Also called: Registered Play Therapist
Uses toys, sand trays, and games to help young children work through trauma and big feelings.
Watches a 6-year-old act out a scary event with toy figures in a sand tray, gently reflecting what she sees. Meets with the parent afterward to share strategies for bedtime fears.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 7 years after high school. Master's in counseling or social work plus play therapy training and supervised hours (RPT).
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school, Certification. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Counseling, Social Work, Child Development.
Growing much faster than average (about 17% over 10 years). Tied to mental health counselors.
Low risk for 10 years. AI won't sit on the floor with a scared 6-year-old at a sand tray; play therapy stays human.
Classes: Child development CTE class, AP Psychology, Art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 21-1018.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.