The College of Education's Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology at Wichita State University is inviting all faculty, staff and students, as well as members of the community, to attend a roundtable discussion regarding play therapy from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in Hubbard Hall, Room 105.

Researchers and instructors from Charles Darwin University in Australia will visit Wichita Feb. 16-19 to learn about developing a play therapy center from experts at Wichita State. The discussion will be part of the visitor’s itinerary.

WSU’s Play Therapy Center, established in 2010, was one of the first 10 programs nationwide to earn the Approved Center of Play Therapy Education designation from the Association for Play Therapy. There are currently 23 approved centers in the United States.

The WSU College of Education Play Therapy Center teaches four different play therapy courses and one play therapy practicum each year. The play therapy teaching staff consists of two licensed clinicians with over 60 years of combined clinical experience with children’s services. Both are endorsed by the Kansas Association for Infant Mental Health. Wichita State offered play therapy training in 1996 – the first university in Kansas to do so – and had the first Registered Play Therapy Supervisor in the state.

Play therapy is an expanding area of research and application of the therapeutic power of play to communicate with and treat clients, particularly children. Interest in the development of play therapy centers, educational programs and certification is growing around the world.

To learn more about Wichita State’s Play Therapy Center, visit www.wichita.edu/playtherapy.