Heartland Play Therapy Institute

What Heartland Play Therapy Institute does

Heartland Play Therapy Institute, Inc. is a privately held for-profit training institute headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, founded in 2010 and operating across nine regional training sites in the Midwest and New England. The company delivers play therapy certification training to licensed mental health professionals (licensed counselors, social workers, marriage and family therapists, psychologists) and graduate students pursuing Registered Play Therapist (RPT) or School-Based Registered Play Therapist credentials under Association for Play Therapy (APT) and National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) guidelines.

The core product is a 150-hour Certificate Program structured as ten 15-hour workshops delivered over 24 months, mapped to APT's Three-Phase credentialing model and combining didactic instruction with hands-on sandtray and play-based experiential learning, proprietary training materials (sandtray kits, miniatures, textbooks), and individual and group supervision. The technology stack is a standard WooCommerce e-commerce storefront with PayPal and Authorize.Net payment processing; all delivery is human-led, either in person at nine regional training sites or via interactive live webinar.

The business model centers on direct-to-consumer tuition revenue from multi-year certificate enrollments priced $2,850-$3,750 (professional rates $3,562.50-$6,340 with bundled supervision), with additional revenue from standalone supervision packages ($2,690), individual workshop fees ($75-$375), live webinar delivery, and a therapeutic supplies line (sand, sandtrays, miniatures, puppets, branded apparel). Multi-month installment payment plans and graduate student discounts support enrollment accessibility. The firm is bootstrapped, with no disclosed external funding, acquisitions, or institutional ownership, and lists co-founders Lori Peterson and Carmy Goodwin in leadership.

Name

Heartland Play Therapy Institute

Legal name

Heartland Play Therapy Institute, Inc.

Website

https://heartlandplaytherapy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heartland Play Therapy Institute is a privately held training institute delivering APT- and NBCC-approved play therapy certification programs and supervision to licensed mental health professionals and graduate students across the Midwest and New England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Training and Continuing Education (Play Therapy Credentialing)

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Related Therapy Services (Speech, Occupational, Physical, Feeding) (EDAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Play therapy training
• Continuing education workshops
• Mental health certification
• Professional credentialing programs
• Therapist supervision services

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Certificate Program Enrollment: Professional and student rates for comprehensive 150-hour play therapy certificate programs structured over 24 months with 10 fifteen-hour workshops. Includes materials, supervision referrals, and credentialing preparation.
2. Credentialing Bundle Sales: Bundled packages combining certificate programs with supervision, offering $100 discount plus additional 5% off for full payment. Professional Bundle at $6,340, Student Bundle at $5,590.
3. Supervision Package: Individual and group supervision sessions sold as standalone packages or add-ons. Includes 12 group supervision meetings and 17 individual supervision meetings. Full price $2,690 with payment plan options.
4. Individual Workshop Fees: Continuing education workshops offered at $300-$375 per 15-hour workshop, with discounts for students and early payment. Also shorter 3-8 hour specialty workshops at $75-$185.
5. Therapeutic Products: Sale of play therapy supplies including sand (50lb bag at $40), sandtray kits, miniature starter kits ($35), puppet bundles ($45), and branded merchandise (T-shirts, hats, sweatshirts at $20-$45).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Heartland Play Therapy Institute delivers a structured 150-hour Play Therapy Certificate Program composed of ten 15-hour workshops scheduled over 24 months, available in-person across nine Midwest and New England cities or via live webinar, and aligned to the APT Three-Phase Credentialing model. The company also sells a Sand Therapy Certificate Program, individual workshops covering child-centered play therapy, sandtray, attachment, trauma, family therapy, directive techniques, adolescents, and adult grief, group and individual supervision packages, and therapeutic supplies (sand, sand trays, miniature kits, puppets).

