View our EdD Early Childhood specialization completion requirements
Minimum degree requirements:
60 quarter credits
- Core courses (50 cr.)
- Capstone (10 cr.)
STANDARDS-ALIGNED COURSEWORK
Walden’s Play Therapy specialization online content is based on the Association for Play Therapy’s five core content areas of instruction. This ensures the curriculum meets high quality standards and prepares you for the real world of professional practice.
LEARN FROM EXPERTS
Our play therapy specialization online courses are taught by dedicated, doctorally prepared faculty who are experts in the field.
GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED
Benefit from personalized student resources to help you stay engaged and on track throughout your Walden journey.
EXPAND YOUR PERSPECTIVES
Join a collaborative community of educators and peers. Learn to work effectively with diverse groups of children and adults.
Curriculum and Completion Requirements
In the Play Therapy specialization in our online dual counseling degree program, you’ll add advanced play therapy courses to your program of study. These courses align with the Association for Play Therapy’s five core content areas of instruction.
Featured Play Therapy Specialization Online Courses
Introduction to Play Therapy
This course provides knowledge and skill competencies to facilitate play therapy as a therapeutic intervention for children and families. This course provides students with the philosophical basis for play therapy, including a review of the history of play therapy, how to develop a relationship with a child through a (child-centered, Prescriptive, Adlerian, Ecosystemic, etc.) theoretical framework, and an introduction to various theoretical applications and play therapy best practices. Students will become familiar with play therapy micro-skills, the purpose and application goals of play therapy, therapeutic stages and themes, ethical issues, cross cultural/ diversity implications, basic developmental and neurological implications, treatment planning in play therapy including development of treatment goals and assessment of treatment progress and applications to a variety of populations and therapeutic contexts.
Advanced Play Therapy
This course provides advanced knowledge and skill competencies in play therapy as a therapeutic intervention for children and families. This course provides students with learning on special topics such as divorce, incest, family death, illness, ethnic and racial issues, and cultural impacts through a variety of assessment measures, such as individual supervision in play therapy, group supervision in play therapy, peer consultation in play therapy, reflection papers, etc. This course prepares students to provide play therapy services in school and community settings.
Career Counseling
Students in this course are provided with the opportunity to develop practical skills in career and vocational assessment as well as functional knowledge of how career assessment can assist in the exploration and understanding of the interrelationship among work, family, and life roles. They examine major sources of career and work information available on the internet as well as through printed material and computer-based guidance systems. Gaining practical career counseling experience, students administer, score, and interpret printed and computer-based assessments of career interests, beliefs, and values. Students learn how to integrate career development theory and assessment results with career clinical interventions. They also examine clinical and assessment issues, devoting attention to computer-based applications and multicultural implications.
Psychopharmacology
As client advocates, counselors rely on knowledge of psychotropic medications to inform treatment. This course introduces a spectrum of psychotropic medications used in the management of mental, behavioral, and addictive disorders. Students explore medication classification, drug interaction, and side effects. In addition, students distinguish between medical and psychopathological conditions that present in similar ways to addictive disorders. As part of a professional learning community, students collaborate with peers in written scholarly dialogue to explore psychopharmacological intervention in the treatment of addiction and other psychopathologies that may coexist. Students analyze factors that increase the likelihood for a person, community, or group to be at risk for disorders and examine the cultural and contextual factors considered in the ethical treatment of clients. Across counseling specializations, this course builds foundational clinical knowledge of the intersection of counseling and psychotropic medical treatment.
Multicultural Counseling
Students in this course have the opportunity to increase their awareness, knowledge, skills, and advocacy related to working with clients from a multicultural perspective. Students foster self-understanding of their own cultural-identity development, biases, stereotypes, values, and strengths while gaining self-awareness of the effects of power, privilege, and marginalization within the counseling relationship. Further, students can gain knowledge of various issues within diversity. Students explore various theories of multicultural counseling and the role of social justice and advocacy in counseling.
Admissions
You’ll work one-on-one with an Enrollment Specialist who’ll guide you through every step—from finding the right program to funding your education.
Streamlined Admissions Process
Earning a dual counseling degree with a Play Therapy specialization is a big step. Walden has simplified the application process with:
No application fee
Easy credit transfer
No essay or SAT/ACT requirement
View Admission Criteria
Program Admission Considerations: A bachelor's degree or higher.
General Admission Requirements: Completed online application and transcripts. Please note that the materials you are required to submit may vary depending on the academic program to which you apply. More information for international applicants.
Tuition Breakdown
Cost matters when it comes to your education. At Walden, you’ll find many ways to reduce your program costs, such as:
Believe & Achieve Scholarship®
Partnership-based savings
Federal and state grants
Stay Inspired. Stay on Track. Save Money.
Discover progress-based savings that inspire you to stay on track to graduation.
| Curriculum Component | Requirements | Cost | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition | 121 credits of core courses | $550 per quarter hour | $66,550 |
| Pre-Practicum Labs | Two in program | $1,450 each (virtual) $1,550 each (in-person: travel, lodging, and other expenses are additional) | $2,900–$3,100 |
| Program Fee | Per quarter | $185 | $2,775 |
| $72,225–$72,425** | |||
| BELIEVE & ACHIEVE SCHOLARSHIP YOUR TUITION | -$11,000 $61,225* | ||
*Represents specialization, two virtual pre-practicum labs, minimum time to completion, and Believe & Achieve Scholarship. Your actual total program time and costs may vary. Believe & Achieve Scholarship savings based on current tuition. See Scholarship Details for more information.
**Tuition reflects the minimum time to completion. Time to completion varies by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. Tuition and time to complete may be reduced if transfer credits are accepted, or if you receive grants, scholarships or other tuition reductions. Walden may accept up to 45 transfer credits. For a personalized estimate of the number of your transfer credits that Walden would accept, call an Enrollment Specialist at 844-768-0199.
Tuition and fees are subject to change. Books and materials are not included and may cost up to an additional $4,500.
Career Opportunities
Take the next step toward your goals by earning a dual counseling degree with a Play Therapy specialization.
In Demand
Marriage and Family Therapist
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral.
Expected growth: 16%1
Estimated annual wage: $39,090–$78,4401
In Demand
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors
Advise individuals, families, couples, and groups to promote optimum mental and emotional health.
Expected growth: 19%2
Estimated annual wage: $36,700–$70,1302
1Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Job outlook | Estimated wage (as of May 2023)
2Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Job outlook | Estimated wage (as of May 2023)
No guarantee is made that a person who enrolls in the MS Dual Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and School Counseling program with a specialization in Play Therapy will obtain a job or will earn the stated salaries. Wage estimates are based on the 10th–75th percentile.
Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be prepared to:
Analyze play therapy as a therapeutic intervention.
Evaluate play therapy techniques in terms of specific diagnoses and presenting challenges.
Design play therapy environments to meet the developmental needs of children.
Analyze play therapy approaches in terms of their neurological and developmental appropriateness.
Apply principles and practices of child-centered play therapy as a therapeutic intervention.
Analyze best practices for culturally sensitive play therapy that lead to positive social change.
Meet Your Academic Team
Walden’s counseling faculty includes subject matter experts and active mental health practitioners who are dedicated to guiding your growth.
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