Play Therapist of the Year

Kim is a leader in the field of play therapy who has dedicated her career to providing a safe healing environment to children and adolescents. Kim is thoughtful, passionate, and unmatched in her play therapy expertise. She is a mentor to multiple play therapists and offers support and guidance whenever required. Kim is a dedicated play therapist who serves her community.

Michelle is dedicated to sharing play therapy, she assists emerging play therapists through provision of supervision, she continues to provide play therapy to children in need and identifies trainings. She furthers the training of play therapists in Virginia and shares the messages of play while she raises funds for a nonprofit dedicated to meeting the mental health needs of underserved children through play therapy.

Her work with children who experienced trauma and the impact of military engagement impacts children provides her a unique perspective on the ways in which children experience attachment and display their difficulties. She recognizes the ways in which play therapy can create the opportunity for children to process the trauma and experiences without judgment, without the requirement of verbalization, and without fear of retaliation.  Michelle recognizes the mental health disparities that continue to hinder children’s ability to fully engage in their worlds, and her clinical work and training focus on meeting and addressing those gaps. Despite holding her RPT, she continues to engage in training to gain experience and travel to UNT to gain CCPT certification.  Her openness to continued training, capacity for empathy, and desire to succeed and exceed expectations, in my mind, demonstrates her excellence as a play therapist.

The recipient of the Play Therapist of the Year in 2021 Ms.  Amy Reamer, LMFT, RPT-S.  Amy is a passionate leader in the field of play therapy who provides extensive services to children experiencing trauma and attachment disruptions, her expansive play therapy practice. She is committed to advancing the field of play therapy through learning, teaching and supervision of others.

Amy created Heart and Mind, a play therapy practice for adopted children to assist children, families, and caregivers as they navigate attachment and relationships.  employs play therapy with children, couples, and families.  Amy recognizes the importance of representation and continues to recruit diverse staff to ensure that many cultural experiences are present to drive the play therapy work.  She provides trainings, consultation, and to continue to engage and promote play therapy in others.  Her goal is to educate and promote practices including play therapy to advance the benefits of play therapy for as many people as possible.