The certificate is for currently enrolled Clinical Mental Health Counseling students or individuals who already hold a graduate degree in counseling or a closely related field. Specifically, the certificate program allows individuals access to educational course work required by the Association for Play Therapy to obtain the Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential. As part of gaining the Registered Play Therapist credential, licensed mental health professionals can also add a specialization license available through the Arkansas Board of Examiners in Counseling.

To gain admission to this certificate program, all applicants should submit an application packet to the Registrar’s Office. Applicants in Arkansas State University’s graduate degree programs noted above must be a student in good standing with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, have successfully completed COUN 6203 - Counseling Prepracticum , COUN 6213 - Counseling Practicum , and PSY 6113 - Theories and Techniques in Counseling  with a course grade of “B” or better, and have a recommendation from their primary academic advisor. Post graduate applicants must hold an earned master’s degree or higher in counseling or a closely related field from an accredited institution with a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average and a “B” or better in clinical courses. Post graduate applicants much submit three letters of recommendation, a written statement describing their career goals and reason for entering the program, curriculum vitae or resume, and official transcripts of all previous coursework.

Students in this certificate program will complete a minimum of 15 hours from among required courses. Hours completed in fulfillment of a prior degree cannot be counted toward certificate requirements.