Climate Awareness Play Therapy TM (CAPT) is the first evidence-based, professional credential equipping licensed mental health clinicians to recognize, assess, and address the psychological impacts of climate change on children and families.
Complete all 8 modules across both training days. Completion of modules required 12.-hours
Credentialing in CLIMATE Awareness Play Therapy (CAPT) signals to clients, employers, and the profession that you have completed a rigorous, evidence-based, nationally recognized training in the clinical treatment of climate-related distress in children and families.
Every module is grounded in this framework. Every learning objective maps to at least one pillar. Every citation traces to peer-reviewed science.
Climate change severely impacts mental health. Extreme weather events trigger anxiety, trauma, and depression. Extreme heat worsens mental health symptoms.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
CAPT framework was built by a clinician, counselor educator, and Co-Author who saw the gap between what climate change is doing to children and what the profession was equipped to do about it.
Counselor educator for CMHC Academia, Registered Play therapist supervisor, specialization in play therapy & Exceptional Children. Research on the effects on marginalized communities, children, and adolescents' mental health due to climate change.
CAPT is not advocacy. It is the clinical application of documented, peer-reviewed evidence-based theory.
“This program is not asking clinicians to take a political position on climate change. It is asking clinicians to be clinically competent with a population of clients who are increasingly presenting with climate-related distress — the same call to competency that drove multicultural counseling standards, trauma-informed care standards, and every other expansion of the profession’s clinical scope.”
Marquita Garrett, PhD, LPCC, RPT-S— Program Director
APA reaffirms its 2011 policy resolution and commits itself to continued action to address global climate change on the basis of scientific evidence and applied and clinical psychological expertise.
“APA reaffirms its 2011 policy resolution and commits itself to continued action to address global climate change on the basis of scientific evidence and applied and clinical psychological expertise.
Further, APA adopts an interdisciplinary and interprofessional approach to addressing climate change, including collaborations with other scientific, professional, policy, and community organizations in the United States and internationally.”
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ACA 2018
The American Counseling Association adopted a position statement on climate change: “ACA stands in alliance with all individuals who have been and will be impacted by climate change and supports counselors who work to address the needs of those most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change.”
The International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies published the Global Climate Change and Trauma Briefing Paper (Augustinavicius et al., 2021), establishing the clinical framework for acute vs. chronic climate trauma and calling for rapid development of climate-informed clinical practice.
The Association for Counselor Education and Supervision approved the Climate Change and Environmental Justice Competencies for Counselor Education — the first national competency standard for climate-informed counselor training. The CAPT-C Program Director collaborated on the task force that developed these competencies.
How did we get here and where are we going?
Whether you’re a play therapist, counselor, educator, graduate student, teacher or parent, we’re here to help you better understand Climate Awareness Play Therapy (CAPT).
Explore our frequently asked questions to learn how this emerging framework supports resilient children and the professionals who care for them.
CAPT is seeking approval to offer Climate Awareness Play Therapy for continuing education credit.
Programs that do not qualify for certain continue education credit will be clearly identified.
Each individual training listing should be reviewed to identify the type and amount of continuing education offered.
Please check back for updates.
There are several levels each with different time alottments.
12 Hour Core Training Intensive
An additional self-paced home study (non-contact) training for clinical supervisors
4 hour webinar informational only
The CAPT core intensive Program includes a thorough presentation of climate awareness
concepts including disability affirming practices and social justice for marginalized children and Families,
An overview of common climate awareness mental health needs, an intensive examination of the CAPT framework. Additionally, treatment STRATEGIES that target child and play therapy goals, affirming parent involvement and training.
Join the waitlist to receive early access, program updates, and upcoming training schedules.
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The Climate Awareness Play Therapy Certification equips clinicians to address the psychological impact of climate change on children.
