Certification in Crisis Play Therapy™

Specialized Training for Professionals Working with Trauma, Crisis, and Vulnerability

 

Natural disasters. Armed conflicts. Forced displacement. Humanitarian emergencies. Traumatic loss.

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The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program provides specialized training in the therapeutic use of play with children, families, and communities affected by crisis, trauma, adversity, displacement, and vulnerability.

 

Created by Claudio Mochi and Isabella Cassina, the program integrates Play Therapy, trauma-informed practice, neuroscience, psychosocial support, and humanitarian perspectives to prepare professionals to design clinical interventions and psychosocial projects in crisis and high-vulnerability contexts.

 

Delivered by an international faculty of experienced professionals and experts, the program combines theoretical foundations, practical training, and experiential learning.

 

The contemporary world is complex and constantly presents new challenges to individuals and professionals. The two-level Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program equips professionals with cutting-edge knowledge and practical skills to address crisis and high-vulnerability situations arising from natural and human-induced hazards.

 

Become part of a new generation of Crisis Play Therapists and develop the skills to make a difference when it matters most.

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What Is Crisis Play Therapy™?

Crisis Play Therapy™ is “a trauma- and neuroscience-informed approach that uses play as a central therapeutic medium in highly vulnerable contexts. It prioritizes safety and connection before deeper work. It is a co-constructed, culturally sensitive process through which individuals and communities actively engage in healing and recovery via the therapeutic power of play.” (Mochi & Cassina, 2026)

 

The approach can be adapted to different ages, cultures, and settings and integrated into individual, family, group, and community-based practice.

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Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program

The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program is a progressive pathway for professionals developing specialized competencies in using play therapeutically in crisis and high-vulnerability contexts.

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Level I – Foundations

Level I comprises four interconnected areas of study designed to establish the fundamental knowledge needed to understand crisis and high-vulnerability contexts and the integration of play and Play Therapy.

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The training addresses trauma, neuroscience, play, psychosocial support, cultural responsiveness, safeguarding, and practical interventions.

 

Successful completion of Level I provides access to Level II and the final Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification.

 

The program also includes modules providing APT and APTI CE Credit Hours.

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Level II & Final Certification

Level II builds on Level I and deepens participants’ knowledge and practical application of Crisis Play Therapy™. Completion of the full pathway leads to the Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification.

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Across both levels, participants develop the capacity to design and develop clinical interventions and neuroscience-informed psychosocial projects for crisis and high-vulnerability contexts, with a focus on stress, trauma—including intergenerational trauma—and grief related to natural disasters, conflict, poverty, migration, and other adverse circumstances.

 

Both Level I and Level II also include a personal development and self-care component. Because crisis and high-vulnerability contexts affect professionals as well as the people they support, the use of play and expressive arts for wellbeing, resilience, and self-care is an integral part of the program.

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Training Format

The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program includes six days of in-person training for Level I, six days of in-person training for Level II, and eight hours of recorded webinars, combining theoretical learning, practical activities, experiential work, and professional reflection. The recorded webinars must be completed by the end of Level I in order to complete the level.

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Learning Objectives

After completing both levels of the Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program, participants will be able to:

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1. Discuss crisis intervention from a humanitarian and psychosocial perspective, including responses to natural and human-induced hazards.

2. Assess intervention opportunities and common risks in crisis and high-vulnerability contexts.

3. Identify cultural challenges and dynamics and apply principles of international cooperation when analyzing high-vulnerability situations.

4. Explain the opportunities and limitations of Play Therapy in crisis work.

5. Select and intentionally use Play Therapy methodologies, techniques, and activities appropriate to high-vulnerability contexts.

6. Design and develop Play Therapy clinical interventions for individuals and groups in crisis contexts.

7. Plan neuroscience-informed Play Therapy projects in crisis and high-vulnerability contexts.

8. Use effective operational tools for process-oriented project management in psychosocial and crisis interventions.

9. Discuss and analyze stress, trauma—including intergenerational trauma—and grief across childhood and adulthood.

10. Develop effective communication and collaboration with families and local networks to co-construct Play Therapy interventions and support continuity of care.

11. Strengthen self-reflection and awareness of personal sociocultural representations in crisis and cross-cultural work.

12. Develop practical self-care strategies through play and expressive arts to support professional wellbeing and sustainable practice.

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Key Topics​​

• Trauma, Neuroscience & Play

• Safety, Connection & Co-Regulation

• The Therapeutic Power of Play

• Play-Based Interventions in Crisis Settings

• Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Techniques

• Cultural & Contextual Responsiveness

• Individual, Family, Group & Community Practice

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Who Is the Certification For?

