CAPT - Canadian Association for Play Therapy

CAPT - Canadian Association for Play Therapy CAPT is the premier professional association in support of Play Therapy in Canada CAPT has a code of professional ethics to which each member must adhere.

The Canadian Association for Play Therapy is the professional organization for those interested in Child and Family Psychotherapy, Play Therapy and Counseling with children and families. CAPT performs many important functions for its members including:

Professional Standards: CAPT sets high professional standards for clinical practice. These standards help to ensure that skilled and effective the

rapy is available throughout the community. Policies and Procedures are in place to govern CAPT and guide professional and ethical practices. Specialized Training: CAPT sets standards of education and training for professional therapist as well as establishing programs of continuing education and training. CAPT examines and accredits programs and training centers in Child & Play Therapy. CAPT has established Foundation Play Therapy Days that is a set of trainings in order to meet our members' needs. Information is available upon request. Professional Publications: The Association periodicals are published to advance the professional understanding of Play Therapy. Articles are published on clinical practice, research and theory in Play Therapy. CAPT members receive these periodicals as a membership benefit.

🧠 Neuroscience NuggetTrauma isn’t just stored in words. It’s stored in the body.When children experience overwhelming ev...
06/03/2026

🧠 Neuroscience Nugget

Trauma isn’t just stored in words. It’s stored in the body.
When children experience overwhelming events, those experiences are often encoded in sensory and emotional memory, not just language.

That’s why children may process trauma through:
👉 Movement
👉 Sand play
👉 Water play
👉 Symbolic storytelling

In Play Therapy, these experiences help children release stored stress, regulate their nervous system, and gradually make sense of what happened.

Healing happens when the body feels safe. Not just when the story is told.

✨ What Participants Are Saying ✨Storytelling has the power to connect, heal, and transform — and few bring that process ...
06/02/2026

✨ What Participants Are Saying ✨

Storytelling has the power to connect, heal, and transform — and few bring that process to life like Greg Lubimiv.

As part of June’s Techniques Month in CAPT Foundation Training, participants will explore how stories, puppetry, narrative techniques, sand tray, and creative expression can deepen therapeutic work with children, youth, adults, and families.

If you’re looking to build confidence, creativity, and practical therapeutic storytelling skills — this course is not to be missed. 📖✨

🗓️ Storytelling As A Play Therapy Tool | June 9, 2026 | 9AM-3:30PM EST
➡️ Register: https://bit.ly/4efhB3k

June marks National Indigenous Peoples Month in Canada—a time to recognize and honour the histories, cultures, and contr...
06/01/2026

June marks National Indigenous Peoples Month in Canada—a time to recognize and honour the histories, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.

Many Indigenous communities have long-standing practices that centre community, connection, and holistic healing—including the role of Elders and the use of healing or sharing circles. These approaches emphasize listening, respect, and the interconnectedness of individuals within community.

For those of us supporting children and families, this is an opportunity to reflect on how we create spaces that honour connection, voice, and belonging.

📌 Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing reflections and resources to support ongoing learning.

Children don’t always talk about trauma — they play it, move it, and feel it.Trauma is not stored only in memory or lang...
06/01/2026

Children don’t always talk about trauma — they play it, move it, and feel it.

Trauma is not stored only in memory or language. It lives in the body, the nervous system, and sensory experiences. For many children, words are not the primary way they process what has happened.

In Play Therapy, children use movement, sensory play, and symbolic storytelling to express, release, and reorganize overwhelming experiences.

A crash.
A storm.
A buried object in sand.

These are not just moments of play → they are pathways to healing.

This month in the Power of Play series, we explore how trauma is processed through play and how children move from dysregulation toward safety and integration.

Throughout the month we’ll explore:
🧠 How trauma lives in the body and brain
💬 What trauma processing looks like inside the playroom
💡 Why healing doesn’t always look like talking
🌈 How parents can support non-verbal processing
🎨 The meaning behind common healing symbols in play

Because healing doesn’t always begin with words, sometimes it begins with play, movement, and felt safety.

