ADA Accommodations
In seeking to provide a fair environment for all students who wish to learn and strive to succeed, the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) acts in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), along with other local, state and federal requirements regarding disabled students.

The SPTI makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations for students who qualify under ADA. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act is a national law that protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination based on their disability. For purposes of educational access at the SPTI, qualified individuals with disabilities are persons who, with reasonable accommodation, can access and perform the essential functions to meet prescribed academic requirements of courses and programs. Reasonable requests for accommodation must be based upon documentation that meets defined criteria and does not create “undue hardship” for the institute. Undue hardship is defined as an action requiring significant difficulty or expense when considered in light of factors such as the university’s size, financial resources, and the nature and structure of its academic and student service operations. Requests for accommodation must not compromise academic requirements essential to proper completion of courses and programs. Under this definition, courses and programs need not be substantially altered or academically compromised to match the specific needs of disabled individuals.

In order to request accommodations, students must contact the SPTI and provide information that they have a qualified disability. No accommodations may be made before the SPTI has been notified of a disability through the submission of proper documentation. Documentation must be provided at least 30 days in advance of any accommodation requests. The responsibility for ensuring that this documentation is submitted on time is solely the students. Students must contact the SPTI by emailing the info@synergeticplaytherapy.com. The SPTI will request the student complete an Accommodations Request Form and provide supporting documentation with the submission. Please note that review of requests for accommodations can take up to 14 days.

Attendance
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) monitors and tracks attendance to ensure that students attend the program for the appropriate number of hours, as indicated on the certificates they receive upon completion of the program/course.

Live Events
For Live Events, students will be required to actively attend the event for the full duration of the course/program.

For live webinar events, students will be required to have their cameras on the entire time in order to receive full-credit. Attendance will be monitored and recorded, on the student roster, in real-time by the Program Administrator or Teacher. Students will be required to 1) register prior to the event via zoom, 2) complete a learning assessment (a score of 80% or higher) and 3) complete a program evaluation to provide feedback on the program. Please note that partial attendance will not receive partial credit. Once the learning assessment is complete the certificate can be downloaded by the participant.

For live in-person events, students will be required to 1) complete the sign-in documents, 2) complete the learning assessment, and 2) complete the program evaluation. Once the learning assessment is complete the certificate can be downloaded by the participant.

Home Study
For Home Study courses, students will be required to pay the course fee for access to the course, complete the course agreements, watch the associated videos and complete the required assignments, if applicable, to complete the course and program evaluations, and pass the course assessment with a score of 80% or higher.

Consultation Attendance Requirements
Students that enroll in the Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy®Program and the Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program at the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) have agreed to participate in required Consultation. As part of the program requirements, the following attendance requirements have been put into place:

Consultation Cancellation policy: If students have to cancel consultation, they will be required to contact their Consultant and let them know 48 hours in advance, so that the consultation can be rescheduled. Consultations are required as a part of the program. Failure to contact the assigned Consultant a minimum of 48 hours in advance will result in a “no-show” and will require a Make-Up Consultation.

No-Show/Make-Up Consultation policy: If students miss a scheduled consultation or do not inform their consultant a minimum of 48 hours prior to the scheduled consultation, they will need to make up the consultation and will be charged separately for a consultation through the SPTI. Students must contact their Consultant to begin rescheduling and email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com for payment instructions.

Confidentiality Breaches
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) ensures that Information, whether oral, written, or electronic, be maintained in a manner that ensures its confidentiality. A breach is a violation of this policy and/or state or federal regulatory requirements resulting in the unauthorized or inappropriate use, disclosure or access of Confidential Information. Should a breach of confidentiality be identified, the SPTI’s Operations Director will investigate the breach. Should a breach of “Personal Information” be identified, the Operations Director will coordinate the communication of the breach to the impacted individuals via email. This notification will be sent no later than 60 days following the discovery of a breach and will include, to the extent possible, a brief description of the breach, a description of the types of information that were involved in the breach, the steps affected individuals should take to protect themselves from potential harm, a brief description of what is being done to mitigate the harm, and prevent further breaches, as well as contact information for questions, as applicable.

Confidentiality of Student Information
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) maintains its internet site as an information resource and service for a variety of users to include, but not limited to, potential and current students, faculty, and staff. The SPTI is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all its users. When learners register or use the SPTI’s internet site for activities certain personally identifiable information such as names, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, and payment information is collected. The SPTI has measures to protect personal data from unauthorized access, improper use, alteration, unlawful or accidental destruction, and accidental loss. The SPTI requires that all users who have access to or are associated with the processing of personal data respect confidentiality. Personally identifiable information that is shared with the Institute is stored on the organization’s servers. Information is backed up routinely, in order to aid in the recovery of information in the event of accidental damage of information or due to a natural disaster. The backup media is stored and back-up to a cloud storage.

