March 2010 Bulletin

 1.  Iowa Association for Play Therapy Annual Conference 2010:  We are looking forward to this year’s conference featuring Dr. Terry Kottman and Dr. Jeff Ashby, which will be held on September 23 and September 24, 2010.  We are also planning to offer a 3-hour Ethics training on Wednesday, September 22 from 4 – 7 PM.  Watch for the brochure in late spring!  And DON’T FORGET TO JOIN APT/IAPT to receive a member discount for the conference.  As a member, you will receive discounts to many conferences, the bi-monthly Play Therapy journal, and lots of other information about play therapy.  Join today!  You can join at:  http://www.a4pt.org/ps.join.cfm?ID=1153. 

 2.  Website:  The IAPT website address is www.iowaa4pt.org.  Please note that the new brochure for the 2010 conference will be posted on the website in May/June.  Please contact the board at board@iowaa4pt.org with questions.  We welcome contributing writers to offer relevant and interesting content for the website.  If you want to contribute, contact the board.

 3.  APT:  The annual 2010 APT Conference will be held at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY on October 12-17, 2010.  If you are not already a member, check out http://www.a4pt.org/ps.join.cfm?ID=1153 to join APT/IAPT. 

 4.  IAPT Board:  The Board meets about once a month in the Cedar Rapids vicinity on Monday evenings.  Our main focus is to continue planning for future conferences.  If you are available to attend meetings in person, please e-mail me personally at schmitzsusan@gmail.com or the board via our website to learn more.

 5.  Collaboration:  IAPT continues to work on partnering with neighboring branches in the spirit of joint growth and organizational health.  Look for e-mail notifications and information in these bulletins about conferences and workshops available in nearby states.   

 6.  Music Therapy Association of Minnesota is presenting:  “Psychological First Aid (PFA) and the Role of Music Therapy in the PFA Context,” Presented by Barbara Else MPA, LCAT, MT-BC, on March 27, 2010 at 9:00 AM.  Receive more information at:  http://www.musictherapymn.com/mtam_conference 

 7.  Membership:  VERY IMPORTANT!  IAPT received Gold Branch Status in 2009 and we would like to earn it again for 2010.  To do so, we need your help to make sure we keep our current members and encourage new members to join.  Membership will be tabulated for qualification as of 3/31/10 and at the time of this writing we are just shy of meeting our membership goal for this year.  Please pass on information about our organization to those who may have an interest in play therapy—our organization becomes stronger as we grow members.  You can join at http://www.a4pt.org/ps.join.cfm?ID=1153. 

Thank you for your attention, consideration, and membership. 

Susan G. Schmitz, MSW, LISW, RPT-S
President, Iowa Association for Play Therapy