The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a national professional society established in 1982 to foster contact among mental health professionals interested in exploring and, when developmentally appropriate, applying the therapeutic power of play to communicate with and treat clients, particularly children.

Association News

Play Therapy at AAP!
APT exhibited at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Conference on September 16-19 in Chicago, IL! IJPT Editor, Franc Hudspeth, PhD, RPT-S and APT Member Laura Tejada, PhD, RPT-S assisted Clinical Coordinator, Claudia Vega, PhD, and Project Coordinator, Megan Dawes with educating approximately 16,000 pediatricians on the importance of play therapy! APT first exhibited at AAP in 2016 when the Association began a public awareness campaign focused on educating pediatricians and other medical professionals on the value of play therapy and the resources available through APT. This campaign included a personalized letter mailed to 30,000 pediatricians in addition to digital advertising.
Double Your Foundation Contributions!
Did you know that you can double your contributions to the Foundation for Play Therapy? If your company offers a matching program for charitable donations, the Foundation for Play Therapy is an eligible match. Double check your contributions today! You can also donate just by shopping on Amazon! Available through the AmazonSmile Foundation, the Foundation for Play Therapy will receive .5% of the purchase price to help fund public therapy awareness. Shop today and spread the word!

APT Celebrates 35 Years!

This has been a year of recognition, celebration, and looking back on over three decades of promoting the value of play, play therapy, and credentialed play therapists! It's not too late to join the fun! Enter our "Where's the Dude?!" photo contest, join your friends and peers at the 35^th Birthday Bash during the Annual APT International Conference, and follow us on social media to enjoy our throwback pictures from the early days of APT.