Child and Family Therapy

Online Post-Master's Certificate Program

This certificate provides a comprehensive spectrum of courses for clinicians interested in expanding and deepening their understanding of work with children ages preschool through latency and their families. In addition to play and creative arts therapy, the curriculum includes courses in child development, trauma, attachment, parenting, childhood, and child-focused family interventions. This course utilizes a non-oppressive, culturally competent practice approach to working with diverse children and their families in a range of settings, including schools, immigration services, and family-centered agencies.

Program Highlights

• Focus on trauma and its reverberations through child development from infancy to age 12
• Explore the influence of family dynamics and intergenerational trauma on child behavior and relationship dynamics
• Assess parenting skills
• Support the under-resourced family
• Culturally competent practice with LGBTQIA and BIPOC families
• Play therapy and creative arts therapy with preschool through preadolescent children

This certificate requires the completion of 24 two-hour online sessions over the course of two semesters. Assignments include weekly readings and a final learning assessment in the form of a project or written assignment.

The program runs on Thursdays from 6:00–8:00 pm ET, over the 2024-25 academic year. These classes will be offered live online.

Fall 2024

• September 5, 12, 19, 26
• October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
• November 7, 14, 21
• December 5, 12

Spring 2025

• January 23, 30
• February 6, 13, 20, 27
• March 6, 13, 20, 27
• April 10 (make-up, as needed)

Aminda Heckman, PhD, LCSW, Program Director

Aminda Heckman is a Clinical Associate Professor and Coordinator of NYU Silver's Rockland County campus. Dr. Heckman’s research interests are linguistically and culturally competent social work practice and education; mental health services in urban communities; and integrated primary and behavioral health. Her clinical experience includes inpatient pediatric psychiatry and outpatient adult mental health.

48 NYSED and ASWB/ACE Continuing Education Contact Hours will be awarded for this program.

55 jurisdictions accept ACE-approved provider CE contact hours. ACE is not an approved Continuing Education provider in the states of New York (though NYU Silver is NYSED CE approved in NYS) and West Virginia, unless the event is outside of West VA. ACE only approves individual courses in New Jersey, though NYU Silver is CSWE-accredited and therefore accepted for licensed NJ professionals. Here is a full list of statutes related to social work CE.

Access the Post-Master's Certificate application here.

The cost of this certificate program is $3,016, which includes registration and application fees and the cost of an online compendium of readings.

Available discounts include:

• 25% discount for NYU Silver School of Social Work MSW/PhD alumni
  
• 25% discount for practicum instructors currently working with NYU Silver School of Social Work graduate students.
• 15% discount for applicants who have already completed one NYU Silver certificate program.
• 50% discount for veterans.

Please note: discounts may not be combined.

Deposit: Upon acceptance into the program, a $250 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place. This deposit is applied to the total cost of tuition. Remaining payments are broken into two installments and must be paid by the due date indicated in the acceptance notification.