Member Publications

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) provides official publications to its membership, in the form of:

International Journal of Play Therapy^®

The International Journal of Play Therapy^® is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal with scholarly articles about current play therapy research, case studies, theoretical applications, and current practices. The journal is published by the American Psychological Association (APA) and its articles are available on PsychNet.

Play Therapy™ Magazine

Play Therapy^TM  Magazine is a full-color, quarterly publication offering important information about clinical and professional best practices, experiential and research-based play therapy applications, association program news, member recognition's, play therapy book reviews and other features for both mental health professionals and the general public.

Mining Reports

A quarterly electronic publication or Mining Report, to alert play therapists about current or emerging mental health trends, cutting-edge best practices, and other wisdom. Recent multi-disciplinary publications (intelligence) are scanned (mined) and citations reported to assist those who teach, practice, and supervise play therapy.

APT Play Today

A weekly electronic newsletter to alert and inform members about association news, service and recognition opportunities, and upcoming deadlines.

• Advertising Rates, Specifications & Details
  

Why Play Therapy? Brochure

A brochure to explain the value of play, play therapy, and credentialed play therapists to the public. Useful for parents, teachers and other mental health professionals. Brochures are available in packages of 25 in both English, Spanish, and French via APT Store.

Research & Practice

Research

APT encourages play therapy research that demonstrates the value and effectiveness of play and play therapy, increases play therapy knowledge or improves play therapy techniques, and supports evidence-based play therapy practices.

Also available: Why Play Therapy is Appropriate for Children with Symptoms of PTSD

Play Therapy Best Practices

To assist play therapy practitioners, supervisors, and instructors, APT offers a Paper on Touch and endorses Play Therapy Best Practices. Both documents are updated on a triannual basis by the APT Ethics Committee. Based on the recent Play Therapy Best Practices updates, Ethical Considerations for Implementing Telemental Health in Play Therapy was reprinted in the September 2023 issue of Play Therapy^TM Magazine, offering reflective questions to guide ethical service delivery.

Seminal & Historically Significant Play Therapy Theories

Understanding and articulating the therapeutic powers of play, and overlaying clinical theories and practical approaches is foundational to solid play therapy practice. In the September 2019 Issue of Play Therapy^TM Magazine, APT featured seminal and historically significant play therapy theories that drive play therapy practice. These play therapy theory articles are now available to share with your students, supervisees, or as a reference in your next research!

• Adlerian Play Therapy
  
• Attachment Theory and Theraplay®  (historically significant approach)
  
• Child-Centered Play Therapy
  • Filial Therapy (historically significant approach based on CCPT)
    
• Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy
  
• Ecosystemic Play Therapy
  
• Gestalt Play Therapy
  
• Jungian Analytical Play Therapy
  
• Psychoanalytic Play Therapy
  

Additional Resources

Therapeutic Powers of Play

The “20 Therapeutic Powers of Play” wheel chart featured in the September 2019 Play Therapy^TM Magazine is now available in English, Spanish, and French.

Play Therapy Versus a Play-Based Therapy

Featured in the June 2021 Play Therapy^TM Magazine, Play Therapy Versus a Play-Based Therapy, provides an overview of the differences between play therapy and play-based therapies.

COVID-19 Interventions

APT is excited to announce the release of COVID-19 Interventions, a new resource created by play therapists, for play therapists. What started as a simple conversation between play therapists grew into a compilation of interventions to facilitate the therapeutic process during this pandemic.

Disaster Activity Book for Kids - FREE Download

Too Much Weather is an activity book to help children cope with natural disasters such as hurricanes.  The activities for this book were created by Drs. Anne Stewart and Danielle Budash, both Registered Play Therapist - Supervisors and faculty in the Department of Graduate Psychology at James Madison University.

A Collection of Play Interventions for School Counselors

To learn more about play and activities to incorporate as a school counselor with elementary, middle school, and high school students, view A Collection of Play Interventions for School Counselors. These interventions were compiled by APT members Ann L Tilman, EdD , SB-RPT, Mary Anne Peabody, EdD , LCSW, RPT-S, and Carly Lott, MA, NCC, NCSC. Activities range from individual, small group, and classroom counseling lesson. Each activity is aligned with the American School Counselor Association’s domains, mindsets and behaviors, and the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework.