On October 9, a team from Seminary of the Southwest shared innovative work in play therapy and rural mental health access at the Association for Play Therapy Conference in Houston, Texas. The presentation, titled “Play Therapy in the Margins: Experiences in Expanding Access in Rural Communities,” was delivered by Dr. Gustavo Bárcenas, Assistant Professor of Counselor Education; Dr. Stephanie Ramirez, Associate Professor of Counselor Education; and counseling alumna Stephanie Matos, MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling ’23.
Their presentation, titled “Play Therapy in the Margins: Experiences in Expanding Access in Rural Communities,” highlighted the development of two of Southwest’s fellowship programs the Harrison Fellows and the Richmond Area Bilingual Fellows (RAB Fellows) Program. As part of the presentation, Matos—a recent RAB Fellow—shared a powerful case study describing her work with a Latinx/e client in a rural community. Her story illustrated how intentional language use, cultural attunement, and community partnerships can bridge long-standing gaps in access to mental health care.
Dr. Bárcenas and Dr. Ramirez offered broader insights drawn from the seminary’s fellowship models, emphasizing lessons learned and practical recommendations for play therapists who wish to extend services into rural and marginalized areas. Their discussion underscored a key theme of the conference: that culturally grounded play therapy can be a transformative tool for healing when accessibility and cultural competence go hand in hand.
In addition, Dr. Bárcenas and Dr. Ramirez discussed lessons learned and recommendations for play therapists considering expanding services to rural places.
The Harrison Fellows Program supports counseling students who commit to serving clients in designated rural and underserved areas of Texas. Fellows receive advanced clinical training, site placements in community settings, and mentoring from faculty who specialize in culturally responsive and trauma-informed care.
The RAB Fellows Program prepares bilingual Spanish-English counselors to address the growing mental health needs of Latinx/e communities, particularly in the Richmond-Rosenberg region. The program combines financial support with immersive field placements, enabling students to gain hands-on experience providing counseling in clients’ first language and within their cultural contexts.
