Committee Chairs

Governance committees are established by and report to the Board of Directors. These committees assist the board with its governance work. By contrast, management committees are established by and report to the CEO to ensure that programs (intended to achieve the Ends policies approved by the Board) are cost-effective, deemed clinically sound, and valued by members. You are invited to review our Program Committee Protocols.

Current chairs for our 2023-2024 year are:

Awards of Excellence Committee

Kristy Donaldson, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S
Chair 8/23-8/24
Owner, Private Practice, Premier Neurofeedback & Counseling Services, PLLC, Waco, TX
Management: Annually review and evaluate Award nominations.

Conference Program Committee

Michelle Pliske, DSW, LCSW, RPT-S
Chair 10/23-10/25
Assistant Professor, Pacific University
Management: Annually review conference program proposals.

Ethics and Practice Guidelines Committee

Lisa Anderson Mangan,MEd, LCPC, RPT-S
Chair 3/24-3/27
Clinical Director, Mountain Peaks, Inc., Great Falls, MT
Management: Tri-annually review and update Play Therapy Best Practices and Paper on Touch.

International Journal of Play Therapy® Clinical Editor

Sarah D. Stauffer, PhD, LPC, NCC, RPT-S
Clinical Editor 1/24-1/27
Psychologist at Cabinet de Psychothérapie, Switzerland
Management: Review and recommend edits to manuscripts submitted for possible publication in quarterly peer-reviewed journal issues.

International Liaison

Linda Homeyer, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S
Chair 10/18-current
APT Board Emeritus; Texas State University, San Marcos, TX
Management: Communicate and represent the goals and mission of the Association on an international scale.

Leadership Academy Committee

Rebekah Byrd,PhD, LCMHC, LPC, RPT-S
Chair 6/24-6/25
Associate Professor, Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, CT
Management: Annually review and recommend revisions to Leadership Academy curriculum. Observe and identify emerging class leaders.

Mining Report Clinical Editor

Yih-Jiun Shen, DEd, NCC
Clinical Editor 1/23-12/25
Associate Professor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, TX
Management: Review mental health publications and recommend citations for possible publication in quarterly mining reports.

Nominations Committee

Kim Vander Dussen, PsyD, RPT-S
Chair 10/24-10/25
Professor, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Anaheim, CA
Governance: Orient committee members about the board culture and leadership attributes. Review & recommend revisions to the Director Candidate Questionnaire. Annually approve slate comprising not more than six director candidates.

Play Therapy^TM Magazine Clinical Editor

Mandi Melendez, MA, LMFT-S, LPC-S, RPT-S
Clinical Editor 1/22-1/25
Owner, Nurture Family Counseling, Cedar Park, TX
Management: Review and recommend edits to manuscripts submitted for possible publication in quarterly magazine.

Registration and Continuing Education Committee

Mary M. Bennett, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S
Chair 8/24-8/26
Private Practice, Austin, TX
Management: Periodically review and recommend policy revisions to Registered Play Therapist & Supervisor and Approved Provider of Play Therapy Continuing Education programs.

Research Committee

Yi-Ju Cheng, PhD, LPC, NCC
Chair 8/22-8/24
Assistant Professor, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
Management: Foster research that advances play therapy, particularly studies that generate evidence-based play therapy treatments. Review and evaluate Research and Student Research Award nominations.

University Education Committee

Kasie Lee, PhD, LPC-MHSP, RPT-S
Chair 3/24-3/25
Assistant Professor of Counseling, Lipscomb University, Nashville, TN
Management: Periodically review and recommend policy revisions to the Approved  Centers of Play Therapy Education program. Review and recommend questions to be posed during History Speaks program interviews.