A Time For Play

10/09/2026

10/09/2026

What an amazing day today! We had a full house at our Adlerian Play Therapy part 1 today!

10/07/2026

💙 Depression Awareness: Sometimes What We See Isn’t What a Child Is Feeling

Depression doesn’t always look like sadness. Sometimes, it looks like anger, defiance, frustration, or behaviors that adults struggle to understand.

Steven L. Parks, LCSW-S, RPT-S, Executive Director of A Time for Play, shares an important reminder:

“Depression is not always tearful, withdrawn, or sad. On the contrary, depression, especially in children, may manifest as anger, defiance, and surliness.”

Children experiencing depression may feel disconnected from the joy they see around them. Too often, their emotional struggles are misunderstood, and they are labeled as difficult or defiant when they may actually be hurting.

For some children, depression is connected to traumatic experiences that they don’t yet have the words to explain.

💙 This is where Play Therapy can make a difference.

Through therapeutic play, children have opportunities to process trauma, express difficult emotions, and work through experiences that may feel overwhelming.

As Steven explains:

“The playroom becomes a safe space for children to vent their discontent, decry their misfortunes, and rediscover playfulness, healing, and resiliency.”

At A Time for Play, we are committed to educating mental health professionals and expanding access to the therapeutic power of play.

Let’s look beyond the behavior, recognize the hurt, and help children find their way back to joy.

🔗 Learn More & Find Resources:

💙 A Time for Play – www.atimeforplay.org⁠

💙 Association for Play Therapy – www.a4pt.org⁠

💙 National Institute of Mental Health – www.nimh.nih.gov⁠

Image from Mama Owl’s Minis

09/23/2026

🧠✨ PLAYING WITH ADHD: Play Therapy with Children with ADHD ✨🧠

Join Steven L. Parks, LCSW-S, MBA, RPT-S for a live, interactive virtual training focused on understanding ADHD through a neurobiological lens—and putting that understanding into practice through Play Therapy!

Participants will explore functional assessment, practical Play Therapy skills and interventions, and ways to support children with ADHD across school, family, and social systems. The day includes lecture, video demonstration, case discussion, and interactive practice.

📅 Friday, October 2, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CDT
💻 Live Interactive Webinar
🎓 6 CE Hours
💰 $200
👥 All learning levels welcome

⭐ Neurobiological understanding of ADHD
⭐ Functional assessment skills
⭐ Play Therapy interventions
⭐ Case discussion & hands-on practice
⭐ Supporting healthy functioning across systems
⭐ Knowing when additional treatment services may be appropriate

Register today: www.atimeforplay.com

A Time for Play
APT Approved Provider 19-582 | NBCC Provider 6984 | ACE Approved Provider

09/15/2026

SAVE THE DATE — October Trainings are coming!
October is packed with opportunities to learn, grow, and strengthen your Play Therapy skills with A Time for Play! 💜 Choose from convenient Virtual/Zoom options or join us in person at United Way Houston.
📚 OCTOBER TRAINING LINEUP
💻 Oct. 2 | Virtual
Playing with ADHD
🏫 Oct. 8 | In Person
Adlerian Play Therapy Theory & Skills (1 of 2)
🏫 Oct. 22 | In Person
Adlerian Play Therapy Theory & Skills (2 of 2)
💻 Oct. 30 | Virtual
Jungian Play Therapy & Sandtray
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM CST
✨ Continuing Education Approvals:

A Time for Play is an APT Approved Provider (19-582), NBCC Approved Continuing Education Provider (6984), and ACE Approved Provider.

Ready to learn, play & grow? Save the dates and reserve your spot!

💻 Register at atimeforplay.org (link in our profile)

09/10/2026

We have a new self paced trading available! Visit our website to learn more.

08/26/2026

Need Play Therapy CE hours, but finding time for another scheduled training feels impossible? We’ve got you covered! 💜🎨

A Time for Play offers SELF-PACED Play Therapy trainings designed to fit into your schedule. No specific training date. No logging onto Zoom at a certain time. Learn when and where it works best for you!

✨ Current self-paced trainings include:

⭐ History of Play Therapy & the Therapeutic Powers of Play
🌈 Ethical LGBTQ+ Affirmative Practice Using an Ecosystemic Play Therapy Approach
⭐ Introduction to Play Therapy Supervision
⚡ Capturing Lightning in a Bottle: Best Clinical Documentation Practice for Play Therapy
🌧️ Playing Through the Trauma Storm – Posttraumatic Play Therapy for Victims of Flood Disaster
🧸 Basic Skills of Child-Centered Play Therapy – Part 1 of 3

Whether you’re working toward your Play Therapy credential, need CE hours, or simply want to strengthen your clinical skills, you can keep learning without committing to a scheduled training time.

💻 Learn online.
⏰ Work at your own pace.
📚 Earn CE hours.
💜 Keep growing as a Play Therapist.

Your schedule shouldn’t have to get in the way of your professional development. Choose the training you need and learn on your time!

08/25/2026

🌿✨ Bringing Nature Into the Playroom! ✨🌿

We had such a wonderful time at our latest A Time for Play ACCESS Series training, exploring ways to incorporate nature into therapy! 🌱🪨🌸

Participants had the opportunity to get hands-on with sandtrays, natural materials, and creative techniques that can help clients explore, express, and process their experiences in meaningful ways. There’s something powerful about seeing how elements from the natural world can become part of the therapeutic process. 💚

🦄 What is the ACCESS Series?

The A Time for Play ACCESS Series was created to make quality Play Therapy continuing education more accessible and affordable. These shorter, 3-hour trainings offer practical learning, connection with other professionals, and opportunities to grow your Play Therapy skills—without the commitment or cost of a full-day training.

Our ACCESS trainings are offered at reduced rates for students, provisionally licensed professionals, and fully licensed clinicians, because continuing education and professional growth should be within reach. 🌈

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this training and brought their curiosity, creativity, and willingness to PLAY! 🌿🦄

We can’t wait to see you at the next ACCESS Series training!

08/24/2026

A TIME FOR PLAY — SEASON 8 CONTINUES! 🦄💜

We’re diving deeper into Child-Centered Play Therapy with Advanced Skills of Child-Centered Play Therapy — Part 2 of 3!

This training is all about moving beyond the basics to strengthen your CCPT skills, practice effective limit setting, and create playroom spaces that support the therapeutic process.

📍 IN-PERSON — THIS WEEK!
📅 Thursday, August 27, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
📍 United Way of Greater Houston

💻 LIVE ZOOM — NEXT WEEK!
📅 Thursday, September 3, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
🌎 Join live from anywhere!

⭐ During this 6-hour training, we’ll cover:
• Review of Child-Centered Play Therapy basics
• Limit setting & other advanced skills
• Playroom construction
• CCPT skills practice
• Practical tools you can take back to your work with children

🎓 Earn 6 CE Hours
3 Play Therapy Historically Significant Theory Hours
3 Play Therapy Skills & Methods Hours

💲 Cost: $200

Whether you’re joining us in Houston this week or virtually next week, come ready to deepen your skills, strengthen your practice, and PLAY! 🧸🧩🎨

👉 Reserve your spot today at www.atimeforplay.com

“Never take the play out of the therapy nor the therapy out of the play.” — Steven Parks