important updates
  • Apply now: All application fees currently waived!
  • This program is open only to applicants residing within the United States.

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At a Glance

  • 1-year (part-time), fully online program
  • Completion of 13 academic units
  • $4,500 flat rate for entire certificate program
  • Faculty mentoring and support available
  • Christian environment emphasizing compassionate whole person care
Play therapist engages with a child

What is play therapy?

Learn more about this treatment modality for children and what you will learn over the course of the 13-unit Play Therapy certificate program.
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Program Director: Kimberly R. Freeman, PhD

The Play Therapy certificate is housed in the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies in the School of Behavioral Health. The program is available online only and is authorized in these states. (This program is not open to international applicants.)

Admission

Applicants must meet the admission requirements as follows:

  • A fully completed LLU application form.
  • A graduate with a licensable mental health degree from an accredited university. (Official transcripts are evidence of degrees and courses completed.) Individuals already licensed as a mental health professional must be in good standing with the relevant licensing board.
  • Consideration for admission will be given to individuals in the process of completing a licensable mental health graduate degree from an accredited university. Applicant must be in good academic standing and have permission from their current program to enroll.
  • Submit three letters of recommendation from an academic source, professional peer, and/or a work supervisor.

Admissions FAQ

Application Cycle

Quarter Application Opens Application Closes Program Start Date
Summer November 15 April 15 June
Fall November 15 July 15 September
Winter April 15 October 15 January
Spring April 15 January 15 March

Program Curriculum

Length of Program: 4 academic quarters—based on part-time enrollment

  • PLTH 513 Introduction to Play Therapy (3 units)
  • PLTH 516 Child-Centered Play Therapy (3 units)
  • PLTH 546 Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (3 units)
  • PLTH 550 Trauma Focused Play Therapy (3 units)
  • RELE 510 Service Learning (1 unit)

Curriculum Guide Course Descriptions

Anne Leah D. Guía
The Play Therapy Certificate program at Loma Linda University helped me understand how to work with children and families. As an early childhood educator, I wanted to see how theories of play and play therapy intersected, and how play could support children going through difficult times in their lives. LLU's program enhanced my understanding of children, youth, and behavioral health, and how to guide young ones toward wholeness.

Program Cost

Flat rate of $4,500.00 for the entire Play Therapy certificate program. Payment can be divided over the 4 quarters of the program.

Certification Information

Completion of the Play Therapy certificate coursework at Loma Linda University does not include certification as a Registered Play Therapist. Individuals must apply to the Association for Play Therapy and complete all additional requirements. This program is not available to international students.

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Meet Your Instructors

Dr. Danielle L. Clair, DMFT, AMFT

Dr. Danielle L. Clair, DMFT, AMFT

Dr. Danielle L. Clair, DMFT, AMFT is a Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy (DMFT) and an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist. She received both her Doctor of Marital and Family Therapy and a Play Therapy Certificate from Loma Linda University. She is an adjunct faculty member for Loma Linda University's School of Behavioral Health and teaches courses for the Play Therapy Certificate, Child Life Specialist MS, Marital and Family Therapy MS, and Counseling MS programs. Doing so has allowed Dr. Clair to continue to enhance upon the University's profound legacy of nourishing students' interest in learning how to therapeutically engage with young children, adolescents, and the whole family system. Dr. Clair is a current member of American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and the Association for Play Therapy, where she also served previously as President-Elect for the San Bernardino Chapter of the California Association for Play Therapy (CalAPT). She currently serves on the board of Saving Innocence, a distinguished organization premised upon the mission to end child sex trafficking. Dr. Clair is a Play Therapist at Modern Parenting Solutions in Redlands, CA and specializes in helping young children overcome their emotional and behavioral challenges using play therapy modalities that promote emotional resilience in children and increased attunement in the parent-child relationship.

Felisha Cullum, MA, LMFT, RPT

Felisha Cullum, MA, LMFT, RPT

Felisha Cullum, MA, LMFT, RPT is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist. She received graduate study in Play Therapy and her Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Fox University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University. Felisha has worked as an instructor and supervisor for the Play Therapy Certificate program for the last 5 years, teaching courses such as Trauma Focused Play Therapy, Filial Therapy, Play Therapy with Adolescents and Adults, and Play Therapy with Illness and Injury. She is an active member of the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and has over 4 years' experience volunteering for the San Bernardino Chapter of the California Association for Play Therapy (CalAPT), where she served as Secretary, President-Elect, and President. Felisha also maintains a private practice at High Desert Christian Family Counseling in Victorville, CA.

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S

Georgie Wisen-Vincent, LMFT, RPT-S is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Georgie earned a Postgraduate Master's degree in Child Centered Play Therapy at the University of Roehampton, London, United Kingdom. Now as a member of the British Association of Play Therapists and the American Association for Play Therapy, she has advanced training in directive and nondirective play therapy approaches in the treatment of trauma, attachment, emotional and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents. Georgie is an adjunct instructor for the Play Therapy Certificate program and has supervised play therapy interns for years as an RPT-S. In her private practice, she also leads a team of neurorelational play therapists at The Center for Connection in Pasadena, CA. She is frequently invited to speak to parents and professionals on the extraordinary benefits of play in helping children heal from trauma. Georgie brings over two decades of experience working with children, teens, and families using creative and somatic play-based therapies to our Play Therapy certificate program. What she feels most inspired by is the dedication to play therapy study and application undertaken by Loma Linda University social work and psychology students who enter the program, and the clear advantages of having such an in-depth training under their belts by graduation. Not only are our students better equipped to work with clinically challenging child populations, but their play therapy experience makes them extremely competitive compared to the average applicant for first choice jobs and internships straight out of graduate school. Earning the Play Therapy Certificate at Loma Linda University takes students beyond the books and offers them real, hands-on experience in the primary language of children's emotions—play—to develop stronger relationships, recovery, and resilience.

Sydney Rucker
I am very thankful to have attended Loma Linda University's Play Therapy program. The various approaches to play therapy provided different skills and techniques that have been very helpful in my work with children and families. The role-playing exercises in the program were a useful way to simulate realistic responses.