Association for Play Therapy

What Association for Play Therapy does

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a California-based 501(c)(6) non-profit professional society founded in 1982 and headquartered in Clovis, California. It serves licensed mental health professionals — counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and school-based mental health staff — who specialize in play therapy. APT's core offering is a credentialing franchise: three trademarked credentials (Registered Play Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and School-Based Registered Play Therapist) plus annual continuing education and triennial recertification, paired with a publishing partnership with the American Psychological Association for the peer-reviewed International Journal of Play Therapy. Technology infrastructure leans on third-party SaaS: association management via YourMembership, e-learning delivery through Digitell, and searchable web directories for clinicians, training, and approved centers.

APT operates a diversified membership-driven revenue model with seven distinct streams: recurring membership dues ($65–$110/year; free E-Student tier), credential application and renewal fees, annual conference registration/exhibit/sponsorship revenue (the world's largest play therapy conference, scheduled for October 13–18, 2026 in Minneapolis), E-Learning Center subscriptions, Approved Provider and Approved Center designation fees, APT Store merchandise, and advertising in publications. The Foundation for Play Therapy operates as a separately governed 501(c)(3) charitable arm supporting scholarships, including the Charles Schaefer award. Distribution spans 42 chartered U.S. state branches that function as resellers of local membership and training, plus international member tiers for global reach.

Name

Association for Play Therapy

Legal name

Association for Play Therapy

Website

https://a4pt.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Association for Play Therapy is a 501(c)(6) non-profit professional society, founded 1982 and headquartered in Clovis, California, that credentializes and educates licensed mental health professionals practicing play therapy through three trademarked credentials, a peer-reviewed journal, annual conference, and 42 U.S. state branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Clovis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues providing access to publications (International Journal of Play Therapy, Play Therapy Magazine, Mining Reports, APT Play Today newsletter), forums, discounts on conference registration and credentialing, free monthly non-contact trainings, and branch membership.
2. Credentialing Fees: Fees for RPT, RPT-S, and SB-RPT credential applications and annual renewals. Registrants must renew annually and submit play therapy continuing education every three years.
3. Annual Conference Revenue: Conference registration fees, exhibit booth sales, and sponsorship opportunities from the Annual APT International Conference, the world's largest play therapy conference.
4. E-Learning Center: Online portal offering non-contact continuing education hours including recorded workshops, audio and book offerings from APT's Annual Conference Workshops and International Journal of Play Therapy.
5. Approved Provider/Center Fees: Application and renewal fees for individuals or organizations seeking Approved Provider status for offering CE specific to play therapy, and for universities designated as Approved Centers of Play Therapy Education.
6. APT Store: E-commerce storefront selling logo merchandise, apparel, brochures, gift certificates, and conference materials. Members receive 15% discount on most items.
7. Advertising: Advertising opportunities in Play Therapy Magazine and APT Play Today newsletter.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Association for Play Therapy is a national professional society that issues three trademarked credentials (Registered Play Therapist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and School Based-Registered Play Therapist), sells annual memberships to mental health professionals, hosts the world's largest annual play therapy conference, and delivers continuing education through an E-Learning Center, peer-reviewed publications, and a network of 42 chartered US state branches.

