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Kristie Opiola, is an Associate Professor at UNC Charlotte and sees a few clients in a small private practice in Charlotte, NC. She is a certified Clinician, Trainer, and Supervisor for Child-Centered Play Therapist and Child Parent Relationship Training Certifications. Previously, she worked as a child life specialist for 12 years before she became a counselor and worked as a play therapist in agency, school and college settings. She has experience working with children, families, and caregivers (including teachers) who experienced Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma, specifically relational trauma and medical trauma. Kristie completed her dissertation on CPRT with adoptive parents and is a strong advocate for systemic support for children. She has served in various leadership roles on the national and regional levels and has presented national, regional and state level on play and filial therapy, supervision, and other counseling related topics. When she is not in the playroom, Kristie enjoys playing with her puppy Bailey, gardening, cooking and exploring nature.
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Anna George-Trietley is a graduate of Liberty University with a Master of Arts in Professional Counseling. Anna's education and professional career have been focused on children and families with a specialization in infant mental health and trauma. She is also trained in
Theraplay - Level One and is certified as a Foundational Practitioner. In 2010 Anna completed a fellowship program to become specialized in infant and young mental health from ZFive in Mecklenburg County. Anna has trained other professionals, including law enforcement, social workers, and early childhood specialists on the effects of toxic stress on infants and children. Anna has worked as a Mental Health Clinician, then Clinical Supervisor for the Child Development-Community Policing Program. During her time there, she worked with children and families exposed to trauma and violence while partnering with uniformed law enforcement officers. Anna also spent her time training law enforcement officers on responding to children exposed to trauma. Anna believes in the importance of early intervention; not only for infants and young children, but intervening early after a trauma. She has seen first hand the positive impact of acute trauma care on the well-being of children and families. Anna has over eight years of supervisory experience and has supervised several associate licensed therapists to full licensure as well as supervision toward their Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credential. She was the co-founder of a successful group therapy practice prior to becoming an Adjunct Instructor in Behavioral Health Sciences at Grand Canyon University and launching a solo counseling, consulting and supervision practice. |
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Mary Affee is a licensed Clinical Social worker, a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, and the Founder and Clinical Director of Horizon Integrated Wellness Group, PLLC. Mary is also an adjunct professor at Molloy College, where she teaches Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Therapy in the school’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program. She is dedicated to providing outstanding service to others, she was among the many heroes who immediately fled to New York hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist first responders by providing psychological first aid. Although she will never allow you to call her a hero, she feels that it was her opportunity to give back to the medical professionals who saved her daughter from cancer eight years ago. As the newly appointed President for the North Carolina Association for Play Therapy, Mary hopes to continue to create awareness for age-appropriate, culturally appropriate, and developmentally appropriate treatment for children, teens, families and communities. When she is not caring for her clients, she relishes time with her granddaughter, Adalina.
Website: https://horizonintegratedwellnessgroup.com/ |
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Social Media
Courtney Clement Bowles, MAEd, LCMHCA, NCC Wilmington, NC courtneyclement.counseling@gmail.com 
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Courtney Clement Bowles received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a Masters of Arts in Education in clinical mental health counseling from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. During her graduate program, Courtney also completed a play therapy certificate, where she received the education and training necessary to provide child-centered play therapy as well as child-parent relationship therapy groups. Prior to her counseling career, Courtney spent over ten years working with children and families in public and private schools to support the growth and development of children and family systems. Courtney is passionate about being a neurodivergent affirming therapist, providing a safe space for people to feel accepted, celebrated, and heard. Courtney has a private practice in Wilmington, NC. In her free time, Courtney enjoys spending time with her family, going for walks on the beach, tending to her garden, and cooking and baking for loved ones.
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Rebecca Blanchard graduated from UNCC’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program with a concentration in play therapy. She is currently a clinical mental health therapist at her private practice in Charlotte, NC where she sees children, teens, and adults. Rebecca is passionate about supporting the play therapy community across North Carolina. Rebecca works closely with the North Carolina Counseling Association, as well as the Association of Adult Development and Aging. She is passionate about supporting NCAPT membership and growth among the professional population and currently serves as membership chair.
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Ellen McNeill (she/hers) received a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an additional certificate in Child-Centered Play Therapy from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Ellen sees clients ages birth to 6 years old, using Child-Centered Play Therapy with clients 2.5 to 6 years old and providing specialised infant/toddler mental health support for clients under 2.5 years old. With her training in child development and her experience as an early childhood educator and learning resource specialist, Ellen views her clients through a holistic and person-centered lens and is also able to provide families with specialised support for any concerns they may be experiencing related to their child’s classroom or group care setting. Ellen also loves to provide support to those caring for children in any capacity, from caregivers to teaching staff: Ellen uses Child-Parent Relationship Training to help empower caregivers to improve the quality of their relationship with their child and presents professional development to local schools on supporting all students through a curious, compassionate, and consistent approach to classroom management. Ellen is very passionate about the mental health of infants and toddlers and is a member of several professional organisations who focus their work on advocacy at the local and state level to support families with young children in NC. Outside of work, Ellen loves to garden, enjoy musical theater, and spend time with her friends and family.
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Megan Numbers has a private practice in Southern Pines, NC where she works primarily with kiddos ages 3 and up. She is a qualified supervisor in NC and a registered play therapist supervisor. She also has training in clinical pediatric hypnotherapy, theraplay, and the safe and sound protocol. Her speciality is in working with military families and children, as well as with children who have experienced trauma. Previously, Megan worked as an adjunct professor at Adams State University and the University of Colorado - Denver. Megan completed her dissertation on examining the clinical intakes of counselors working with military families and children. She has served in various leadership roles at the national and state levels and has presented at national, regional and state level conferences on working with military families, creativity in counseling and in counselor educator programs, and other counseling related topics. When Megan is not in the playroom, she enjoys spending time with her kiddos, being out in nature, traveling, and writing.
