The Louisiana Association for Play Therapy

Board of Directors

2024-27 Board of Directors - Officers

The Board of Directors consists of the officers who are elected at the annual meeting each year along with Committee Chairpersons. See our By-Laws adopted in November 2023 for a complete description.

Here is a list of the Officers for 2024-2027.

President

Deatrice Green, Ph.D., LPC-S, NCC, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor

Dr. Deatrice Green is an Assistant Professor in the Counseling Department at Southeastern Louisiana University. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor specializing in children and adolescents, couples therapy, and within the BIPOC community. Dr. Green is a graduate of both the Louisiana Counseling Association and the Association for Play Therapy Leadership Academies. She is currently a member of APT, ACA, ACAC, ACACL, ACES, AMCD, AMHCA, LCA, LAPT, LAMCD, LMHCA, LACES, and SACES. Dr. Green also serves as Past President of the Louisiana Mental Health Counselors Association (LMHCA).

As a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor, having worked within the New Orleans school system, community-based counseling agencies, and private practice, Dr. Green is very experienced in counseling young children, adolescents, and their families. She has facilitated process and educational groups and many community and parent engagement activities to provide families with the necessary resources for becoming and remaining self-sufficient. She is skilled in working preventatively with children and families as she works from a crisis management standpoint. She has been a member of the Association for Play Therapy since 2013 and has served on the LAPT board since 2017. She looks forward to promoting and advocating for the effectiveness of play therapy within the African American community.

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Vice-President

Emily Jones, LPC-S NCC, Registered Play Therapist

Emily Prevot Jones is a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor and Registered Play Therapist serving LAPT on the Communications Committee. She works as a Mental Health Specialist, working with young boys ages 8 through 18, at the organization Son of a Saint in New Orleans. Emily works with these young fatherless boys through the therapeutic power of play in addition to working with their caregivers and family members.

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Secretary

Nicole Bartlett, LPC-S

Nicole Bartlett is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor. She received a Bachelor's degree from Spring Hill College and a Master's degree in Counselor Education, with specializations in Marriage and Family Therapy and Play Therapy, from The University of Alabama. She has been a member of the Association for Play Therapy for more than 25 years, and has served on the LAPT Board of Directors since 2009, currently as Secretary. Nicole has worked in residential treatment with children and adolescents, as a school counselor, and as a therapist with children, adolescents, families, and adults. She worked at Family Service of Greater New Orleans for over 12 years as a Clinician, Clinical Director, Senior Clinical Supervisor, and coordinator of student placements for the agency. As an LPC Supervisor, she has provided clinical supervision to Masters' level counselors working toward state licensure.

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Treasurer

Amanda H. Chapoton, LPC-S, Registered Play Therapist

Amanda Chapoton is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S).  Amanda joined Brandon P. Romano, Psy.D. & Associates in 2010. Amanda earned her undergraduate degree in Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1997. She earned a Master of Education in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2001. In addition to her LPC-S, Amanda earned her certification as a Registered Play Therapist in 2005. Her diverse career includes time as an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University teaching courses in career planning, child development and marriage and family studies. Her career also has been devoted to the treatment of children, youth and families affected by physical and sexual abuse.

Her extensive experience in counseling includes treatment of high-risk youth and those with mental health disorders as part of the Louisiana Judicial System. In 2007, Amanda began providing treatment to juveniles who were adjudicated for sexual offenses. In her work with Brandon P. Romano and Associates, her practice has focused on the treatment of both the victims and perpetrators of sexual offenses. She is a trained forensic interviewer who has assisted law enforcement and child protection services in over seven parishes with child sexual abuse investigations, including testifying in open court. She has been qualified to testify as an expert in the field of counseling in the courts of Louisiana. She has provided training on a local, state and national level. Amanda currently provides services at the Main Clinic (Baton Rouge) and provides community-based services in Hammond and Amite.

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2024-2027 Other Board Members

Here is a list of the Other Board Members for 2024-2027.

Heather Tullier, MHS, LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist

Heather Tullier is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. She received a Bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and a Master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from LSU Health Sciences Center. Heather has worked in both school and private practice settings working with children ages 2-12 and their caregivers.





Laura Fazio-Griffith, Ph.D., NCC, LPC-S., LMFT, Registered Play Therapist - Supervisor

Dr. Fazio-Griffith is an Associate Professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans in Counselor Education. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and a Registered Play Therapist Supervisor.