Course Materials
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) takes pride in ensuring that its programs are relevant and up-to-date. The Program Director, in coordination with the Lead Teacher and Operations Director, will conduct an annual review of the programs being offered to ensure that the course materials are current and relevant to the programs being offered. This includes the review of course/program evaluations provided by participants.

Disclosure or Use of Client Information in CE Program
It is important to know that composites of real-life case examples are commonly used in continuing education programs to provide examples or facilitate role plays or discussion while maintaining confidentiality. The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) may use or request students to use client information that will be viewed for educational purposes only. It is required that proper informed consent be obtained if any client information will be used for educational purposes during their program. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that this is collected and maintained. Any identifying client information obtained will not be disclosed by a presenter or student.

Fees, Refunds, and Cancellations
Students are charged specific program costs and fees when enrolling in programs, which can be found by visiting the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) website.

The SPTI takes every opportunity to work with students to ensure that they can enroll in courses that will meet their needs. Students can pay in full or enroll in a predetermined payment plan that is offered by the institution. The SPTI makes every effort to maintain reasonable fees for its courses and programs and they are subject to change at the discretion of the Institute. There will be a 10% convenience fee incurred on all payment plans. Students should contact the SPTI if you have questions related to these fees.
Cancellations received one month from the start date will receive a full refund. Cancellations received less than one month from the start of the course will receive a full refund minus an administration fee based on the program you are enrolled in. Cancellation once the class begins will forfeit the payment of the course.

Grievance Policy
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) is centered on community. The SPTI strives to provide a supportive environment for its students, teachers, staff, and contractors to regulate, integrate, and celebrate together. The SPTI embraces connection and relationship, encouraging people to show up as themselves – genuine and curious, courageous and vulnerable, and ready to make a difference in the life of their clients.

In the event that a student, teacher, staff or contractor encounters a challenge during their time at the SPTI, such as challenges with registration, course content, educational materials, consultations, policies or other it is expected that the individual discuss the challenge with the appropriate individual(s) to attempt to come to a successful resolution.

The following grievance policy outlines SPTI’s protocol for handling a concern.

The SPTI believes that problems can be resolved through open discussion and cooperation among all involved. Fundamental to the process is the understanding that all parties have made a good-faith effort to resolve the challenge before submitting a formal grievance.

The following are steps recommended to resolve grievances at the SPTI:

Step 1: The individual is expected to attempt to resolve the challenge informally by contacting the individual(s) that are involved, prior to submitting a grievance. If the individual needs additional information in order to contact the individual(s) involved, they can reach out to the SPTI at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Step 2: If Step 1 does not resolve the challenge, the individual is encouraged to communicate informally with the Program Director who can be reached at info@synergeticplaytherapy.com. If the individual involved with the challenge is the Program Director, the Operations Director would be contacted at operations@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Step 3: If Step 2 does not resolve the challenge, the individual should submit a written letter to the Operations Director, explaining the situation, with all pertinent details of the challenges; including any supporting documentation to provide evidence. This letter must be submitted within one month of the time the grievance occurred. Letters can be sent to operations@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Step 4: After reviewing the grievance, the Operations Director shall attempt to resolve the challenge directly to the mutual satisfaction of all involved. This may include setting up a meeting with all individuals in the grievance to discuss the challenge and reasons for it not being resolved. Once the grievance has been reviewed and all pertinent information collected, the Operations Director shall render a decision in writing no later than 15 days after the grievance was submitted. *Please note that the submitted grievance may be shared confidentially (redacting names) with the individuals that are involved to investigate the grievance.

Step 5: If an individual wishes to appeal the Operation Director’s decision, the individual should submit a written appeal letter to the Operations Director, explaining the reasons for the appeal, with all pertinent details and any supporting documentation to provide evidence. This letter must be submitted within two weeks of the time the final decision was made. Letters can be sent to operations@synergeticplaytherapy.com.

Step 6: After reviewing the appeal, the Operations Director will convene a review committee to consider the reasons objectively. Once the appeal and all pertinent information have been reviewed again, the committee shall render a final decision to the Operations Director and the Operations Director shall notify the individual in writing no later than 15 days after the appeal was submitted.

Non-Discrimination Policy
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® ® (SPTI) does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, religion, or marital status in its educational programs, activities, or employment practices. The Institute complies with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and regulations, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.

Program Complaints
The Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI) encourages relationships. In that vein, if any student or potential student would like to express a concern about the SPTI or a continuing education program provided by the SPTI, the individual may email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com. The SPTI asks that the student provide details about the concern and someone from the Administration Team will be in touch within 48 hours. Although the SPTI does not guarantee a particular outcome, the SPTI will consider the complaint, make any necessary decisions, and respond within 7 days from receipt of the complaint.

Record Keeping and Retention
All materials submitted become the property of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute® (SPTI). During a student’s enrollment, the SPTI maintains electronic records that include attendance information, and other relevant data. These records are maintained for a period of 5 years after the end of the program that the student has completed. Except as required by law, no information regarding student information, program attendance, or any other aspect of students’ information will be released to any third party without written student consent.