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Rebekah Byrd is a Professor of Counseling and Director of the Institute for Play Therapy and Expressive Arts Education and Research at Sacred Heart University. Dr. Byrd has been a counselor educator for over 14 years and has over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field in varying capacities and settings. Her research specialization falls primarily in issues pertaining to children/adolescent counseling, play therapy, LGBTGEQQIA+ advocacy, school counseling, social justice/multicultural concerns, self-injury, and women’s wellness. She recently co-authored a textbook on counseling children and adolescents. She serves on many national and statewide committees and was recently awarded the Counselor Educator Advocacy Award from the Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC).
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Julia Krebs is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) who received a Master of Arts in Mental Health Counseling from the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University. Julia has experience working with children, adolescents, and adults, as well as structural family systems. Her clinical training and experience working on inpatient psychiatric units has provided her with the skillset to treat a variety of mental health diagnoses with compassion, support, and empathy. Julia holds certifications in both trauma informed care (CTRP-C) and substance abuse (CASAC). She has also been clinically trained in the curriculum development and practice of group therapy. Additionally, Julia is is actively working her certification to become a Registered Play Therapist. Julia strives to provide a safe and nurturing environment in which clients can be heard and supported. She is trained in psychodynamic therapy which focuses on developing insight and awareness into the mind, personality, and individual psyche. Julia employs an integrative therapeutic approach which utilizes various modalities including Psychodynamic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing(MI), and Child-Centered Play Therapy. Julia is looking forward to serving on APT board and helping to deepen mission surrounding play therapy.
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Board Member Positions & Descriptions
President:
Vice President:
Treasurer: The Treasurer ensures management integrity and custody of, and is responsible for all funds of NCAPT within the policies adopted by the Board of Directors.
Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for accurately recording the events of official NCAPT meetings. These documents are a permanent record of NCAPT and shall include the time, place, type of meeting, names of persons attending.
Social Media: Manages the social media accounts to promote NC APT play therapy awareness and training events.
Membership/Newsletters Committee: The chair is responsible for sending a welcome letter to new members and adding their contact information into the mailing list database. (See directions below this description.**)
Committees (Gold Branch, Conference, Elections, Leadership Development, etc.):
Responsible for planning conferences, advancing play therapy awareness, promoting training and networking opportunities.
- The President is accountable for building and leading the organization and committees ensuring alignment and collaboration to achieve organizational goals and mission.
- S/he/they maintains accountability for the operational and fiscal integrity of the organization within policies set by the Board of Directors.
- The President is responsible for the overall impact of the organization in the community, with particular emphasis on increasing its capacity to drive play therapy awareness.
- The President is expected to be an active member.
- The President works closely with the Board to craft and adapt the strategy to achieve NC APT goals. S/he will establish and build relationships in the the members and the local community, to promote the North Carolina Association of Play Therapy mission and vision
- Mission-Focused: Catalyze others’ commitment to the mission that leads to better mental health for children and healthier communities.
- Relationship-Oriented: Understands that people and children come before process and is astute in cultivating and managing relationships toward a common goal.
- Collaborator: Understands the roles and contributions of all sectors of the community and can mobilize resources (human) through meaningful engagement to promote awareness for culturally, age appropriate, and developmentally appropriate mental health for children.
- Brand Steward: Steward of the brand and understands his/her role in growing and protecting the reputation of the greater community network for mental health for children.
- Visionary: Confronts the complex realities of the environment providing purpose, direction, and motivation internally and externally to build awareness.
- Team-Builder: Ensures that the right people are in the right roles at the right times; fostering commitment, trust, and collaboration among multicultural leaders to advance play therapy.
- Network-Oriented: Values the power of networks; striving to promote play therapy in community presence, relationships, through relationships and strategy. Understands the dynamics of local, regional, and national environments, and works to create inclusivity and diversity through collaborative organizational management.
Vice President:
- Consults regularly with the president
- Chair annual conference
- VP could perform more duties if assigned by the president and approved by the board
Treasurer: The Treasurer ensures management integrity and custody of, and is responsible for all funds of NCAPT within the policies adopted by the Board of Directors.
Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for accurately recording the events of official NCAPT meetings. These documents are a permanent record of NCAPT and shall include the time, place, type of meeting, names of persons attending.
Social Media: Manages the social media accounts to promote NC APT play therapy awareness and training events.
Membership/Newsletters Committee: The chair is responsible for sending a welcome letter to new members and adding their contact information into the mailing list database. (See directions below this description.**)
- The chair is responsible for compiling and sending out monthly newsletters (minimum of 9 annually) which may include but not limited to information about credentialing requirements, continuing education events, board and NCAPT updates, current events, and other information as needed. They may also publish news memos and bulletins about special events as needed. The chair may enlist the aid of other board members, as needed, for writing and mailing tasks.
- The chair will work with other board members to plan and host a minimum of 2 annual social events (either virtually or in person) to promote NCAPT community, networking, and encourage new membership.
- The chair may also develop promotional materials for NCAPT, such as tee shirts and other items with the NCAPT logo. These may not be sold for profit as long as NCAPT is a designated nonprofit organization under IRS rules; however, they may be used to help NCAPT bring attention to the organization.
- The chair will mentor the board member who is taking over the role to help them better understand responsibilities and provide continuity of service.
Committees (Gold Branch, Conference, Elections, Leadership Development, etc.):
Responsible for planning conferences, advancing play therapy awareness, promoting training and networking opportunities.