2025 Fall Multicultural Webinar Series
Children's Spiritual Development: Finding Unique Cultural Opportunities in Play Therapy
Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 9am-12pm CT
Over 75% of adults in the USA say that religion/spirituality is somewhat or very important to them, making competence with religious/spiritual clients in play therapy important. In this workshop, we will discuss typical religious/spiritual development for children as well as ways to work with children and caregivers from religious/spiritual families. We will focus on identifying and utilizing cultural opportunities in the playroom and in caregiver consultations, including ways to engage the religious system when appropriate.
Objectives:
- Participants will understand children's spiritual/religious development.
- Participants will be able to identify concerns of religious/spiritual clients that can be addressed by play therapists.
- Participants will be able to describe implications for working with religious/spiritual parents/caregivers within play therapy.
CE Hours:
You will receive 3 total non-contact CE hours for this presentation.
CEs from this training qualify towards CCPT/CCGPT/CPRT Certification renewal hours.
Webinar Fee:
This online live webinar is $50 or get all three webinars for $125!
Meet the Speaker
Katherine Purswell, PhD, LPC-S, RPT, CCPT-S/T is a professional counselor specializing in child and adolescent counseling. Katie is an adjunct professor at Saybrook University and a regular visiting professor at Concordia University where she teaches classes in play therapy, child and adolescent counseling, and lifespan development. Katie also owns a private practice where she sees clients across the lifespan and provides trainings for new and experienced play therapists. Katie has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on play therapy and is co-editor of the book, A Therapist's Guide to Adolescent Development.
Hayley Stulmaker, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, CCPT-S/T has over 15 years of play therapy experience. She has worked in private practice for over 10 years, specializing in play therapy and conducting supervision and training. Hayley has also been a full time faculty member, a director of a non-profit agency, and continues to adjunct teach graduate level counseling courses. Hayley has published and presented on various topics related to play therapy.
Jugando across Borders: Play Therapy with Latinx Children and Immigrant Families
Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 9am-12pm CT
Latinx children currently represent the fastest-growing minority population in the United States, comprising approximately 25% of total school enrollment. Despite this significant presence, Latinx children and their families remain historically underserved within the mental health system, often encountering systemic and cultural barriers that limit access to appropriate care. Additionally, many Latinx families navigate the complexities of immigration, balancing the challenges of adapting to a new country while striving to preserve their cultural values and identity for their children—who are at a critical stage of development. This workshop is designed to equip play therapists with a deeper understanding of the unique needs of Latinx children and immigrant families. Participants will learn culturally responsive strategies and therapeutic approaches to effectively support the developmental and emotional wellness of these clients through play therapy.
Objectives:
Describe the intersectionalities between Latinx culture, immigration status, acculturation, development, and their role in the play therapy process.
Identify systemic and cultural barriers to receiving mental health care for Latinx children and their families.
Identify developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive interventions for addressing immigrant Latinx children and their families in play therapy.
CE Hours:
You will receive 3 total non-contact CE hours for this presentation.
CEs from this training qualify towards CCPT/CCGPT/CPRT Certification renewal hours.
Webinar Fee:
This online live webinar is $50 or get all three webinars for $125!
Meet the Speaker
Gustavo Barcenas, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S is an Assistant Professor of Counseling at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. He is also a bilingual Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor. Dr. Barcenas has extensive experience promoting affordable and culturally responsive care in underserved communities to bridge gaps in accessing mental health services. His clinical and research interests include utilizing play therapy and activity-based therapy with diverse populations, especially Latinx children/adolescents and their families, Spanish-speaking clients, and immigrants. Dr. Barcenas has also collaborated with Mexican universities and organizations to promote play therapy programs in Mexico.
Operation Connection: Building Relationships with Military Families in Play Therapy
Tuesday, November 11, 2025, 9am-12pm CT
This training is designed for play therapists seeking to enhance their understanding and skills in working with military-connected families. Grounded in the cultural, systemic, and developmental contexts unique to military life, the session explores the role of military culture and values, the psychological impact of frequent relocations and deployments, and the intersectional identities within military families that may influence play therapy treatment. Participants will engage with evidence-based practices that address both the risks and the resilience factors affecting service members, military spouses, and children. Emphasis will be placed on fostering cultural humility, tailoring play therapy environments to be inclusive and military-friendly, strengthening parent-child relationships, and collaborating with both military and community support systems. Through practical case examples and current research, play therapists will learn strategies to promote family cohesion, assess risk and protective factors, and deliver trauma-informed care that honors both the challenges and strengths of military family life.
Objectives:
Identify the unique culture and lifestyle factors that influence psychosocial outcomes for children in military families.
Describe risk and protective factors that influence military family psychosocial functioning.
Implement strategies to address disparities in military family mental health care and evaluate evidence-based practice to select culturally and developmentally responsive play therapy treatments.
CE Hours:
You will receive 3 total non-contact CE hours for this presentation.
CEs from this training qualify towards CCPT/CCGPT/CPRT Certification renewal hours.
Webinar Fee:
This online live webinar is $50 or get all three webinars for $125!
Meet the Speaker
Elizabeth Burgin, PhD is a Licensed Professional Counselor serving as a Military Behavioral Health Child Counselor at the Center for Deployment Psychology (CDP) and an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University for the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. In this role, she supports the DoD Child Collaboration Study to identify best practices for enhancing and expanding accessibility to care for military-connected children and adolescents. Dr. Burgin completed her doctoral degree in counseling at the University of North Texas and her master’s in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.
Prior to joining CDP, Dr. Burgin was an Assistant Professor and created the Military & Veterans Counseling Program at William & Mary. Dr. Burgin is the past-President of the Military & Government Counseling Association and an author of the Exemplary Practices for Counseling Military Populations, endorsed by the American Counseling Association. Dr. Burgin’s research has focused on evidence-based practices for treating military populations, including moral injury, traumatic exposures, and bereavement. Dr. Burgin has worked across diverse clinical settings, including university counseling, home-based and community agency, and public-school settings. She has counseled individuals with addictions, serious and persistent mental health concerns, adults and children within the military community, and in foster and adoption systems of care. Dr. Burgin is a Certified Child-Centered Play Therapy Supervisor and is trained in Child-Parent Relationship Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and EMDR.
WEBINAR CANCELLATION POLICY
Registration is final and a refund will not be processed. CPT reserves the right to cancel this conference in the event of unforeseen circumstances. If such occurs, CPT will attempt to notify registrants prior to the conference and refund all registration, workshop, and continuing education fees. In all instances, the liability of CPT is limited to refunding such fees. All registrations are non-transferable.
Directions for Webinars
To register and pay for the webinar of your choice, follow the directions below.
1) Click on the title of the webinar you would like to register for above. This will direct you to the registration page.
2) Complete the registration information.
3) You will receive a receipt email after payment processes.
4) You will get an email with directions to access the webinar approximately one week prior to the webinar date.
5) Join us via the zoom link in your email at the start of the webinar!
If you have questions or concerns at any point in the registration process, please email us at cpt@unt.edu.
CE Hours
We are an approved provider for Association of Play Therapy (APT provider 95-004), National Board Certified Counselors (Provider #3016), Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (In accordance to Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 30, Rule 681.142), Texas State Board of Social Workers (In accordance with Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 34, Rule 781.509), and Texas Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (In accordance to Texas Administrative Code, Title 22, Part 35, Rule 801.264).
In order to receive CEs, participants must complete the evaluation for all attended workshops at the end of each workshop. Upon completion of the evaluation, you will receive your CE certificate. Effective August 1, 2021, an administrative fee of $10 will incur for re-issuing CE certificates 30 days after the workshop.