"Playful Beginnings: A Podcast about All Things Play Therapy" Launched by Dr. Maggie Parker
Dr. Maggie Parker
Dr. Maggie Parker
Co-Department Chair and Associate Professor, Counseling and Human Development
School: Graduate School of Education and Human Development
Department: Counseling and Human Development, Cross-Disciplinary
Contact:
Email:
Dr. Maggie Parker
Office Phone:
(202) 994-8108
Maggie Parker is an Associate Professor of Counseling and Human Development at the George Washington University. Her research agenda focuses on the mental health needs of children and adolescents and developmental approaches to counseling. She is interesting in exploring the provision of play therapy services within school settings, and teaching play therapy skills to teachers and parents. Dr. Parker is also interested in exploring trauma, diversity, and expressive arts with children and adolescents.
Dr. Parker provided counseling services within diverse settings, including community mental health centers, juvenile detention centers, pre-schools, high schools, and elementary schools. She held several leadership positions within state and national associations. She hopes her research can help practitioners and scholars understand mental health needs of youth and enable greater access to counseling services for underrepresented students. Dr. Parker received her undergraduate degree from University of Richmond, her Masters in Mental Health Counseling from Southern Methodist University, and her PhD in Counselor Education, specializing in school counseling and diversity, from University of North Texas. She is a Registered Play Therapist, a Child Centered Play Therapist-Supervisor, and was a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor in both Texas and Mississippi.
Ph.D., University of North Texas
M.A., Southern Methodist University
B.A., University of Richmond
- Play Therapy
- Child Development
- Childhood Trauma
- Counseling
- Expressive Arts Therapy
- School Counseling
- Child Mental Health
- April 2025
- Congratulations to Dr. Maggie Parker for winning the Association for Play Therapy (APT) Service Award, along with Dr. Yi-Ju Chang, who is also a graduate of University of North Texas, Dr. Parker's alma mater. The Service Award acknowledges outstanding service to APT, its Foundation for Play Therapy, and/or its chartered branches that significantly develops, promotes, or advances the value of play, play therapy, and credentialed play therapists.
- February 2025
- NPR's Peace Talks Radio spoke to Maggie Parker in the segment “Play for Peace." The episode explores the role of play in fostering children's wellbeing and its connection to creating a foundation for a peaceful society.
- Dr. Maggie Parker has become President Elect of the Association for Child and Adolescent Counseling (ACAC), a three year term of elect, president, and past president. ACAC is a support and information network for counselors who work with children and adolescents.
- November 2024 - Counseling doctoral student Kate Anderson, along with Dr. Maggie Parker and Dr. Deborah Ojiambo, presented, "Adapting Child-Parent Relationship Therapy to Parent Educators and Parents in Tanzania and Uganda," at the International Association of Play Therapy.
- March 2024 - Drs. Bagmi Das and Maggie Parker, along with GSEHD alumna Sarah Litt (master's, Clinical Mental Health Counseling), published an article entitled, "Relationships of Empathy and Color-blind Attitudes on Counseling Students’ Critical Consciousness," in Teaching and Supervision of Counseling.
- January 2024 - Dr. Maggie Parker published a manuscript with GSEHD alumna Dr. Courtney Glickman (Ph.D., Counseling), Dr. Kara Carnes-Holt, and Dr. Kristin Meany-Walen in the International Journal of Play Therapy. The study is titled, "Qualitative Exploration of the Duality of Mothers who are Play Therapists: A Feminist Perspective." This project explores four play therapists who are mothers and the challenges, benefits, and experiences they encounter in both roles, with implications for play therapy and play therapy training.
- November 2023 - The Virginia Association for Play Therapy was presented a 2023 Gold Branch Award by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) during its Annual National Conference in Palm Springs, CA. Dr. Maggie Parker is President of the Virginia Association for Play Therapy. The Gold Branch Award recognizes branch performance during the past year that significantly exceeds minimal charter criteria, i.e., growing membership, communicating with members, providing play therapy continuing education workshops to mental health professionals, and publicly promoting the value of play therapy.
- December 2019 - Drs. Maggie Parker and Elizabeth Crunk published an article entitled "Exploring the Test-Retest Reliability of the Adlerian Personality Priority Assessment" in the Journal of Individual Psychology" in the Journal of Individual Psychology.
