OU’s Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy program now enrolling for summer 2025

Did you know that Oakland University offers a Play Therapy Graduate Certificate Program? It is the only program of its kind in the State of Michigan, and one of the only Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy programs in the Midwest.

"It's very unique," said Dr. Rebecca Vannest, an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling at OU.

Unlike traditional therapy, play therapy is an approach in which toys, art, games, and other play-based materials are used to communicate therapeutically between the child and the therapist.

"It's very similar to Sesame Street in that it allows the therapist to tackle very hard, very difficult concepts with children in a very endearing and appealing way," Vannest said. "It's not just sitting the child down and saying 'let's talk about your feelings.'

"Instead, the child gets to play with toys that have been cultivated and curated in a certain way to be very evocative of many types of experiences in life," she added. "While they're playing, the therapist is analyzing what choices the child is making, the types of toys they're playing with, how they're playing with them, etc. This allows the therapist to interact with the child in a non-threatening way, and it allows the child to interact and talk about something that could be a very challenging topic."

The original play therapy program, then known as the Child and Adolescent Play Therapy Program - was developed by Dr. Robert S. Fink, a licensed psychologist and professor emeritus of counseling at Oakland University, in 1997 and continued at OU until 2018. It's rebirth as the Child and Adolescent Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy program was made possible in part by a philanthropic donation made by Dr. Fink and his wife, Eileen.

In April 2024, the play therapy room located in 250J on the second floor of Pawley Hall on the OU campus was renamed in honor of Dr. Fink. The Dr. Robert S. Fink Play Therapy Room now serves as a safe haven for children and adolescents as they receive therapeutic services as part of the Play Therapy Graduate Certificate program.

"The support Dr. Fink and others have given has really helped us develop one of the premier play therapy programs in the country," Vannest said.

The Graduate Certificate in Child and Adolescent Play Therapy is a three semester, 12 credit program that includes play therapy specific training in order to prepare graduate students for a pathway toward credentialing as a registered play therapist or school-based registered play therapist, both of which are internationally recognized credentials across mental health disciplines.

"Something that makes this program very unique is it's interdisciplinary, which means that people from different academic backgrounds can pursue this as a credentialing option," she said.

Currently, the pathway toward credentialing eligibility is limited to mental health professionals who are eligible for a mental health license. However, post graduate students may also participate in the training, and doctoral students from various disciplines may be eligible to participate in the program as a doctoral cognate area. A class may also be used, with permission, as a masters-level elective.

"We're accepting applications now for the next cohort, which will begin in summer 2025," Vannest said.

For more information about the Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy program at OU, visit www.oakland.edu/counseling/academic-programs/graduate-certificate-in-play-therapy.

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