The Brain and the Body in Play Therapy Ethics: Texas Ethics, Research, and APT Best Practice Guidelines

Play therapists face numerous complex ethical dilemmas involving both children,

their caregivers, and their families. These dilemmas raise emotional responses,

intuitiveness, and sensations in the body as conflict arises in the play therapist

surrounding how to respond. Expressive modalities will be used for processing

dilemmas of the past and preparation for those in the future.

This training will utilize Texas state licensing Rules, Codes of Ethics, How to User

Guides, and APT Best Practice guidelines with 15+ play therapy vignettes involving

ethical dilemmas. Special emphasis will be given to the following areas within APT

Best Practice Guidelines; the therapeutic relationship; parents and family;

confidentiality; professional responsibility; relationship with other professionals;

evaluation, assessment, and interpretation; supervision and consultation;

technology and telehealth.

For those gray areas when there isn’t clarity of rules, codes, how to user guides,

and guidelines, participants will have the opportunity to select from five personal

moral decision-making models to apply to their own play therapy practices.

Current research and recommendations for play therapy practice will be included.

1. Select from expressive modalities to process past and future emotional

responses and sensations in the body

2. Identify up to date Texas Ethics rules and code of ethics for LPC, LMFT, and

LSW licenses applied to play therapy

3. Apply APT Best Practice guidelines with 15+ play therapy vignettes

4. Describe current research for play therapy practice, recommendations, and

guidelines of boards and associations regarding the use of social media and

telehealth sessions

5. Select from five moral decision-making models to use with ethical

dilemmas in play therapy practice

6. Evaluate personal play therapy professional practices with current rules,

recommendations, and guidelines

Bio:

DR. RHONDA JOHNSON

LPC-S, LMFT-S, RPT-S, TBRI PRACTITIONER, EMDR CONSULTANT, SOMATIC

EXPERIENCINGTM PRACTITIONER

Dr. Rhonda Johnson is the founder and owner of the Center for Counseling and

Family Relationships, a large, thriving group practice that was established in 2007

and specializes in family systems and trauma-informed approaches. Dr. Johnson is

also the founder and owner of CCFAM Training, established in 2012 offering

supervision and ethics trainings throughout Texas, and Play Therapy Training

Resources, established in 2021 as the new home for play therapy trainings,

resources, and the ALLMEE© doll. Through these companies, she provides

continuing education, supervision, and consultation.