Welcome to the 2026-2027 Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Program!

Get ready for a deep dive into understanding Synergetic Play Therapy more fully, and a greater exploration of yourself in and out of the playroom! It will be an adventure.

In case it hasn’t dawned on you yet, you are no longer alone in your play therapy journey. You are joining a global community of more than 800 like-minded clinicians. Your cohort is comprised of professionals from multiple countries and states from around the world with a similar vision, a yearning to grow, and a desire to develop themselves and understand what it really takes to transform a child.

Not only are you surrounded by other amazing therapists and clinicians but you also have an incredible team of Synergetic Play Therapy Consultants that will be with you every step of the way: Mary Hagen, Lauren Forsythe, Lindsay Ishman, Helen Ritchie, Katie Mathis, Gemma Taylor, Kristin Spiegel, Lora Schultz and Valerie Mitchell – Supported by the SPTI’s Program Consultant Coordinator, Corinne Elms, and Supervisor Trainer, Mili Shoemaker!

Our Certification Consultant team will guide you, support you, challenge you, and do everything they can to help you get the most out of this learning experience. (You will have a Pre-Certification Consultation Group with your Certification Consultant in July to help you orient and prep for the program and our first online retreat together). 

This program uses technology, which we know isn’t always cooperative. To help you with any issues that may come up regarding payments, webinar access, navigating your online learning platform, or uploading assignments to your homework folder, please contact Kylie O’Brien, the Institute’s Program Director. You can reach her by emailing info@synergeticplaytherapy.com

Lastly, this program holds a very special place in our hearts. Please know that we feel beyond privileged to finally get the opportunity to teach and engage with you directly and will do everything we can to make this a program you will never forget.

Please read through the information on this homepage, carefully, as you will need it to get started!

Much Love,  

Your co-instructors Lisa Dion & Judith Norman

Meet Your Instructors:

This program is co-taught by Lisa Dion and Judy Norman. Throughout this program, you will have the joy of learning from both of these teachers, each bringing their own “flare” to the material and giving you the opportunity to hear the content in a number of ways!

You may already be quite familiar with your first instructor, Lisa, especially if she was your teacher for your Level 1 program! But, just in case:

Lisa Dion, LPC, RPT-S, is an international teacher, creator of Synergetic Play Therapy, and founder and President of the Synergetic Play Therapy Institute. She is also co-founder of the Synergetic Education Institute. Lisa is the creator of The Business of Therapy and host of the Lessons from the Playroom podcast. She is the author of Aggression in Play Therapy: A Neurobiological Approach for Integrating Intensity, co-author of multiple book chapters and a recipient of the Association for Play Therapy’s Professional Education and Training Award of Excellence. Through her teaching, Lisa has trained thousands of professionals worldwide across clinical, educational, and organizational settings, offering a model that integrates interpersonal neurobiology, authenticity, and the use of self as the primary tool for transformation.

And, if you have taken the Refresher course in the last few years, or if you have participated in any course offered through the Synergetic Education Institute, you already know how amazing this next instructor is:

Judith Norman, LPC, LSC, RPT-S, is a co-founder and lead trainer of the Synergetic Education institute™. She is a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor and is a Certified Synergetic Play Therapy Supervisor. She is a Parent Educator, Certified in EMDR Therapy and is trained in Mindfulness in Education. She has been utilizing the tenets of Synergetic Play Therapy in educational settings for the past 10 years. Her experience has led to the development of social-emotional, trauma-informed programming to support students and educators in schools.

 

Lisa and Judy make a team like no other! You could not be in better hands as you embark on this transformational journey!

Monthly Live Webinar Class Dates:

The following dates are important so please mark your calendars now! Each live webinar class will be conducted via Zoom.

Live webinar attendance is required to inspire interaction, participation, connection, and integration. If a live webinar is missed, you must contact your Certification Consultation and they will walk you through the necessary steps. *If there is a time zone concern making live attendance incredibly challenging, please discuss with your Certification Consultant.

Time: 3:00-4:30pm Mountain Time (Denver, Colorado)

  • (2026 Dates) September 15th and 29th, October 6th and 20th, November 10th and 17th
  • (2027 Dates) February 9th and 23rd, March 9th and 23rd, April 6th and 20th, May 4th and 18th (Graduation)

*Please check your time zone and daylight savings to adjust accordingly. You may use this Time Conversion Tool to help!

