Infants & Children (IC) Play Therapy
This course was created and provided by the Virtual Center of Excellence (VCE), a former project of the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN). Content and format will be updated in the near future to address current accessibility standards. If you are unable to access the content in this section, please contact the imp support team for assistance.
This training explores the dynamics of trauma in a relational and developmental context, and play therapy intervention. Learners will develop skills in assessing levels of complexity of trauma and appropriate play therapy intervention. This would be appropriate for NBCC, CMHP, QMHP.
Defining Play Therapy.
This course has been designed to provide those direct care workers with youth clients, an overview of what Play Therapy is and how it can be included in larger treatment plans. This course will also help differentiate this type of therapy from others discussed in courses available to direct care workers.
Using Play Therapy with Your Clients.
Participants of this course will learn the basics of implementing Play Therapy into their practice. This course will also provide evidence-based best practices regarding this type of therapy and common pitfalls to be aware of when using this in your treatment plans. It is important to note that each client is different and may greatly benefit from play therapy given their situation. This course will help you determine when this will be the best tactic.
- Define play therapy and understand the differences in play therapy from other forms (I.e. CBT).
- Understand best practices when using play therapy with children in various situations.
Douglas Davies
MSW, PhD
Dr. Davies, is a Lecturer at the School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his PhD from the Program in American Culture, University of Michigan in 1978, and his MSW from the UM School of Social Work in 1979. He is an infant mental health specialist who was trained at the Child Development Project at the University of Michigan (Selma Fraiberg, Director). From 1979-1995, he was a Clinical Social Worker/Social Work Specialist in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient and Infant Psychiatry Programs in the Department of Psychiatry at UM. From 1991-2000, he was Lecturer in Psychiatry at the UM Medical School.
From 1987 to 2005, when he retired as Clinical/Practice Associate Professor, he taught at the UM School of Social Work. He continues to teach courses on interpersonal practice with children and adolescents there part-time. In 2005, he was elected to the National Academies of Practice, Washington DC, as a "Distinguished Social Work Practitioner," and endorsed as a "Distinguished Infant Mental Health Mentor" by the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. In 2007 he received a lifetime award, The Selma Fraiberg Award, from the Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.
Course Progress
Course Content
What People Are Saying
It was convenient and I was able to go at a pace in which I feel comfortable learning."