🎨 Playroom InsightPlayroom toys often carry powerful meaning.Take dinosaurs, for example.They can represent many things ...
05/31/2026

🎨 Playroom Insight

Playroom toys often carry powerful meaning.

Take dinosaurs, for example.

They can represent many things for children:
🦖 power and protection
🦖 threat and fear
🦖 big emotions in small bodies

When children choose particular toys again and again, they may be expressing feelings or experiences through symbolic play.

Play Therapists observe these patterns carefully to understand the child’s inner world and gently support their exploration.

Sometimes the toys children choose tell a story that words cannot.

🌟 Upcoming Certification Q&A Session 🗓 June 11 💻🎓 Ready to become a Certified Play Therapist or a Certified Play Therapy...
05/30/2026

🌟 Upcoming Certification Q&A Session 🗓 June 11 💻

🎓 Ready to become a Certified Play Therapist or a Certified Play Therapy Supervisor? Join us for our Certification Q&A Session and receive answers to all of your questions.

See you there ➡️ https://canadianplaytherapy.com/certification/

📖✨ Stories help us make sense of the world — and in play therapy, they can also help children, youth, adults, and famili...
05/29/2026

📖✨ Stories help us make sense of the world — and in play therapy, they can also help children, youth, adults, and families heal.

As part of Techniques Month in CAPT Foundation Training this June, discover how storytelling can support assessment, healing, and connection in therapy with instructor Greg Lubimiv.

Learn how storytelling, narrative therapy, drama, sand tray, art, and puppetry can support:
🎭 Assessment
💛 Healing & treatment
🌱 Growth & evaluation

Participants will gain practical tools to:
✅ Create therapeutic stories
✅ Increase engagement through storytelling
✅ Build confidence using stories in therapy
✅ Support client-specific goals through creative interventions

➡️ Storytelling As A Play Therapy Tool
Training Date: June 9, 2026 | 9AM-3:30PM ET
Register now bit.ly/4dKso4j

Because sometimes the stories we tell become the bridge to healing.✨

🎉 Congratulations Sevda Akilli on becoming a Certified Play Therapist!Based in Kingston, Ontario, Sevda’s commitment to ...
05/29/2026

🎉 Congratulations Sevda Akilli on becoming a Certified Play Therapist!

Based in Kingston, Ontario, Sevda’s commitment to supporting children and families through therapeutic play is an incredible achievement. We’re proud to celebrate this milestone with you!

As Asian Heritage Month comes to a close, the commitment to inclusive care continues.Supporting children and families me...
05/28/2026

As Asian Heritage Month comes to a close, the commitment to inclusive care continues.

Supporting children and families means continuing to learn, listen, and adapt—ensuring that care is culturally aware and responsive all year long.

Play therapy offers powerful ways to support emotional expression, connection, and healing—while honouring the diverse cultural values and lived experiences of the families we serve.

This is ongoing work—for therapists, educators, caregivers, and communities alike.

🌏 Inclusion is not a moment—it’s a practice.

💬 What’s one action you’re committing to this year to support more inclusive, culturally responsive care?

👉 Join CAPT in building more inclusive, culturally responsive spaces for children and families:
https://canadianplaytherapy.com

🌈 Parent PlaybookWhen children repeat the same play story, they may be working something out.If your child plays the sam...
05/27/2026

🌈 Parent Playbook

When children repeat the same play story, they may be working something out.

If your child plays the same hospital scene, car accident, or dragon battle again and again, it can sometimes be their way of exploring and understanding big emotions or experiences.

Through repeated storytelling, children gradually make sense of events, practice coping, and regain a sense of control.

You don’t need to correct the story or change the game.
Often the most helpful thing you can do is listen, watch, and allow the story to unfold.

Play gives children a safe way to process what they are feeling.

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Grimsby, ON

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