guerney
model)
Supervised practice of Filial
Therapy
Prequisites: Extensive Introductory Course in FT and/or the Intensive
FT Training Program
6-7 families, with portions of each supervised, live or via video
Advanced Filial Therapy Training
Program (complex problems, adaptations)
~16 hours
Prerequisites: Intensive FT Training Program plus supervised practice
with several families
2-day training + VanFleet/Guerney book (Casebook of FT)
Certification (based
on demonstrated competence)
- Submit completed application form and fee
- Submit cases on DVD, as specified below
- Complete examination
- Submit references from supervisors of nondirective
play therapy and Filial Therapy practice
Application Process
 Application Documents:
Once you have completed all of the requirements, obtain the application packet
from the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, complete and submit
it with the required documentation and fees.
The Family Enhancement & Play
Therapy Center will notify you within approximately 1 month if your
application meets the
basic requirements or will inform you of any areas needing further work
or documentation.
Video/DVD Submission:
After notification that your documents are complete, you will be asked to submit
videotaped segments of your work with children and families. Approximately
7 hours of videotape are required:
- Videos of 2 different child-centered play therapy
cases, 2 half-hour sessions each (total of 1 hour per case)
- Videos of 2 different Filial Therapy cases.
For each case:
- 1 training (mock play)
session (~1⁄2
hour per case)
- 1 supervised Filial play session and discussion,
early in therapy (~1 hour/case)
- 1 supervised Filial play sessions and discussion,
later in therapy (~1 hr/case)
- If your supervision is completed
with the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, then these
requirements may be decreased to 1 child-centered play therapy case
and 1 Filial Therapy
case.
Examination:
You will be asked to complete a brief essay examination that requires you to
integrate and apply information about Filial Therapy. This assessment is
straightforward and is a “take-home” type examination. A grade
of 85% or higher is necessary for certification.
Fees:
A nonrefundable application fee of $450 is required. Although application does
not guarantee certification, we will work with you to overcome obstacles
and assist you in the process. If you are uncertain about your credentials,
training, and supervised experience, you may contact us for a preliminary,
informal review for a fee of $50. Quick questions are answered at no charge.
Certification:
If your application, videos/DVDs, and examination meet the requirements, you
will receive your certificate in approximately 6 weeks. If there are deficiencies,
we will be glad to work closely with you, within reason, to help you reach
certification status. To avoid a reapplication process, you will need to
reach certification status within 2 years of your initial application.
Questions:
Please direct questions to Dr.
Risë VanFleet at
717-249-4707 or [email protected].
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