Upcoming Webinars
The Family at Play:
A Play Therapy Approach to Strengthening Family Connections
As a part of its Innovations in Counseling series, the NBCC Foundation invites you to a free webinar on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 1–2 pm EDT. Live webinars are available at no cost, and documentation of 1 clock hour of continuing education is available for registrants who attend the full webinar.
Every family has a unique capacity for connection, communication, and joy. This webinar explores the transformative power of play as a universal language that unlocks potential. We will move beyond traditional talk therapies to present practical, evidence-based play therapy techniques designed to enhance family dynamics and build resilience. Participants will be guided through a progressive framework, starting with core principles of child-centered play therapy, advancing to the empowering model of filial therapy (where parents become the agents of healing), and culminating in structured activities for the entire family. A special focus will be placed on incorporating expressive arts to help families “author” their own narrative of connection, exemplified by a collaborative “family poem” activity. This session is ideal for Therapists, Counselors, and Social Workers looking for creative, non-pathologizing approaches to support families in building stronger, more empathetic, and joyful relationships. Leave with a toolkit of strategies and a novel framework for documenting positive change.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- compare three key play therapy modalities (child-centered, Gestalt, filial, and family-based) and identify appropriate applications for enhancing family communication and connection.
- implement the core PRIDE skills (Praise, Reflection, Imitation, Description, Enthusiasm) used in filial therapy to coach parents in fostering a deeper, more secure emotional bond with their child(ren).
- utilize an expressive arts-based narrative technique, such as a co-created “family poem” or narrative scrapbook, to help families externalize and document their strengths and evolving story.
Jasmaine Ataga, PhD, NCC, ACS, LPC, RPT-S, is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Online Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Seattle University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Georgia, a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™ (RPT-S), an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS), and a National Certified Counselor (NCC). Dr. Ataga is also a 2016 NBCC MFP-Y Master’s Fellow and a 2021 NBCC MFP Doctoral Fellow. She has over eight years of counseling experience and 10 years in crisis and trauma care. Her clinical specialty focuses on working with children and adolescents who have experienced sexual trauma and utilizing expressive arts to promote meaning-making. In addition to her faculty role, Dr. Ataga is the founder of Zen360, LLC. This holistic organization creates and facilitates expressive trainings and international outreach trips for professionals, graduate students, and educators passionate about mental health. Her primary goal as an educator and Counselor is to help mental health professionals learn expressive healing, deepen their self-awareness, and implement routines centered on self-care and peace. Dr. Ataga is guided by a holistic approach to mental health, advocacy for survivors of trauma, and a steadfast commitment to fostering peace.
Beyond the Credential:
Ethical Identity and Professional Responsibility in the ACS Role
As a part of its Building Professional Excellence series, the NBCC Foundation invites you to a free webinar on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from 1–2 pm EDT. Live webinars are available at no cost, and documentation of 1 clock hour of continuing education is available for registrants who attend the full webinar.
The Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) credential represents more than advanced clinical experience; it reflects a commitment to ethical leadership, professional responsibility, and intentional supervision. This webinar invites current and aspiring ACSs to explore supervision as a distinct professional identity rather than an extension of clinical practice alone.
Grounded in ethical standards, supervisory responsibility, and reflective practice, this session examines the real-world ethical challenges supervisors commonly navigate, including boundaries, documentation, evaluation, liability, and gatekeeping. Participants will engage with practical case examples and decision-making frameworks that highlight how ethical supervision is enacted in everyday practice.
Designed to support both current ACS credential holders and clinicians considering the credential, this webinar emphasizes ethical clarity, supervisory presence, and professional accountability as central components of excellence in supervision.
After this presentation, participants will be able to:
- articulate the ACS role as a professional identity by identifying at least three core responsibilities (e.g., ethical leadership, power awareness, professional accountability) that distinguish supervision from clinical practice.
- identify and evaluate common ethical challenges in supervision by applying one ethical decision-making strategy to a supervision-based case example in accordance with ethical codes and professional standards.
- apply practical supervisory language and frameworks to at least one ethical gray area in supervision to support supervisee development, protect client welfare, and uphold professional integrity.
Lotes Nelson, PhD, NCC, ACS, LCMHC-S, is an Associate Professor of Counseling and an experienced Counselor Educator and Supervisor. Her professional work centers on counselor identity development, social justice counseling, leadership and advocacy, and the integration of ethical, humanistic, and practices in counselor training and supervision.
Dr. Nelson holds a doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision and a master’s degree in counseling. She is actively engaged in national professional leadership and service, contributing to conference leadership, editorial initiatives, and organizational governance. Her scholarly and teaching interests emphasize counselor development across the professional lifespan, supervision and mentorship, and advocacy as a core counseling competency.
NBCC Foundation has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 805. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NBCC Foundation is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Each state sets its own requirements for licensure, including continuing education requirements to maintain licensure. Questions about CE requirements for state licensure should be directed to your state board. You can find their contact information on our state board directory.
