WELCOME BACK!

Hi Certified SPTer!

It is so good to be connected to you again, and this time in person!  Thank you for all you are doing out in the world and for coming back to this program to renew your Synergetic Play Therapy Credential, so that you can continue your journey as a Certified Synergetic Play Therapist or Certified Synergetic Play Provider.

You might be wondering “Why do I have to go back to the basics?” and the answer is because when you first learned the Synergetic Play Therapy tenets and foundational teachings of Synergetic Play Therapy, you spent the majority of your time trying to orient towards a new way of being in the playroom while trying to grab ahold of some of the details of the Synergetic Play Therapy philosophy (some of which stuck and some of which didn’t!). And, you likely can’t recall when on your journey you learned all that you know now, when you went on to Certification we actually spent very little time on the basics! Hard to believe, but it is true! That is why going back to the beginning every few years is essential as this is where the Synergetic Play Therapy theory gets more deeply rooted in you and you also get the updated content.

We can tell you from past students that have already done their recertification that they were so grateful they did – we hear things like, “I had forgotten about that part” and “I just got re-inspired all over again!”  So thank you for your time and dedication to studying Synergetic Play Therapy.  Quite frankly, you rock!

We are looking forward to seeing you in person here very soon and continuing to be a part of your learning!

Love, 

Judy and Mili

Your Instructors:

Judith Norman, LPC, LSC, RPT-S, is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Teacher and Supervisor. Judith is the co-teacher alongside Lisa Dion of the Level 2 Synergetic Play Therapy Certification program, as well as, the co-founder and lead trainer of the Synergetic Education institute™. Judith is the creator of the Developmental Mindsets Paradigm™, a Parent Educator, and is Certified in EMDR Therapy. Implementing the tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy in educational settings, Judith trains both school-based and clinical mental health professionals.

Mili Sarmiento-Shoemaker, LPC, RPT-S, is a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Teacher and Supervisor, as well as, the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute’s Supervisor Trainer. Mili has been studying and practicing SPT since 2010 and loves witnessing the growth and transformation supervisees go through during their supervision process. Mili has been in private practice since 2013, is an LPC, RPT-S, LSW in Argentina, EMDR trained, and is currently studying a certification program in Gestalt and Family Constellation.

Here’s what you need to get started:

  1. The Book: Pull out your Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity book as you will be asked to review/re-read it. We invite you to go ahead and get started now!
  2. Program Agreements: Prior to our first day together on July 17, 2026, you are required to complete the first lesson of this program, “Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy Recertification – Program Agreements”. Please click on the lesson with the same name at the bottom of this page to read the Program Agreements document and complete a short quiz acknowledging that you have read and agree to the Program Agreements. You will not gain access to the remainder of the program lessons until you have successfully completed this step.
  3. Program Handouts: All handouts needed for this program can be found in the lesson titled “3-Day Introduction to Synergetic Play Therapy (Boulder 2026) Program Handouts”. This lesson will be made available to you one week prior to the start of the program. Please print the provided handouts during that time and bring them with you on Day 1. Judy and Mili will be referencing these handouts throughout the teachings and you will need them to take notes. Some of these handouts you may have seen before and others will be brand new!
  4. Course Site Access: You will have access to all program content until January 31, 2027. This is the date by which you will need to have fully completed the program and its requirements.
  5. Attendance: You will be required to attend the 3-day in-person program in full and participate fully in the training. You will also be required to complete 3 pre-recorded video lessons following our time together in person, two of which may be brand new to you as they are on the topics of cultural humility!
  6. Taking Notes – To meet program requirements, you must complete all lessons of this course site AND submit your notes for all modules and live webinars.
    1. Recertification Program Handout Packet – Within your Handouts lesson, you will find a link to a fillable PDF with pages for all of the live webinars, video modules, reflection exercises, and an Integration handout that must be completed as part of the program requirements. 
    2. You will be required to submit this packet to the Institute at the end of the program in order to receive your CE Certificate.
  7. SPT Credential Renewal/Recertification: Completion of this program meets the FULL requirement to renew your Certified Synergetic Play Therapist or Certified Synergetic Play Provider Credential, however, completing the program is not the final step:
    1. Once you have completed the program and received your CE Certificate, you must complete the “SPT Credential Renewal Verification Form”.
    2. Download the SPT Credential Renewal Verification Form and document your completion of this program. Prepare to submit this form, along with your CE Certificate, to info@synergeticplaytherapy.com by May 31st of your renewal year.
    3. If you are not up for renewal the year you complete the program, please save your form in a safe place to send to the Institute by May 31st of your actual renewal year.  *If you are uncertain of your renewal year, please contact the Institute.
  8. Consultation: Taking this program for Recertification does not require you to participate in the group consultation sessions. However, we strongly suggest you consider scheduling a few consultation sessions anyway (especially if you haven’t received any Synergetic Play Therapy consultation in awhile) as an additional support to your continued integration of the material. Click here to purchase individual consultation or form a group for a discount.

In-Person Program Schedule: July 17-19, 2026. Each day we will meet from 9:00am – 4:30pm Mountain Time (Denver).

Other Important Dates: After our time together in person, you will need to complete 2, 1-hour video lessons and take a quiz. These lessons will be released in the months following the 3 days of in-person training to support your continued learning. 

Please take note of the following dates:

  • Pre-Recorded Video Lesson: Synergetic Play Therapy & Cultural Humility will become available on August 1, 2026
  • Pre-Recorded Video Lesson: 4 Threats & the Set Up Through a Cultural Lens will become available September 1, 2026
  • Bonus Video Lesson: Synergetic Play Therapy and Teletherapy and Module 1 Video Review will become available on October 1, 2026
  • Synergetic Play Therapy & Cultural Humility and 4 Threats & the Set Up Through a Cultural Lens Quiz lesson will become available on October 1, 2026
  • Course access expires January 31, 2027. 

Once the program concludes on January 31, 2027, the Institute will confirm that all requirements have been uploaded to your Google Drive folder and will email you a CE Certificate confirming your completion of the program.

Program Location/Hotel Information:

Hyatt Boulder Place/Pearl Street
2280 Junction Place, Boulder, CO, 80301

For information related to booking accommodations, transportation, and nearby attractions, please visit Hyatt Boulder Place/Pearl Street’s website, linked above, or call +1 303 442 0160.

If you are looking to book a hotel room for these dates, please use the link above to explore options at the venue or try one of these nearby hotels:

Embassy Suites by Hilton Boulder
Residence Inn Boulder Canyon
Hilton Garden Inn Boulder

CE Credit Hours: 20 CE Credit Hours, NBCC Content Areas: Counseling Theory/Practice and the Counseling Relationship and Social and Cultural Foundations

Synergetic Play Therapy Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7450. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Synergetic Play Therapy Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Synergetic Play Therapy Institute is also an Approved Provider for the following associations:
*Australian Play Therapists Association (APTA) Approved Provider
*British Columbia Play Therapy Association (BCPTA) Approved Provider 23-01

Continuing education credit hours may be awarded to graduate-level counselors or students enrolled in a graduate-level mental health program. If you do not qualify for continuing education credit hours and would like to receive a certificate of completion for this course please contact the Institute directly.

If you are not a mental health professional and would like to receive a certificate of completion, you may contact the Institute upon completion of the program.

SPT Certified Community: If you have not already joined the free SPT Certified Community, we encourage you to do so ASAP! This online community is a gathering place for all graduates of the SPT Certification program and is your one-stop shop for all important information related to your SPT journey! There is also an entire page dedicated to the SPT Credential Renewal/Recertification process within the SPT Certified Community to answer any questions you may have!