Telehealth with Children and Very Young Children Extended Content

Description

What happens when a child’s only lifeline to care is a screen—and their ability to trust, play, and communicate is still just emerging? Clinicians serving young children via telehealth face a daunting task: to engage, attune, and intervene through a virtual medium while honoring the developmental, cultural, and relational needs of both the child and their caregivers.

Children and very young children deserve exceptional care—even at a distance. This self-study course will equip you with the tools to rise to the challenge using evidence-based, developmentally-appropriate, and culturally responsive strategies that make a difference from the very first session.

Dr. Ritchie Rubio, Ph.D., brings a lifetime of expertise in child clinical psychology, play therapy, expressive arts, and telehealth to this dynamic course. With experience in pediatric hospitals, community mental health settings, public health systems, and academic institutions across three countries, Dr. Rubio is uniquely positioned to guide clinicians through the complex work of connecting with children and families in virtual spaces.

Drawing on his trauma-informed and diversity-responsive clinical practice, Dr. Rubio teaches clinicians how to engage children online through play and expressive arts, structure sessions to match developmental needs, and adapt interventions for diverse family systems. His approach is grounded in implementation science and real-world telehealth experience.

Participants will explore topics such as tele-adapted play therapy models, expressive arts tools, sandtray and puppet-based techniques, caregiver engagement, trauma-informed telehealth approaches, virtual space setup, cultural responsiveness with BIPOC families, and evidence-based apps and worksheets. Interventions include Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), Circle of Security, TF-CBT via telehealth, and more.

Key Takeaways:

• Engage children effectively via telehealth: Learn models and tools that align with early developmental needs.

• Apply playful and expressive strategies with confidence: Integrate telehealth-appropriate versions of evidence-based therapies.

• Culturally responsive care in action: Tailor interventions for BIPOC children and their caregivers.

Why this course?

• A trusted source in continuing education: Telehealth Certification Institute is committed to equipping clinicians with practical, high-quality tools for delivering exceptional care.

• Expert instruction rooted in global practice: Dr. Rubio’s cross-cultural experience and deep clinical knowledge ensure this training is relevant, inclusive, and adaptable.

• Focused on real-world impact: Designed specifically for clinicians working with children in today’s evolving behavioral health landscape.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and describe at least one developmentally-appropriate model for working effectively via telehealth with children who present with behavioral health issues.

• Appraise the applicability of at least two virtual play therapy tools for engaging behavioral health child clients in treatment using evidence-based practices.

• Illustrate at least two ways of using telehealth and tele-play therapy interventions in a culturally responsive manner when working with BIPOC children and their families.

Whether you’re looking to enhance your current child therapy practice or pivot more fully into telehealth, this course provides strategies you can use immediately. Join a growing network of behavioral health professionals who are raising the standard of virtual care for children and families.

Add this course to your cart to develop your skills, boost your confidence, and enhance your impact as a behavioral health professional.

Format and Access

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Instruction consists of 3 hours of video instruction, course slides and a post-test.

Course Details

Availability: 

From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: 

This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: 

This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to Attend: 

Course access and completion instructions.

Instructor and Disclosures

Instructor

Ritchie Rubio Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Rubio works as a clinical child psychologist, play and expressive arts therapist, researcher-storyteller, program evaluator, statistical consultant, data analyst, telehealth trainer/consultant, and associate professor/lecturer in a variety of clinical and academic settings including public health systems, universities, pediatric hospitals, community mental health settings, schools, and research institutes in three countries: the Philippines, U.S.A., and New Zealand. He moved from the Philippines at the age of 25, completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a Child and Family emphasis from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) through a Ford Foundation International Fellowship Program (IFP) grant. He is currently the Director of Practice Improvement and Analytics of the Children, Youth, and Families System of Care (CYF-SOC) Behavioral Health Services (BHS) at the San Francisco Department of Public Health in California, USA. In that role, he plans and coordinates a clinical practice improvement and evaluation program focused on identifying best trauma-informed and diversity-responsive practices; and utilizing implementation science to design and strengthen clinical assessment and interventions. He is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Counseling Psychology programs of the University of San Francisco and the Berkeley Wright Institute. He teaches courses such as Research and Statistics; Crisis and Trauma Counseling; Neuroscience; Child and Adolescent Counseling; Family Violence and Protection; Individual, and Family Development; and Clinical Assessment and Measures. His clinical work was/is primarily with immigrant and multicultural children/youth and their families. He mostly integrates psychodynamic, attachment, family systems, multicultural, expressive arts, play therapy, and CBT orientations.

Disclosure Statement: 

The instructor(s) for this course receive compensation for their services. There are no reported conflicts of interest to disclose.

CE Hours

Credit Hours:

This course consists of 3 continuing education hours of credit.

Play therapy credit available to mental health professionals & graduate students in a mental health program.

Counselors:

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.

Marriage and Family Therapists: 

Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations.  You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0135, effective May 8, 2025.

Social Workers:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.

Play Therapists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC has been approved as a continuing education provider by the Association for Play Therapy: APT Approved Provider 21-633. Per the Association for Play Therapy (APT), play therapy training may not be awarded to non-mental health professionals. APT alone holds the right to accept or deny any continuing education training at its discretion. This course qualifies as 3 non-contact continuing education Play Therapy credits.

Addiction Professionals:

This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits, effective 2/9/2022. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programing.

Psychologists:

Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.

Art Therapists: 

Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.

Other Professionals:

This course qualifies for 180 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations.  Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course.

Accommodations and Policies

Close Captioning is available for live webinars and recorded video presentations.

You can click on the following links to view our policies:

• Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities.
• Cancellation Policy
• Grievance Policy
• Support Options
• Disclosure Statement