Product overview

The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a professional membership organization rather than a software product company. APT operates a unified membership-based platform offering credentialing programs (RPT, RPT-S, SB-RPT credentials), professional development (E-Learning Center, Training Directory, Leadership Academy), publications (International Journal of Play Therapy, Play Therapy Magazine, Mining Reports), annual conferences, career services, and member networking through forums and special interest groups. The organization also operates the Foundation for Play Therapy for scholarships and the APT Store for merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Registered Play Therapist (RPT) Credential A specialty credential for licensed mental health professionals demonstrating competency in play therapy, requiring graduate-level education, specialized training, supervised experience, and continuing education. Holders may use the trademarked RPT designation.
• Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S) Credential An advanced credential for RPT holders with three or more consecutive years of good standing who provide supervision to play therapy practitioners seeking the RPT credential.
• School Based-Registered Play Therapist (SB-RPT) Credential A credential for school counselors, school psychologists, or school social workers licensed by their state's department of education who meet specialized play therapy training criteria.
• Professional Membership Annual membership for US mental health professionals with a Master's or higher mental health degree ($110/year; $90 for DE, HI, MT, NE residents). Provides access to publications, conferences, forums, member discounts, and free monthly non-contact CE trainings.
• Affiliate Membership Annual membership for full-time graduate students or non-mental health professionals within the US ($65/year; $55 for DE, HI, MT, NE residents).
• International Membership Membership tiers for mental health professionals (International Professional, $80/year) and graduate students or non-mental health professionals (International Affiliate, $55/year) residing outside the US.
• E-Student Membership Free membership for full-time graduate or doctoral students in a mental health field who are not current or former E-Student, Affiliate or Professional members. Available for up to 3 years and does not include branch membership.
• Annual APT International Conference The world's largest play therapy conference offering educational workshops, continuing education contact hours, networking opportunities, and exhibits featuring therapeutic resources. Held annually in October.
• E-Learning Center Online portal offering non-contact continuing education hours including recorded workshops, audio and book offerings from APT's Annual Conference Workshops and the International Journal of Play Therapy. Includes free monthly non-contact trainings for members.
• International Journal of Play Therapy A peer-reviewed quarterly journal published by the American Psychological Association (APA) featuring scholarly articles about current play therapy research, case studies, theoretical applications, and current practices.
• Play Therapy Magazine A full-color quarterly publication offering clinical and professional best practices, experiential and research-based play therapy applications, association news, and member recognition.
• APT Career Center Online job board advertising to more than 8,000 mental health professionals, allowing employers to post positions in 30-day increments and job seekers to browse listings.
• Approved Providers of Continuing Education Designation program for individuals and organizations approved to offer post-graduate level play therapy continuing education qualifying toward APT credentialing requirements. Requires application and renewal fees.
• Approved Centers of Play Therapy Education University-based designation generating play therapy research, peer-reviewed publications, instruction, supervisor training, and supervised clinical experiences at institutions of higher education.
• Leadership Academy Annual leadership development program orienting play therapists about leadership attributes, the Policy Governance Model, and APT operations. Limited to 30 participants per class.
• APT Store Online retail store offering APT merchandise including apparel, logo products, brochures, gift certificates, and conference materials. Members receive 15% discount on most items.
• Charles Schaefer Play Therapy Scholarship A $5,000 scholarship distributed over three years supporting individuals pursuing the RPT or SB-RPT credential, awarded annually to honor Dr. Charles Schaefer's legacy.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• American Psychological Association (APA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA publishes the International Journal of Play Therapy, a peer-reviewed quarterly journal featuring scholarly articles about play therapy research, case studies, theoretical applications, and current practices. Articles are available on PsychNet.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Counseling Association (ACA): Large national professional membership association for counselors offering credentials, CE, publications, and an annual conference. Comparable to APT as a membership-society model for mental health professionals, though much broader in scope.
• American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA): Established national association representing occupational therapists with credentials, CE, state affiliates, and the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Comparable membership/credentialing model at larger scale in an adjacent therapy discipline.
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT): Professional membership association for marriage and family therapists with clinical membership, approved supervisor designations, CE, and an annual conference. Mirrors APT's credentialing-plus-society model for an adjacent mental health discipline.
• National Association of Social Workers (NASW): Large professional membership association for social workers offering credentials, CE, state chapters, and publications. Comparable at scale to APT's society/credentialing/chapter model but for the social work profession.

Direct peers

• American Art Therapy Association (AATA): National professional membership association credentialing art therapists (ATR, ATR-BC) with state chapters, CE, publications, and an annual conference. Highly comparable operating model to APT — specialty therapy credentialing society with state chapters.
• American Music Therapy Association (AMTA): National membership association for music therapists with credentialed designations (MT-BC), regional conferences, publications, and CE. Closely analogous to APT in structure, credentialing model, and member-funded non-profit governance.

Regional players

• British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT): UK-based professional membership organization that credentialed play therapists (PTUK) and trains practitioners. Most direct international functional peer to APT, serving the same specialty but in a different geography.
• Association for Play Therapy (Canada) / Canadian Association for Child and Play Therapy: Canadian membership association for play therapists offering credentialing and training. Most direct geographic peer outside the US, sharing APT's mission and credentialing approach for the same modality.

Emerging players

• Sandtray Therapy Institute: Specialty training organization for sandtray therapy offering certifications and CE. Comparable as a niche credentialing/training body in an expressive therapy adjacent to play therapy.
• International Association for Sand Tray Therapy (IAST): Specialty society for sandtray therapy practitioners with credentialing and training offerings. Analogous to APT as a small credentialing body in a play-based therapeutic modality, competing for similar continuing-education dollars.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Assn4PlayTherapy
• Xx.com/a4pt
• Facebookfacebook.com/A4PlayTherapy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-for-play-therapy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association for Play Therapy