Product overview

Heartland Play Therapy Institute offers play therapy training and certification programs for mental health professionals seeking to become Registered Play Therapists (RPT) or School-Based Registered Play Therapists. The core offering is the Play Therapy Certificate Program—a 150-hour training structured in 10 fifteen-hour workshops scheduled over 24 months, available both in-person across multiple Midwest cities (Kansas City, Wichita, St. Louis, Omaha, NW Arkansas, Des Moines, Columbia, New England) and via live webinar. The Credentialing Bundle follows APT Guidelines with a Three-Phase approach combining instruction, supervised experience, and individual/group supervision. Additional offerings include the Sand Therapy Certificate Program, individual workshops (Foundations of Child-Centered Play Therapy, Sandtray, Attachment, Abuse & Trauma, Family Play Therapy, Directive Play Therapy, Adolescent Play Therapy, Adult Inner Child & Grief), supervision packages, payment plan options, and therapeutic supplies (sand, sandtrays, puppets, miniature kits, apparel). All programs are approved by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) and the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC #6774).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Play Therapy Certificate Program A 150-hour professional certificate program composed of ten 15-hour workshops scheduled over a 24-month period, designed for licensed mental health professionals (clinical social workers, counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists) seeking APT-recognized Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credentialing. Includes instruction, hands-on materials, textbooks, and supervision referrals, with class cohorts active in multiple cities (cohorts up to Class 84 listed).
• Credentialing Bundle A comprehensive bundle combining the Play Therapy Certificate Program with the Supervision Package, structured to the APT Three-Phase Credentialing model (Phase 1: 45 CE hours + 50-75 therapy hours + 8 supervision hours; Phase 2: 60 CE hours + 100-150 therapy hours + 13.5 supervision hours; Phase 3: 45 CE hours + 100-175 therapy hours + 13.5 supervision hours). Designed for professionals starting their path to becoming a Registered Play Therapist. Professional Bundle priced at $6,340 and Student Bundle at $5,590.
• Supervision Package Individual and group clinical supervision services for play therapy students and practitioners working toward RPT credentialing, including 17 one-hour individual supervision meetings and 12 one-hour group supervision meetings. Full price $2,690, available as a standalone or as a bundle add-on with the Certificate Program.
• Play Therapy Certificate Program - Student Rate A discounted version of the Play Therapy Certificate Program available to graduate students with proof of current enrollment in a qualifying mental health graduate program. Includes the same ten-workshop curriculum, hands-on materials, and textbooks, priced at the student rate (e.g., $2,850 with full 5% discount; $300 per workshop; or $128.75/month for 24 months).
• Sand Therapy Certificate Program A specialized certificate program centered on sand tray and sandtray therapy techniques for advanced practitioners, offered as a complement or specialization track beyond the general Play Therapy Certificate Program.
• Build Your Own Program (BYOP) - 75+ Supervision Bundle A customizable package combining the Play Therapy Certificate Program with additional supervision services for trainees who need to accumulate supervision hours above and beyond the standard program, supporting RPT credentialing for those with extra supervised-experience requirements.
• Live Webinar Workshops Web-based delivery format for Certificate Program workshops and continuing education offerings, allowing remote live participation with interactive instructor engagement and the issuance of non-contact CE hours. Available for most certificate program workshops and CE offerings.
• Foundations of Child-Centered Play Therapy Workshop A standalone or certificate-program Phase 1 workshop covering Child-Centered Play Therapy principles, offering 15 APT contact CE hours at $300-$375 per workshop.
• Sandtray in Play Therapy Workshop A workshop on sandtray therapy techniques, part of the certificate program curriculum, including the materials bundle (sandtray with lid, washed and screened high-quality play sand, and miniature starter set). Priced at $300-$375.
• Attachment: Creating Connection through Play Therapy Workshop A systemic-phase workshop on attachment theory and therapeutic techniques for creating connection with children and families, offered as part of the certificate program at $300-$375.
• Play Therapy with Abuse and Trauma Workshop A directive play therapy workshop addressing trauma-informed interventions for abused and traumatized children and adolescents, priced at $300-$375.
• Family Play Therapy Workshop A workshop on systemic and family-based play therapy approaches and interventions, priced at $300-$375.
• Theories of Directive Play Therapy Workshop An advanced workshop on directive play therapy theories and techniques, positioned within Phase 3 of the certificate program curriculum, priced at $300-$375.
• Engaging Adolescents in Play Therapy & Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy Workshop A workshop on specialized techniques for adolescent clients using play therapy and cognitive behavioral approaches, priced at $300-$375.
• Special Topics in Play Therapy: The Adult Inner Child & Grief Workshop A two-day workshop covering therapeutic work with adult clients addressing inner child work and grief processing through play therapy techniques, providing 15 APT CE hours.
• Play Sand - 50lb Bag A 50lb bag of specially graded, washed, dried, and screened fine play sand marketed for therapeutic sandtray and play therapy use, sold at $40 per bag.
• Large Sand Tray with Sand A full-size therapeutic sand tray with included sand for sandtray therapy sessions, priced at $45.
• Mini Sand Tray with Sand

