Kara Raybuck: Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT).
NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (EYT) – Kara Raybuck, MEd, LPC, earned the prestigious Registered Play Therapist™ (RPT) credential conferred by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) earlier this month.
Raybuck, a resident of Frogtown, is employed by Spero Group, LLC, in Hawthorn as an Outpatient Therapist and a School-Based Counselor through Next Step Therapy Inc. in Seneca, Pennsylvania.
To become a Registered Play Therapist™, Raybuck holds an undergraduate degree in rehabilitation and human services with a concentration in substance abuse from Clarion University and a master’s in school counseling from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She also already holds a license in outpatient counseling and has completed 2,000 hours of clinical experience. Her last steps were 500 hours of supervised play therapy experience, along with 150 hours of play therapy training. She finished this predominantly on weekends over a two-year period while balancing her work, personal life, and this continuing education endeavor to support her career.
Play therapy is a mental health modality used by licensed mental health professionals, when developmentally appropriate, to better communicate with and help clients achieve optimal mental health. It is effective with children because, just as adults use words to communicate ideas and feelings, children use play.
The Association for Play Therapy (APT) is a national professional society formed in 1982 to advance the play therapy modality and serve the research, training, and credentialing needs of its member counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Ultimately, this endeavor was embarked on to better serve children ages 3-12 in different settings, including the students attending the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School District.
Her role working with A-C Valley School is to support children in need of mental health services while eliminating barriers to treatment, such as transportation, time off work for parents, and encouraging more time connecting with family outside school hours. To do so, she is sponsored by Next Step in Seneca as a provider in order to work with students who live in Clarion, Butler, Armstrong, and Venango Counties. Becoming certified in play therapy allows Raybuck to better interact with and understand her clients to better serve them and help them overcome delays and trauma they may be experiencing.
“Traumatic experiences create alterations in key neural networks in the brain. These stress-related networks span multiple areas of the brain – from the brainstem to the neocortex, and, therefore, ‘getting at’ these systems in order to provide therapeutic ‘activations’ to create positive change is difficult using our conventional cognitive-heavy approaches. The beauty of play is that it engages these widespread networks in controllable, predictable, and moderate ways. Play engages sensory, motor, emotional, and cognitive systems. These play therapy ‘experiences,’ therefore, are a recipe for effective therapeutics and resilience building.”-Bruce Perry, MD, PhD.
However, the results and conclusions from the therapy session can pay dividends for children and their families. In just a short amount of time, Raybuck has already seen the difference it’s making for her as a professional and those she is working with.
“I’m so passionate about this and know play therapy is needed not just in our rural area, but across the world,” Raybuck told exploreClarion.com. “There are barriers to learning about play therapy, like the lack of understanding and time and expense for training, but I’m determined to continue spreading the word about how this can help mental health professionals, parents, and others who work with young children.”
While the pathway to becoming a Registered Play Therapist takes years of education and experience, anyone supporting young clients and families can benefit from play therapy training and integrate this specialized knowledge into their work.
“This type of therapy can truly heal the generational trauma that families are going through. It’s been amazing to see the growth and resilience of kids now that I understand these approaches. It’s truly child-driven, and I’ve seen these kids improve in their academics and home lives in a short amount of time. What’s needed is for more professionals and people interacting with children to become aware and seek this education and training so we can continue making a bigger difference,” Raybuck explained.
In western Pennsylvania, Dr. Jessica Cosby has been a genuine leader in helping fellow mental health professionals also earn this distinction.
At this time, there are three Registered Play Therapists in Clarion County. While more are working on this credential around the region, there is a push from Dr. Cosby and Raybuck for others to join them in obtaining this credential. In fact, Raybuck is now beginning her next chapter, which is around three years of work to become a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, like Dr. Cosby was for her over these last two years.
“I’m so grateful the County of Clarion used grant money to help pay for this training and learning for me. There is hope that others will follow my lead so we can continue impacting young children. I firmly believe that all school counselors should be trained in play therapy because it will unquestionably help them become better advocates for those students in need.”
For Kara Raybuck, this credential is a formal recognition of her deep commitment to helping children. Now, with a new level of expertise, she is even better equipped to serve those on the path to healing.