LOGAN, WV, UNITED STATES, June 13, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- West Virginia Power Of Player Therapy Center and director Beth Mullins-Hughes have successfully trained and supervised two rural West Virginia therapists in receiving advanced credentialing and certification as Registered Play Therapists.

The Power of Play Therapy Center has now proudly introduced 5 out of the 17 Registered Play Therapists in West Virginia to the field.

Stephanie Casto of Jackson County and Wendi Watts of Logan County were recently certified as RPTs (Registered Play Therapists) by the prestigious National Association for Play Therapy. Casto and Watts join a very small handful of Registered Play Therapists who attempt to cover the entire state of West Virginia's most vulnerable citizens, its abused and neglected children.

Registered Play Therapists utilize a mental health approach to treating the psychosocial issues of children practiced only by licensed clinical mental health professionals or certified school personnel with a graduate mental health degree and extensive specialized play therapy instruction and supervision.

Ms. Hughes is a veteran and highly respected Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and Certified Trauma Therapist who is often called upon to provide expert testimony in court cases involving child abuse and neglect.

A native of Southern West Virginia, Beth served children for many years in Alabama before returning to Appalachia to help the thousands of children with broken families in the wake of the region's devastating drug epidemic. Hughes' one-of-a-kind Power Of Play Therapy Center in Logan has treated hundreds of children. It offers training, often at little or no cost, to dozens of therapists and school counselors across the Mountain State who are often overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem and the lack of educational resources to help them communicate with children traumatized by abuse and neglect.

The West Virginia Power Of Play Therapy Center's mobile trauma unit, nicknamed "Ivy" with Beth behind the wheel, also crisscrosses the Mountain State bringing free and much-needed play therapy deep into the hills and hollers where children and adolescents don't have adequate access to mental health services.

"I am so honored to have met Stephanie and Wendi and had the opportunity to journey with them through the stringent credentialing process to become Registered Play Therapists. The fulfillment of the credentialing process takes at least two years and is granted only to those who hold master's level licensure to practice as independent therapists, 150 hours of continuing education specific to play therapy, and 35 hours of supervision. Both Stephanie and Wendi share a vision to specialize in treating traumatized children and are committed to a lifelong learning process to excel in their practices," stated Hughes. Hughes added, "Continued play therapy education is required to maintain this credential."

"I am so thankful for the training and supervision I have received from Beth in pursuing the RPT (Registered Play Therapy) credentialing because it gives me the skills and tools I need to be more effective with my clients," Casto of Ripley said.

Added Watts of Logan, "The skills and techniques I have acquired through my play therapy education with Beth have prepared me to aid the mental health needs of children in our community. I plan to help the children and adolescents of Southern West Virginia find their power through play."

For more information, please contact

Burke Allen
Allen Media Strategies
+1 703-589-8960
shaili@allenmediastrategies.com
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