Zoom meeting Link for ALL MONTHLY WEBINARS: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87434865904

Reminder Zoom Videos Must be ON: Please remember that you must have your video turned on to meet program requirements. Prepare accordingly.

Online Learning Retreat Dates:

This program consists of two online learning retreats, a 3.5 Day Learning Retreat to kick off the program and a 4.5 Day Learning Retreat that is held half-way through. The Institute will send you an email prior to each retreat with Zoom Registration links and instructions as to how to best prepare. (Your Certification Consultant will also assist you in preparing for each retreat!)

3.5 Day Online Learning Retreat

  • Retreat A: August 20–August 23, 2026, 7am–2:30pm Mountain Time (Denver) – (the last day ends at 10am MT)
  • Retreat B: August 28–August 31, 2026, 3pm–10:30pm Mountain Time (Denver) – (the last day ends at 6pm MT) *August 29-September 1, 2026, 7am-2:30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) – (the last day ends at 10am AEST)

4.5 Day Online Learning Retreat

  • Retreat A: January 6–January 10, 2027, 7am–2:30pm Mountain Time (Denver) – (the last day ends at 10am MT)
  • Retreat B: January 20–January 24, 2027, 2pm–9:30 pm Mountain Time (Denver) – (the last day ends at 5pm MT) *January 21-January 25, 2027, 7am-2:30pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) – (the last day ends at 10am AEDT)

*You received your retreat assignment, Retreat A or Retreat B, at the time of your official program acceptance. If you are unsure of your retreat assignment, please contact the Institute for support.

Program Requirements:

In order to graduate from the program and be awarded the title of Certified Synergetic Play Therapist or Certified Synergetic Play Provider, you must successfully complete all program requirements, including:

  • Attend both multi-day online learning retreats and all monthly live webinar classes.
  • Complete 5 recorded sessions of your work with your clients and complete a corresponding video observation form for each session. *One of these will be with a caregiver.
  • Complete 3 Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Skill Assessments with your Synergetic Play Therapy Consultant.
  • Complete 13 Consultations – 7 Individual Consultations and 2 Group Consultations for a total of 9 hours during the program, PLUS 4 Pre-Certification Consultations. *If you are unable to complete all four Pre-Certification Consultations before the program begins, you will complete them during the program with your consultant.
  • Complete all Homework/Assignments as outlined in your Synergetic Play Therapy Program Assignment Checklist.
  • Complete the required number of Client/Child Contact Hours for the credential you are pursuing: 250 client hours for those seeking the Certified Synergetic Play Therapist credential, 150 child contact hours for those seeking the Certified Synergetic Play Provider credential. *Hours accrued while in a Level 1 program, plus any hours accrued while under the supervision/receiving consultation from an SPT Supervisor or Consultant count towards the total client/child contact hours needed.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in a minimum of 80% of the Certification Skills.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in 100% of the Intro to SPT Skills.

Program Access:

If you want to continue to review the program materials after graduation, you will have access to this course site and all program content until August 31st, 2027.

Class Roster:

To get the most out of your Synergetic Play Therapy experience, we encourage you to cultivate community with your peers. When the program starts, the program roster will be uploaded for you, below. The roster will include the name, city, state, and country of each student enrolled in this Synergetic Play Therapy Certification program cohort.

Please feel free to use Facebook or a quick Google search to reach out to those near (or far) and get to know each other. If you have a conflict of interest or dual relationship with anyone attending, please email us privately.

Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Cohort 2026-2027 (Roster will become available after the first retreat begins!)

All lessons must be completed in order. You must complete the first lesson before you will gain access to the following lesson.

You will be required to complete a quiz or will be prompted to mark a lesson as “complete” before you will be granted access to the next lesson. If you have any questions or fall behind in your course site, please contact your Synergetic Play Therapy Certification Consultant or email info@synergeticplaytherapy.com for assistance. Enjoy!

Click on the lesson below to get started! Your first lesson, SPT Certification 2026-2027: Pre-Certification & Certification Consultation Prep, is available now!