Synergetic Play Therapy Certification

Synergetic Play Therapy^® Certification

Reflect on your journey since starting the Level 1 Introductory Program

The key is a combination of your own evolution with a deep understanding of how healing happens.

85 Hours of Engagement

You’ve seen the powerful impact of Synergetic Play Therapy through the Level 1 Introductory program. Imagine what’s possible when you take your skills even further!

85 hours of content

Increase your capacity to facilitate deeper and more complex processes with your clients

2 interactive and experiential online retreats

A 3.5 day retreat to start and a 4.5 day retreat halfway through the program

14 live-online classes

90-minutes each

13 individual/group consultation sessions

60-minutes each

This fully immersive, online experience will transform you from a clinician who understands to one who truly embodies the power of what you do in the world.

“One of the best gifts I have given myself!”

“What I thought was a professional development training ended up turning into the biggest exploration of self and opportunity to fully grow into the person I envisioned myself to be. SPT helped deepen my understanding of myself, reconnecting with disowned parts I had forgotten about, and finding the gifts this transformation had to offer. I am forever changed. I am more in love with myself and because of this, I am more in love with the work I do. SPT is an invaluable model to invest your time and energy. It has been one of the best gifts I have given myself!”

— Kristina

Are you right for this program?

If you are a clinician or play provider that has completed at least one of the following SPT introductory courses and its corresponding prerequisites, you are eligible to apply to this program:

Please note that this program is NOT for you, if …..

You're not interested in self-reflection and personal growth
You're not interested in learning the latest cutting-edge discoveries in our field
You're not interested in bringing new ideas and new perspectives to your work
You're someone who struggles with independent learning

Meet the Teachers

Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S

Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S is the founder and President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute, co-founder of the Synergetic Education Institute, and the creator of Synergetic Play Therapy. She’s also an international teacher, host of the "Lessons from the Playroom" podcast, creator of The Business of Therapy, and author of "Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity". She has also contributed chapters to several other books in the field over the years.

Judith Norman, LPC, LSC, RPT-S

Judith Norman, LPC, LSC, RPT-S is the co-founder with Lisa of the Synergetic Education Institute and is Licensed as both a Professional and School Counselor. She is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and is a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Teacher and Supervisor. She has been utilizing the tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy in educational settings for over 10 years. Her experience has led to the development of social-emotional, trauma-informed programming to support students and educators in schools.

Two Certification Titles

Same training; title depends on licensure.

Certified Synergetic Play Therapist

Must have completed or be enrolled in a graduate-level (Master’s degree or equivalent for non-U.S. applicants) program in counseling, social work, or psychology, or recognized in your country to practice as a mental health practitioner.

Certified Synergetic Play Provider

Does not hold a graduate-level mental health degree but currently working with children in some capacity (i.e. teacher, child life specialist, occupational therapist, early childhood educator).

“I am forever transformed.”

“SPT offers the gift of manifesting the true expression of self, for both our young clients and ourselves. We learn to engage fully in relationship. We connect and become that which fosters trust, growth, and healing. My journey through the SPT Certification process has been the most profound learning experience of my life. I am forever transformed.”

— Mary

Why This Program Is A "Must Attend"!

Repattern Trauma and Memory

Expand Your Therapeutic Awareness

Cultivate an ability to hold awareness of self and other (dual awareness) in order to become an attuned external regulator.
Gain insight on how to scaffold the development of a child’s interoceptive sense.
Understand how to assess and work with a child’s emotional age.
Overcome fears related to working with caregivers and create true collaborative partnerships.
Truly understanding what it means to become a caregiver's external regulator and how to support them in and out of the playroom.

Deepen Client Healing and Connection

Dive deeper into understanding attunement, attachment, and mindfulness to enhance your client’s reflective awareness, self-regulation, and co-regulation.
Explore the interconnectedness between physics and psychology.
Gain profound insight into the homeostatic mechanisms within the mind and how these contribute to emotions.

Unlock Emotional and Behavioral Breakthroughs

Learn why individuals are driven to do what they do and become who they are.
Work with your own activation that naturally arises in sessions and repattern your own nervous system response.
Empower both yourself and your clients within the therapy process, tracking small moments and significant empowerment experiences in a client’s therapeutic journey.

Learn Techniques for Diverse Populations

Master the use of sand and art in both non-directive and directive approaches.
Learn about the sensory system and how to use this information with neurodivergent children.
Explore directive interventions for groups, families, teens, siblings, and adults using the SPT tenets.
Learn how to work with non-verbal regressive states.
Deepen your understanding of how to track a child’s progress on the SPT Therapeutic Stages.
Master the art of managing endings, transitions, and strategies for facilitating a meaningful “goodbye process” with caregivers and children.

Find Your Flow

“SPT is the best Certification program!”

“SPT is the best certification program I’ve ever taken! Working with children over the past 22 years, I’ve never felt so in-sync with myself and being with my clients. I’m more confident and trusting of the process with the child and with the parent. I’m much more connected to myself and my body. I’m much more aware of what is going on in me, in the room, and with the child. I can more easily let go of the “shoulds” and just be with what is. I’m so happy and grateful that I’ve evolved and still will evolve further with SPT, to be the human and therapist I truly am.”

— Barbara

Continue Your Journey

August 2026 – May 2027

Limited Seats Available

Payment plans available

Program cost varies by student location in the world.

Act fast and save up to $500 USD by applying before April 1st!

Enroll in this program and receive the FREE BONUS video course: “How to Have a Successful Intake” to help you begin preparing for your time in the program and the first Learning Retreat!