Dr. Fazio-Griffith was the clinical director for the Counseling and Training Center of Families Helping Families of Greater New Orleans for approximately 5 years. She provided individual, group, and family counseling as well as supervision for master's level counseling interns. She served as Treasurer on the Louisiana Association for Play Therapy Executive Board and is Past-President of the Louisiana Association for Play Therapy, and currently serves as Chair for the Conference Speaker Coordinator Committee. She serves on the International Association for Play Therapy Ethics and Practice Committee, the University Education Committee, the Registration and Credentialing Committee, and the Nominations and Elections Committee. She has served as President for the Louisiana Association for Career Development and also serves on five national editorial boards. She has developed the play therapy program and the counseling program is an approved provider and recognized University site from the Association for Play Therapy. She has presented nationally and statewide on various topics related to supervision, play therapy, and group work.

Dr. Fazio-Griffith has received the following awards: Senior Counselor Educator of the year 2016, Distinguished Professional Service, 2018, Senior Supervisor Award, 2019, Play Therapist of the Year: Lifetime Achievement, 2020, Southeastern Louisiana University President's Award for Excellence in Faculty Service. 2022. Dr. Fazio-Griffith was appointed to the LPC Board by the Governor, effective September 1, 2018. She is the recipient of the Nell Yarborough Sibley Endowed Professorship in Human Sciences for 2020-23.


Jordan Anderson, LPC, Registered Play Therapist

Jordan Anderson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Registered Play Therapist. She is currently serving on LAPT's Membership Committee. She currently owns her own private practice in New Orleans, LA. She works with children, adolescents, and families.






Maria R. Hebrock, M.S., LPC, NCC

Maria R. Hebrock, M.S., LPC, NCC Maria originally hails from the wonderful city of New Orleans; however, she spent many years living in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. In 2014, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University and by 2018, she was able to move back to her Louisiana roots. Maria is also a proud 2021 graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University's Counseling master's program and specializes in marriage, couples, and family therapy.

Maria owns a private practice in Mandeville, LA: Copper Connections Counseling and Wellness. In Maria's therapeutic work, she loves utilizing play therapy and gentle-expressive/ play-based modalities such as: music, art, sandtray, books, movies, writing, pop culture, nature, and animals (when appropriate) with children, teens and their families. She believes in working with clients via a systemic approach to encourage healing and a safe space for generational-positive changes. In addition to her private practice experience, she has also worked in agencies/ non-profits, schools, with the adoption triad, in both hospitals and intensive outpatient settings, providing parent education/ community-based support, and has a background working in Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy with kiddos on the autism spectrum.

She has enjoyed volunteering for the LAPT conference and is passionate regarding her roles of: donation-gathering and outreach/ play therapy education projects (associated with LAPT). Maria remains thrilled to be a member of this wonderful leadership board (serving in the role of Publicity and Outreach Committee Chair). She looks forward to continuing efforts recruiting new members, advocating, providing education on play therapy, outreach, collaborating with others who share a passion for play therapy, gathering amazing conference donations, and giving back to the community!

Julie Ritchie, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist

Julie Ritchie, M.Ed., LPC, NCC, Registered Play Therapist graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with her Bachelors in Family and Consumer Sciences, concentrating in Family Studies in 2009. She earned her Master of Education in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2012. She has worked and trained in the field of counseling since 2012. Julie published a chapter on Reactive Attachment Disorder: Play Therapy Interventions for School Settings in June 2013. Julie began serving on the Louisiana Association of Play Therapy Conference/Registration Committee in 2019. She joined the LAPT board in 2024.



Rheta LeAnne Steen, Ph.D.

LeAnne has been a member of LAPT since 2005 as a transfer from Texas where she earned her degrees from the University of Texas in Austin (B.A.), Texas State University in San Marcos (M.S.), and University of North Texas (Ph.D.).LeAnne is an Associate Professor at Loyola University where she has been employed since 2005 and is the creator, founder and director of the Play Therapy Center for Education and Research in New Orleans. This center was recognized by the Association for Play Therapy (APT) as the third official Play Therapy Center in the U.S., is the only one in Louisiana and is one of fewer than 30 such centers in the nation.

LeAnne is a graduate from APT's Leadership Academy and has served on four different committees or task forces at the national level. In addition she has served LAPT as having been Membership Chair and President of the state branch. She embraces the mission of LAPT to provide play therapy services in the community, one of which received national attention when she established a Therapeutic Play Camp for children in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

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