Play Therapy Supervision

Dr. Jason Vannest has been supervising the clinical work of students and limited license clinicians since 2011. Jason earned a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from Oakland University in 2013 and works full-time as Core Faculty at Walden University where he provides training to therapists preparing to enter the counseling field. Jason serves as the Subject Matter Expert for Walden’s Play Therapy program and is responsible for creating the content and syllabi for the Play Therapy courses. Walden is the second university that Jason has served in this capacity as he also built the Play Therapy program at the University of the Cumberlands. Jason is active with Michigan’s chapter of the Association for Play Therapy and serves in a leadership capacity with this local branch of the accrediting body for Registered Play Therapists. Jason specializes in Child Centered Play Therapy and also has training in Child Parent Relationship Therapy (Filial).

Throughout the years, Jason has retained his enthusiasm for providing compassionate, collegial, and researched-based approaches to supervision. Jason’s unique style of supervision combines a respectful strength-based approach steeped in empirically-based practices that he cultivates through his own active research and publishing agenda within the counseling field. Jason worked as a School Counselor in public schools and retired with over 20 years of experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Jason began his clinical career in 2005 at Catholic Charities - Flint. Jason currently functions as CEO and therapist at Vannest Counseling where he created a large playroom solely dedicated to the provision of play therapy treatment and training. In addition to his doctorate in counselor supervision, Jason is a Licensed School Counselor, a Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor, a National Board Certified Counselor, and has earned specializations in Marriage and Family Therapy and Child and Adolescent Therapy (both from Oakland University). As the CEO of Vannest Counseling, Jason’s clinical team consists strictly of therapists whom he has supervised over the years. With a strong work history as both a School Counselor and Community Mental Health Practitioner, Jason is uniquely positioned to provide clinical supervision for play therapists pursuing employment in either of these fields.