About this course
This course lays the theoretical groundwork for understanding Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT). Participants will trace the history of Play Therapy from its psychoanalytic origins through Child-Centered Play Therapy, alongside the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) from Aaron Beck's early work to modern manualized treatments for children.
The course brings these two traditions together, showing how Play Therapy and CBT converge into CBPT — a developmentally sensitive, evidence-based approach for children ages 3 to 8. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of where CBPT comes from, the empirical support behind it, and where the field is headed next.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Define play and identify the different types and developmental stages of play in early childhood
- Trace the historical development of Play Therapy, from its psychoanalytic origins to Child-Centered Play Therapy
- Trace the historical development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), from Aaron Beck's early work to modern manualized treatments for children
- Identify the theoretical and empirical foundations that support combining Play Therapy and CBT into Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT)
- Recognize the clinical applications of CBPT across a range of childhood disorders
- Understand the current direction of CBPT research and clinical development
Example Curriculum
Your CBPT Instructor — Meena Dasari
Dr. Meena Dasari is a licensed clinical psychologist in New York City and Clinical Director of Dasari & Associates, PLLC, specializing in the practical application of cognitive-behavioral therapy for children with anxiety, including complex clinical presentations. She spent over a decade on faculty at NYU School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital Center, supervising psychiatry residents and working within the Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Dasari holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University, where she is an Adjunct Assistant Professor, and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the NYU Child Study Center. She has published extensively and presented at national conferences on child mental health.