Dr. Nicole Carleton holds dual licensure in Kansas and Missouri as an LCPC/LPC, is a Registered Play Therapist™, and is a Nationally Board-Certified Counselor. Nicole began her career as an elementary school counselor, where she became passionate about integrating play therapy approaches into comprehensive school counseling programs. During her time as a school counselor, she also maintained a small private practice caseload, where she gained extensive experience in treating trauma, attachment problems, and adolescent depression. In 2022, Nicole earned a PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision from Kansas State University, where her research focused on school counselor perceptions of the utility of play therapy. After spending several years in higher education as an assistant professor in a master’s counseling program, Nicole transitioned to her current role at Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA) in Independence, MO, where she serves as one of two clinical intern supervisors in CAPA’s robust internship program. She regularly presents at state, regional, and national conferences on a variety of topics related to play therapy, supporting graduate students, ethics, and supervision.

In practice, Nicole ascribes to an integrative and prescriptive approach to play therapy, drawing primarily from tenets of child-centered play therapy and Adlerian play therapy. She has received doctoral-level and post-graduate training in numerous play therapy topics including theories of play therapy, filial play therapy, sandtray therapy, diagnosis and treatment in play therapy, play therapy documentation, using play therapy with infants and toddlers, using play therapy with survivors of abuse and trauma, classroom-based Theraplay®, play therapy with neurodivergent populations, and play therapy supervision. Nicole strongly believes in the power of play for clients of all ages and its ability to bring transformational change to their lives.