Level I

Level I is intended for students and professionals in mental health, education, rehabilitation, healthcare, and social work who have completed or are currently undertaking formal training in Creative Arts Therapies, such as Play Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Art Therapy, or related fields.

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The program is particularly relevant for:

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• Psychologists and psychotherapists

• Mental health and psychosocial professionals

• Play therapists and creative arts therapists

• Social workers and counsellors

• Educators and teachers

• Healthcare and rehabilitation professionals

• Professionals working with children, adolescents, and families

• NGO and community-based practitioners

• Professionals working in humanitarian, emergency, refugee, and migration settings

• Child protection and community support professionals

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Final Certification – Levels I & II

To obtain the final Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification, participants are required to have a solid foundational knowledge of at least one Play Therapy methodology. Participants who do not yet meet this requirement are expected to fulfill it by the conclusion of the Certification Program.

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Additional requirements for obtaining the final certification will be communicated at a later stage.

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International Faculty & Supervisors

The program is delivered by international mental health experts and supervisors specializing in trauma, emergency intervention, psychosocial project development, Play Therapy, and Expressive Arts. Faculty members hold professional qualifications recognized by one or more authorities in the field of Play Therapy.

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Accreditation & CE Credit Hours

Our Academy is a Swiss-recognized non-profit organization dedicated to professional education and training in Play Therapy.​ 

 

It is an approved provider of continuing education by the Association for Play Therapy (APT), United States, and the Association for Play Therapy Italy (APTI). The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program includes modules providing APT and APTI CE Credit Hours.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Crisis Play Therapy™?

Crisis Play Therapy™ is a trauma- and neuroscience-informed approach created by Claudio Mochi and Isabella Cassina that uses play as a central therapeutic medium in highly vulnerable contexts, prioritizing safety and connection before deeper work.

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Who can enroll in the Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program?

Level I is intended for students and professionals in mental health, education, rehabilitation, healthcare, and social work who have completed or are undertaking formal training in Creative Arts Therapies or related fields.

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Is previous Play Therapy training required?

A solid foundational knowledge of at least one Play Therapy methodology is required for the final certification. Participants who do not yet meet this requirement are expected to fulfill it by the conclusion of the Certification Program.

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How is the Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification structured?

The program is delivered in two levels. Successful completion of Level I provides access to Level II, and completion of both levels leads to the final Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification, subject to the applicable certification requirements.

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Does the program provide CE Credit Hours?

Yes. The program includes modules providing APT and APTI CE Credit Hours.

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What can participants do after completing the certification program?

Participants develop competencies to design Play Therapy clinical interventions and neuroscience-informed psychosocial projects for crisis and high-vulnerability contexts, while strengthening cultural, clinical, project-management, collaboration, and professional self-care skills.

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Selected Publications & Further Reading

The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program is informed by decades of clinical practice, international crisis work, research, and professional development in the fields of Play Therapy, trauma, psychosocial support, and humanitarian intervention.

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Selected publications relevant to the approach and its theoretical foundations include:

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• Mochi, C., & Cassina, I. (2024). A process-oriented and multilayered approach to the global impacts of trauma. In J., Stone, R. J., Grant, & C., Mellenthin (eds.) Trauma impacts: The repercussions of individual and collective trauma, Wiley.

• Cassina, I., & Mochi, C. (2024). Polyvagal-informed practice to support children and caregivers in war: Toward the creation of a huge and reassuring playroom. In P., Goodyear-Brown, & L., Yasenik (eds.) Polyvagal power in the playroom: A guide for play therapists, Routledge.​

• Mochi, C., & Cassina, I. (2024). Reclaiming a feeling of safety in natural disasters: Preparatory and advanced interventions using play and play therapy. In P., Goodyear-Brown, & L., Yasenik (eds.) Polyvagal power in the playroom: A guide for play therapists, Routledge.

• Cassina, I., Mochi, C., & Stagnitti, K. (2022) (eds.). Play therapy and expressive arts in a complex and dynamic world: Opportunities and challenges inside and outside the playroom, Routledge.

• Mochi, C. (2022). Beyond the clouds: An autoethnographic research exploring good practice in crisis settings, Loving Healing Press.

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Begin Your Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Journey

 

The Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program helps professionals integrate the power of play into work with trauma, crisis, adversity, displacement, and vulnerability.

 

Learn the approach. Develop practical skills. Make a difference when it matters most.

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Join the Crisis Play Therapy™ Certification Program​​