Empowering Parents, Transforming Families: A Comprehensive Guide for Play Therapists to Facilitate CPRT with Confidence

Parenting can be a mixed experience, one that can be joyful, overwhelming, and confusing at the same time. In the domain of play therapy, Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) has emerged as a transformative intervention that has greatly added to the abilities of play therapists in maneuvering the complex behavioral, emotional, social, and attachment concerns in the context of the parent-child relationship.

For play therapists eager to enhance their contribution through empowering caregivers, our training program, "Mastering Child-Parent Relationship Therapy: A Comprehensive Training in Filial Therapy," by Dr. Brenna Hicks offers a wonderful opportunity to gain access to tools to repair, restore, and reimagine connection, ultimately guiding families toward healing, relationship by relationship.

What Is CPRT and Why Is It Important?

Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) is a structured, evidence-based model of filial therapy that seeks to empower parents to become the change agents in their children's lives. Based on Child-Centered Play Therapy concepts and attachment theory, CPRT acknowledges that healing does not only occur in the therapist's office, but also at home, in the course of day-to-day moments of parent-child connection.

This 10-week treatment model aims to enhance the parent-child bond through guided play sessions. By learning foundational skills like reflective responding, limit setting, emotional attunement, and esteem-building, parents are empowered to reframe problem behaviors, minimize power struggles, and foster the emotional development of their children.

The key to unlocking a successful CPRT experience is a well-trained, compassionate facilitator.

Your Guide to Confidently Leading CPRT Groups

Mastering Child-Parent Relationship Therapy is more than a training, it’s a masterclass in gaining the foundational skills to effectively deliver CPRT in therapy rooms.

Hosted by Core Wellness, this 16 CE hour program is on demand only, enabling professionals to learn at their own pace. This online course comprises 15 bite-sized instructional modules, each consisting of the following components,

• A total of 12 hours and 40 minutes of instructional video
• 3 hours, 20 minutes of reading assignments
• Includes 4 hours of instruction and  over 8 hours of demonstration videos of real-life CPRT in action.

Each module is packed with downloadable handouts to reinforce learning and help learners create ready-to-use materials for their own CPRT groups. The self-pacing allows clinicians to internalize both the “why” and the “how” of facilitation, thus ensuring that by course end, you are not just familiar with CPRT—you are ready to deliver it.

Required Reading for In-Depth Integration

To enrich learning and stay true to the model, two recommended texts are:

• Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual: An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd Edition)
• Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model

These materials supplement the video training and offer a research-based grounding for effective, ethical application. The books feature sample transcripts of real-world sessions, and research supporting the effectiveness of CPRT on child and parent outcomes and the precise format for supervising parents’ play sessions with both young children and teens.

When integrated with the video content, these readings ensure learners have both a broad-based understanding and actionable strategies.

What You'll Learn: Core Competencies of a CPRT Facilitator

This course goes beyond teaching what CPRT is; it offers a holistic approach to applying the principles and attitudes of CPRT so that you can lead with integrity and clarity.

Here's an overview of the core learning objectives:

• Learn the historical and theoretical underpinnings of CPRT, including landmark influences in play therapy.
• Discuss the neuroscience behind parent-child relationships and the therapeutic benefits of play.
• Acquire facilitation competencies such as modeling CCPT principles, facilitating group discussion, and meeting diverse parenting needs.
• Coach caregivers in the moment on reflective listening, emotional validation, setting limits, and building parenting skills.
• Modify the CPRT model to work with special populations, cultural diversity, and family-specific issues.
• Use practical troubleshooting techniques to overcome resistance, emotional barriers, and group management difficulties.

Week-by-Week Guidance

Each week of the CPRT model is broken down in the course:

Weeks 1–2: Laying the foundation, discussing therapeutic play, toy selection, and the “Rules of Thumb.”

Weeks 3–4: Coaching parents in reflective responding and emotional attunement.

Weeks 5–6: Teaching limit setting, choice giving, and managing big feelings in play.

Weeks 7–9: Guiding parents in esteem-building, using encouragement over praise, and transferring skills outside of play sessions.

Week 10: Celebrating progress, reviewing growth, and setting up long-term relational success.

Real-Life Modeling: Learning from Experience

Reading about CPRT concepts can be enlightening, but seeing them in action can be truly empowering. This course aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice through immersive and in-depth live video demonstrations to visualize how effective facilitation works in practice.

Here, you can observe veteran facilitators reflectively respond during emotional disclosures, offer corrective feedback without shame and navigate situations of parental self-doubt with grounding presence.

Students get to observe the nuances of implementing CPRT firsthand—from beginning a group session to building self-worth. These practical examples offer them cues about tone, pace, and interpersonal presence vital for

Who Should Enroll in This Course?

This course is perfect for,

• Licensed Marriage & Family Therapists and counselors interested in adding or expanding filial therapy services.
• Therapists new to CPRT who prefer systematic, step-by-step instruction with excellent visual modelling.
• Supervisors or trainers planning to offer a CPRT program for agency or private practice use.
• Professionals requiring APT-approved CE credits in Play Therapy History, Seminal Theories, Skills & Methods, and Special Topics.

Covering a total of 16 CE hours, including Seminal Theories and Special Topics credits, this course is aligned with high standards of professional development. This APT-approved course has been carefully crafted to facilitate real-world application, ethical practice, and sustainable therapeutic outcomes.

This course is geared to meet the needs of professionals dedicated to working with families, with a focus on helping parents become the healing connection their child needs.

About the Instructor: Dr. Brenna Hicks

Course creator and instructor Dr. Brenna Hicks PhD, LMHC-S, RPT brings over a decade of hands-on experience and a dedication to play therapy for both adults and children. She is well recognized for her engaging and accessible style of delivery and embodies the principles she teaches—empathy, attunement, and empowerment.

Her teaching style blends an intimate approach with rigorous clinical learning to offer a learning experience that is both personalized and professional. Drawing on years of group facilitation, parent coaching, and practice-based wisdom, she is committed to helping therapists overcome pitfalls, provide a safe and client-friendly therapeutic space and lead with purpose.

Explore her other on-demand courses on high-quality trauma-informed mental health training, where participants can benefit from both flexibility and excellence.

Final Thoughts: Healing Starts at Home

When children are struggling, parents often feel helpless, ashamed, or out of control. CPRT changes that dynamic by turning them into heroes with the right tools to connect, understand, and guide their children through the healing process.

The role of a play therapist is vital, but your impact multiplies when you empower caregivers to step into their own healing role. “Home Master: CPRT” gives you everything you need to step confidently into that facilitation role and create lasting change in the families you serve.

So if you're ready to deepen your skills, expand your reach, and make a generational impact, investing in this course is your next step.

Enroll now in Mastering Child-Parent Relationship Therapy to transfer therapeutic gains beyond the playroom.