The Association for Play Therapy was founded in 1982 to provide a forum for professionals interested 
in developing a distinct group of interventions that use play as an integral component of the 
therapeutic process for children in need.� It is based in California and, with its 43 chartered branches,
serves more than 5,000 member mental health professionals throughout the US and 27 other nations.
 
In 2005, the Association for Play Therapy began terminating its charters with non-US branches
and instead fostering the development of national play therapy associations in other nations with 
which it might eventually negotiate research, training, and credentialing reciprocity.� It was felt
that the association could more effectively apply its modest resources to work with, rather than in, 
other nations and has since began negotiating cooperative arrangements with counterpart organizations 
in Canada, Great Britain, Australia, Mexico, and Israel.
 

Sample of how to form a national association - http://www.a4pt.org/download.cfm?ID=16246
More information about the Association for Play Therapy can be found at 
http://www.a4pt.org.