This specialized one-year certificate program is designed to provide a comprehensive foundation in treatment of children within a family context. Participants will gain skills in understanding and working with pre-adolescent children using a range of interventions such as play therapy, age-specific therapeutic games, and art activities. At the same time, students will learn to comprehend and work with the family dynamics that frequently underlie or exacerbate a child's distress.
Child and Family Therapy
Program Overview
From the Director
“This certificate provides a comprehensive spectrum of courses for clinicians interested in expanding and deepening their understanding of work with children ages pre-school through latency. In addition to play therapy, the curriculum includes courses in child development, attachment, parenting, diagnosis of disorders of childhood, and child-focused family interventions. This course utilizes a focus on practice with children and families in a range of settings, including treatment strategies for children who have been traumatized, as well as those seen in schools and family service agencies.”
-Judith Siegel, PhD, LCSW, Director
Program Requirements
This certificate requires the completion of three trimesters over one year. Each trimester will be comprised of nine (9) two-and-one-half (2.5) hour sessions for a total of 27 class sessions. Assignments include weekly readings and a final learning assessment in the form of a project or test.
There are two sections offered. Students must choose one section: Monday evening (6:00 pm to 8:30 pm) or Friday morning (9:15 am to 11:45 am). See the Program Calendar below for details.
Program Highlights
- Focus on child development from infancy to age 12
- Focus on disorders associated with trauma
- Explore influence of family dynamics on child behavior
- Assessing parenting skills
- Play therapy: pre-school through preadolescent children
- Play therapy with traumatized children
Continuing Education Units
NASW-approved CEUs: 67.5
Play Therapy Hours
Association of Play Therapy (APT Provider 09-244) approved hours: 36
2014-15 Program Calendar
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What I appreciated most about this program was the bounty of real-life experience that the faculty brought to the classroom. Classroom and case discussions helped us translate those perspectives, theories, and concepts into our own work environment. This is a great program to receive a wealth of current information based on sound studies and superb applicability in a short amount of time.
- Dr. Beatrice Kraemer, Clinical Psychologist, President and Founder of Parenting At Its Best
- Dr. Beatrice Kraemer, Clinical Psychologist, President and Founder of Parenting At Its Best