1. Applicants must have a graduate degree in a mental health field (or be currently enrolled in a graduate mental health program).

2. Applicants for distance supervision must have completed an Introductory Play Therapy course or equivalent, either at an accredited university or through workshops that have been approved by the Association for Play Therapy (APT). The Introductory Play Therapy course or equivalent should include, at a minimum, the following areas:

• An Introduction to and History of Play Therapy

• Theoretical Perspectives in Play Therapy

• Logistical Aspects of Play Therapy

• Play Room Setup and Portable Play

• Handling Problems in the Play room

• Understanding Play Behaviors

• Ethical Issues in Play Therapy

• Skills and Techniques Utilized in Play Therapy

**Individuals must also provide a taped example of his or her use of play therapy prior to initiating a distance supervision contract.

Responsibilities of Supervisee

• The supervisee must be eligible to provide mental health services as delineated under their state mental health professional code(s) as an independent practitioner or as a supervised practitioner working toward a mental health license.

• The supervisee who is non-licensed and working towards licensure must provide documentation of their immediate supervisor’s (site supervisor’s) awareness of and permission for, receiving distance supervision of play therapy experience.

• The supervisee is responsible for obtaining the appropriate consents (both client/guardian and site of practice) prior to discussing, recording, and sending any case-sensitive information. All identifying information must be removed from any and all case related material in order to safeguard client confidentiality. Recorded sessions will contain only the supervisees name and date of the session.

• The supervisee is responsible for following the ethical guidelines set forth by the State of Mississippi, ACA, APT, NBCC, and any other applicable, professional bodies.

• The supervisee will be responsible for attending all group supervisions and being available, by phone or in person, for all individual supervisions. The supervisee and supervisor may mutually negotiate a make-up of missed hours and any additional hours of supervision that may be requested.

• The supervisee must have and provide proof of liability insurance.

• The supervisee is required to maintain a record/log of dates and hours of supervision received. This record will also include a copy of any form of written feedback that is offered by the supervisor.

• The supervisee is responsible for keeping and/or destruction of materials, which were submitted for the purpose of supervision, then returned by the supervisor.

• The supervisee is encouraged to seek psychotherapy if personal issues arise that cannot be resolved within the supervision relationship.

• The supervisee will contact the distance supervisor immediately and inform him of any grievances, sanctions, or lawsuits filed against the supervisee.

Responsibilities of Supervisor

• The supervisor is responsible for supervising solely the training, utilization, and application of play therapy skills and techniques.

• The supervisor is responsible for following the ethical guidelines set forth by the State of Mississippi, ACA, APT, NBCC, and any other applicable, professional bodies.

• The supervisor must have and provide proof of liability insurance.

• The supervisor must have adequate training in supervision and be certified, registered, and/or licensed to provide such supervision. The supervisor must be able to provide proof of his training and credentials if requested.

• The supervisor must be available, within reason, to provide the negotiated supervision. The supervisor must provide the supervisee(s) with contact information where he may be reached.

• The supervisor must provide timely feedback to supervisee(s) through phone call, emails, and/or written reports.

• The supervisor must return all materials submitted by the supervisee(s) such as videotapes, reports, art products, and/or sand tray photos to the supervisee(s) after review. The supervisor is responsible for proper storage of these materials until they have been returned to the supervisee(s).

• The supervisor will maintain a copy of the record/log of dates and hours of supervision given to the supervisee(s). This record will also include a copy of any form of written feedback that is offered to the supervisee(s).

• The supervisor will periodically review the supervision file of the supervisee(s) to insure he or she is on track for certification, registration, and/or licensure.

• The supervisor will immediately contact the supervisee(s) if he believes that the contents of a session indicated an obligation to make a report to any authorities.