Awards

  • Innovative Play Therapist Award

    Recognizing creative and innovative play therapists. This is someone who might...

    • Regularly introduces new play therapy methods and ideas

    • Provides play therapy trainings or presentations on new and developing topics

    • Supervises play therapists with playful supervision incorporated

    • Comes up with novel ideas to promote play therapy in the community

    • Published play therapy related materials

  • Spirit of Play Therapy Award

    Promotes & grows play therapy within Ohio. This person might...

    • Provide play therapy trainings or presentations

    • Supervise play therapists

    • Demonstrates the values and ethics of APT through their actions

    • Strive to reach new potential members for APT

    • Embody a playful spirit both personal and professionally

  • Service Award

    Recognizes long term service to Ohio APT and/or national APT. This might look like...

    • (National) APT Branch Board of Directors

    • (National) APT Branch Committee/Task Force

    • Volunteer for Ohio and/or National APT Conference

    • Member for 5 or more years

    • Graduate of Leadership Academy

    • Sponsored new APT members

  • Tami Langen Life Time Achievement Award

    Created in honor of Ohio APT's founder, Tami Langen, this award is given to members who have dedicated many years to OAPT, APT, and to the field as a whole.

Want to nominate an awesome human? Here’s how:

  1. Award nominations will be sent out to OAPT members prior to the Spring Conference.

  2. Fill out the form, highlighting why you think this awesome human is deserving of the award.

  3. The Board will look through all the nominees and make a final selection. If your nominee is selected, you will be contacted! You will be asked to share a little bit of why you nominated them and help present the award at the Spring Conference (if possible).

Nominees must meet the following criteria in order to be considered:

  • Must be an Ohio APT member

  • Must be a professional member (meaning a licensed individual, not a student member)

  • Organizations dedicated to Play Therapy may also be considered

  • Must not have won an OAPT award within the past 3 years (see list below if you’re unsure or email the board at OAPTcommunications@gmail.com)

Past Innovative Play Therapist Award Winners

2024: Alex Sorrentino

2023: Kim Brown

2022: Dawn Whiteside

2021: Focus On Youth

Past Spirit of Play Therapy Award Winners

2023: Machen Champion

2022: Candy Ulitzsch

2023: Susan Davis

2022: Tami Langen

2021: Melonie Feldstein

2015: Katie Wootton & Teresa Berting

Past Service Award Winners

Past Tami Langen Life Time Achievement Award

2023: Tami Langen

OAPT Leadership Academy Graduates

Established in 2004, APT sponsors its Leadership Academy to orient play therapists about leadership attributes, the Policy Governance© Model, and how APT conducts its daily business. Only 30 participants are selected per year! Learn more about Leadership Academy.

Tami Langen

Jean Shoemaker

Cynthia Reynolds

Melonie Feldstein

Debra Cotter

Varunee Faii Sangganjanavanich

Krista Long

Judith Lester

Teresa Berting

Tisha Gaynor

Katie Musa

Dawn Whiteside

Machen Champion

Megan Niehauser