Dee Ray, Natalya Lindo and Peggy Ceballos. [Photos: UNT]
Three University of North Texas faculty members have received a $313,000 grant for three years that will help Denton County children improve academically and achieve mental wellness via play therapy.
Dee Ray, Natalya Lindo, and Peggy Ceballos — all from the Department of Counseling and Higher Education in the College of Education — received the grant from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health.
“We are excited and eager to serve the children and families of Denton County through our partnership with local schools,” Ray said in a release.
The grant will help fund their project “Play for the Future: Linking Mental Health to Academic Achievement.”
The professors will offer play therapy, parent and teacher education, consultation, and additional initiatives to five schools in Denton and Little Elm under the grant.
Play therapy is a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a trained therapist, according to the Center for Play Therapy website.
“Our delivery of play therapy services to children, parents, and teachers in local public schools will be directed toward improving emotional wellness and academic achievement. And we are incredibly grateful to the Hogg Foundation who are committed to the mental health and progress of children,” Ray said.
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