This summer, Dr. Anderson earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT).
Dr. Cynthia Anderson is an assistant professor of counseling at the University of Texas Permian Basin. She teaches classes such as counseling techniques, couples and family counseling, trauma, crisis, and grief counseling, child and adolescent counseling, and school counseling. She also serves as clinical coordinator for the UTPB counseling program. Her research centers primarily around advocating for child and adolescent counseling needs through play therapy and training future counselors to meet those needs. One of her publications, Creative activities in tele-mental health with the teen brain in mind, was in Play Therapy Magazine June 2022 and another article, Professional development in play therapy among counselors, was featured in the July 2022 publication of the International Journal for Play Therapy.
Dr. Anderson has been promoted to year two at UTPB and hopes to continue building the counseling program with her chair, Dr. Maria Avalos. Currently, they are developing a play therapy workshop, coursework, certification, and play therapy center as part of the existing UTPB counseling training clinic that emphasizes social justice and multicultural competency to better serve the community and surrounding area.
This summer, Dr. Anderson earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), according to its President and CEO, Kathryn Lebby, CAE, CMP. To become an RPT-S, applicants must have earned a traditional master’s or higher mental health degree from an institution of higher education, maintained the RPT credential for 3 consecutive years, obtained 3, 000 hours of clinical experience, 500 hours of play therapy experience, and be licensed by their state board of practice. Achieving this accomplishment has been a source of immense joy for Dr. Anderson.
Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate mental health modality used by licensed mental health professionals to better communicate with and help clients, particularly children, achieve optimal mental health by using play. Dr. Cynthia Anderson highly encourages counseling students and counselors in the community to take the up-and-coming play therapy coursework at UTPB toward obtaining a certificate in play therapy and ultimately earning their own RPT or School Based RPT to better serve children in the Permian Basin. The next step for these counselors would be earning their RPT-S, which would then help counselors in the area become RPTs or School Based RPTs. For more information ,visit the Association for Play Therapy page.
Dr. Anderson also encourages anyone who is interested in counseling to seriously consider joining the UTPB counseling program by meeting with Dr. Avalos for an advising session and then registering through the admissions process. Our program has high standards and a big heart! When you become part of the counseling program you will be transformed. Becoming a counselor could just be a turning point in your life that will propel you into a new life and an exciting and rewarding professional future. Please contact anderson_c@utpb.edu or avalos_m@utpb.edu for more information about the UTPB counseling program.
Dr. Anderson has been promoted to year two at UTPB and hopes to continue building the counseling program with her chair, Dr. Maria Avalos. Currently, they are developing a play therapy workshop, coursework, certification, and play therapy center as part of the existing UTPB counseling training clinic that emphasizes social justice and multicultural competency to better serve the community and surrounding area.
This summer, Dr. Anderson earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist Supervisor (RPT-S) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), according to its President and CEO, Kathryn Lebby, CAE, CMP. To become an RPT-S, applicants must have earned a traditional master’s or higher mental health degree from an institution of higher education, maintained the RPT credential for 3 consecutive years, obtained 3, 000 hours of clinical experience, 500 hours of play therapy experience, and be licensed by their state board of practice. Achieving this accomplishment has been a source of immense joy for Dr. Anderson.
Play Therapy is a developmentally appropriate mental health modality used by licensed mental health professionals to better communicate with and help clients, particularly children, achieve optimal mental health by using play. Dr. Cynthia Anderson highly encourages counseling students and counselors in the community to take the up-and-coming play therapy coursework at UTPB toward obtaining a certificate in play therapy and ultimately earning their own RPT or School Based RPT to better serve children in the Permian Basin. The next step for these counselors would be earning their RPT-S, which would then help counselors in the area become RPTs or School Based RPTs. For more information ,visit the Association for Play Therapy page.
Dr. Anderson also encourages anyone who is interested in counseling to seriously consider joining the UTPB counseling program by meeting with Dr. Avalos for an advising session and then registering through the admissions process. Our program has high standards and a big heart! When you become part of the counseling program you will be transformed. Becoming a counselor could just be a turning point in your life that will propel you into a new life and an exciting and rewarding professional future. Please contact anderson_c@utpb.edu or avalos_m@utpb.edu for more information about the UTPB counseling program.