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 hours of APT-approved play therapy training
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Marriott Hotels (Fairfield Inn & Suites, Courtyard by Marriott)minorOthersPreferred hotel accommodations for out-of-town workshop participants. Negotiated room rates ranging from $103-$179/night with free Wi-Fi. Locations near training sites in Shawnee, KS; Overland Park, KS; Omaha, NE; Springdale, AR; Wichita, KS; St. Louis, MO; Des Moines, IA; and Portland, ME. Heartland Play guests receive contracted rates with special booking codes.
• Hilton Hotels (Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites)minorOthersAdditional hotel partner for St. Louis workshop participants with rates around $129-$130/night including free breakfast and Wi-Fi at Clayton/Richmond Heights locations near St. Louis training site.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Capella University: Online university with mental health and counseling degree programs that incorporate play therapy content. Represents the asynchronous, degree-credentialed alternative to Heartland's workshop-based pathway.
• Alliant International University: University system offering psychology and counseling programs with relevant specializations for child and family therapy. Represents the degree-granting alternative pathway that competes for the same mental-health professional audience.

Others

• National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approves Heartland as a CE provider (#6774) and governs the broader counselor-credentialing ecosystem. Not a commercial peer, but a regulatory body whose recognition Heartland depends on for program acceptance.
• Association for Play Therapy (APT): The professional association that sets the credentialing framework Heartland's curriculum follows and that approves providers like Heartland. Not a competitor, but a key ecosystem gatekeeper whose standards shape Heartland's product design.

Direct peers

• Zur Institute: Online continuing education provider for mental health professionals offering CE-approved courses relevant to play therapy and child therapy. Comparable on CE delivery, though with a self-paced digital model rather than in-person workshops.
• National Louis University: University-based continuing education and certificate programs for mental health professionals, including play therapy offerings. Overlaps directly with Heartland's certificate and supervision bundle.
• Tulane University School of Social Work: Provides play therapy continuing education and certificate programs for social workers and counselors pursuing the RPT credential. Targets the same APT-aligned training market as Heartland.
• University of North Texas Center for Play Therapy: One of the most established academic play therapy training programs in the U.S., offering certificate and credentialing pathways for mental health professionals. Directly comparable to Heartland's RPT-focused three-phase certificate curriculum.
• Loyola University Maryland: Offers a play therapy certificate and continuing education sequence aligned with APT credentialing requirements. Comparable academic-style alternative to Heartland's in-person workshop model.
• PESI, Inc. Large continuing-education provider for mental health professionals offering live and recorded workshops approved for CE hours. Competes with Heartland for the same licensed-therapist wallet, though PESI spans many modalities beyond play therapy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HeartlandPlay
• Xx.com/heartlandplay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heartland-play-therapy-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Heartland Play Therapy Institute