Presenter: Sheri Mitschelen, LCSW, RPT/S
3.0 Category 1 CEUs
Play Therapy can be used with all ages! This training is an introduction to the value of play and how to use play therapy from a developmental perspective with all ages. Directive play therapy interventions will be demonstrated to use for in person sessions as well as for telehealth sessions for children to adults.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss why play is an important part of the life span and what the benefits of play therapy are for clients of all ages.
- Discuss developmental considerations when introducing play therapy interventions with clients.
- Review 10 play therapy skills that can be used virtually and in person with clients of all ages.
About the Presenter:
Sheri Mitschelen, Owner and Director of Crossroads Family Counseling Center, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the Commonwealth of Virginia and a Registered Play Therapy-Supervisor (RPT-S), as well as the President for the Virginia Association for Play Therapy (VAPT).
Nurturing the emotional health of children and families has been the focus of her work for over 30 years. She has experience working with children struggling with home and school behavior, anxiety, depression, children who have sensory integration issues, families working through separation and/or divorce and families that are in conflict. She is also a Certified Positive Discipline Parent Educator having expertise to help parents with challenging behaviors and struggles with their children.She also provides supervision for social workers working toward their licensure and play therapy certification.
In 2009, she was voted as “One of the Best Child Therapists in the Area”, by her peers in the Washingtonian magazine.
Along with her therapy and supervision practice, she is the President for the Virginia Association for Play Therapy (VAPT). She is also an Adjunct Faculty member at Virginia Tech., Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Program teaching Play Therapy and an Adjunct faculty member at George Mason University and Catholic University of America in the School of Social Work. She has presented on play therapy topics for the Association for Play Therapy, University of Maryland Continuing Education program as well as in the Northern Virginia area and for Fairfax County schools.
Sheri received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from Ohio University in 1987 and earned a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) at University of Pittsburgh in 1989. She went on to complete a Family Therapy Certificate with the Alexandria Family Therapy Institute, an Infant/Child Mental Health Certificate at the Washington School of Psychiatry, an Adoption Competency Certificate from the University of Maryland while also completing her training to receive her Play Therapy certification and the ability to supervise play therapists. She is also trained in Theraplay® which focuses on strengthening the parent child attachment relationship.
For more about play therapy and a quote by Sheri explaining why it is important to teach parents to be “play therapists” with their kids read, Social Work Today: The Power of Play Therapy.
Owner, Crossroads Family Counseling Center
President, Executive Director, The Heart Leaf Center
President, Virginia Association for Play Therapy
www.crossroadsfamilycounselingcenter.com
www.theheartleafcenter.org