Rise Van Fleet NDSA

Dr. Risë VanFleet

PhD, RPT-S, CDBC, CAEBI Boiling Springs, PA, USA rise@risevanfleet.com, risevanfleet.com, iiaapt.org

Dr. Risë VanFleet is Founder and President of the Family Enhancement & Play Therapy Center, Inc. in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, an international organization specializing in the training and supervision of child, family, play therapy, and animal professionals as well as the provision of mental health services for children and families. She is also the Founder and President of the International Institute for Animal Assisted Play Therapy® and is responsible for the development of the AAPT field and the provision of training and supervision of AAPT professionals throughout the world. She holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and The Pennsylvania State University.

A Licensed Psychologist in Pennsylvania, Dr. VanFleet is also a Certified Filial Therapist, Supervisor, and Instructor, a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant, and a Certified Animal Ethology and Behavior Instructor. She specializes in strengthening family relationships through play, and has subspecialties in Filial Therapy, Animal Assisted Play Therapy®, play therapy, chronic medical illness, disaster mental health, child/family trauma and attachment, and adventure/nature-based therapies. She also provides animal behavior consultations using family-oriented, animal-friendly methods, with a specialty in helping unsocialized, highly fearful, and traumatized animals.

Dr. VanFleet brings 50 years of clinical, supervisory, and leadership experience in community mental health, health care, education, and independent practice settings to her workshops. She has trained and supervised thousands of clinicians internationally. She has been a popular keynote speaker at animal-related conferences and workshops, too.

Risë is the lead or single author of a dozen books and numerous manuals, articles, and chapters. Her book titles include Filial Therapy: Strengthening Parent-Child Relationships Through Play, Child-Centered Play Therapy, Animal Assisted Play Therapy (Maxwell Award for best book on the human-animal bond), Casebook of Filial Therapy, and The Human Half of Dog Training: Collaborating with Clients to Get Results (DWAA, one of top four training books). Her books and articles have received over twelve prestigious writing awards. They have been used by professionals in over 80 countries and translated into multiple languages. She is also featured on a variety of video-based online courses and DVDs on topics related to play therapy, Filial Therapy, and Animal Assisted Play Therapy®, including the American Psychological Association’s Filial Play Therapy.

Dr. VanFleet has been the recipient of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association’s Distinguished Contributions to the Science and Profession of Psychology Award, and the inaugural honoree for three major play therapy and training awards: the Bernard G. and Louise F. Guerney Award for Outstanding Contributions to Practice and Training in Filial Therapy (AFREM), the Play Therapy Professional Education and Training Award (APT), and the Louise and Bernard Guerney Award for Excellence in the Promotion of Play Therapy (PAAPT). She has also received two key leadership awards for her roles in community building and leadership. She is a Past President/Board Chair of the Association for Play Therapy, and has been granted honorary membership in therapy and animal organizations in the UK and Europe.

In addition to creating structures throughout the world for the dissemination of the Guerneys’ Filial Therapy and Relationship Enhancement® approaches, Dr. VanFleet has been responsible for the development, practice, ethics, animal welfare, research, and dissemination of Animal Assisted Play Therapy® (co-created with Tracie Faa-Thompson of the UK) and regularly works with several species. Her certification programs in these two fields are considered among the most recognized and rigorous in the world. In addition to her work in the aforementioned fields, Risë has served as the President of VanFleet Associates, an organizational development firm. She is also an accomplished pianist and accompanist, and an award-winning animal and nature photographer specializing in Alaskan wildlife.

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