Meet
Raphaella Croccia

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
Registered Play Therapy Supervisor (RPT-S)
Licenses: MFT 52988 - RPT-S S52223
IY Group Parenting Leader
SoulCollage® Facilitator
Past President CALAPT SD -California Association for Play Therapy - San Diego chapter

Rapha is currently not taking new psychotherapy clients but is still available to provide parenting guidance and professional supervision

Rapha Croccia at her happy place: her office

“Incredible things happen when a child feels safe and free to play!”
Rapha

At Child Therapy SD we promote diversity and inclusion

Hello!
I knew I wanted to be a therapist since I was a little girl, and here I am, living that dream. I feel truly grateful to be doing the work I love every single day.

I experienced a lot of anxiety growing up and did not receive professional help until I was an young adult. That experience deeply influenced both my personal journey and my career choices.

I chose to work with children because I want to be the person I didn’t have, the one who listens, understands, and tells them that everything is going to be alright.

Working with children and adolescents is my passion and it is an honor to be doing it for the past 25 years. I love what I do and I feel fortunate to have met and worked with so many incredible children and parents.

I cultivate gratitude in my day-to-day life and I am beyond grateful to be celebrating Child Therapy San Diego's 12th year anniversary this year.

On a personal note I love collage art, dancing and spending time with my husband and daughter. I also love cuddling and playing with my cats Miko and Zuzu.

Feel free to call me Rapha (phonetically "Haffa")

I am native of the beautiful city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology in the year of 1996. There I followed a rigorous Psychoanalytic training while working with adults, children and families in private practice, outpatient and inpatient settings.

During my Psychoanalytic training I had the opportunity to work with children and adolescents who experienced various types of trauma who lived in the underprivileged communities, the slums of Rio de Janeiro. That was my first experience as a Trauma-Informed Child Therapist, and it spoke strongly to me.

I moved to the U. S. in 2001 and earned a Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and worked with grief and loss, psychiatric patients and with families and children in foster care.

Professional journey

Miko

** Rapha is not accepting new therapy clients at this time **

Available for Parenting , Play Therapy Supervision, Licensure Supervision

and Clinical Consultation

Supervision is an essential component of Psychotherapists' training. Rapha offers pre-licensed therapists supervision required for licensure and Play Therapy supervision to professionals seeking advanced training in the field of Play Therapy or pursuing certification as Registered Play Therapists (RPT)

WORKING WITH CTSD ASSOCIATES (AMFTs)

While the MFT licensure program in California only requires 600 of the 3,000 supervised hours to be spent providing therapy to children, CTSD Associates (AMFT) go far beyond that because our entire practice is dedicated solely to kids.

We can proudly say that our Associates gain significantly more hands-on experience than most—and, quite frankly, more than many fully licensed clinicians we know!

Rapha offers clinical consultation to colleagues wishing to explore specific aspects of their work for professional development.

Looking to strengthen your parenting skills or develop a personalized parenting plan from scratch?Whether you're navigating challenges with your child's behavior or seeking guidance to enhance your approach, Rapha can support you.

Zuzu

“The process of non-directive therapy is so interwoven that it is difficult to tell where one principle begins and another ends. They are overlapping and interdependent. For example, the therapist cannot be accepting without being permissive. She cannot be permissive without being accepting. She cannot leave the responsibility to make choices up to the child that she does not respect. The degree to which the therapist is able to put these principles into practice seems to affect the depth to which the therapy can go.” Virginia M. Axline

Credentials and Certifications

LMFT: This credential refers to Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and indicates a licensed mental health professional who has earned a Master's degree in clinical Psychology and holds a practicing license as a Psychotherapist in California. RPT-S: This credential refers to Registered Play Therapist Supervisor by The Association for Play Therapy. It indicates a professional with specialized training and practice in Play Therapy, as a modality of psychological treatment and who is an authorized clinical supervisor by the Association of Play Therapy. IY Group Leaders: This refers to a professional that has been trained in the Incredible Years® evidence based parenting programs, developed by Carolyn Webster-Stratton, M.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., designed to promote children’s academic, social and emotional skills and reduce conduct problems. SoulCollage®: Soul Collage is a Jungian-based process created by Seena Frost where participants utilize their intuition and imagination to make individual collage cards to honor different aspects of themselves. A SoulCollage® facilitator has been trained to utilize this process therapeutically with clients, as well as to facilitate SoulCollage® groups and workshops. EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing level 1 - refers to a professional 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 by the 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 who have completed both Weekend 1 and 2 of Basic Training plus 10 hours of case consultation by an 𝗘𝗠𝗗𝗥 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 approved 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 and have received your Basic Training Certificate of Completion. TF-CBT: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Certification - Trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy or counselling that aims at addressing the needs of children and adolescents with post traumatic stress disorder and other difficulties related to traumatic life events. Grief, Loss, and Bereavement Certificate Program: Center for Grief Care and Education - San Diego Hospice and Palliative Care. UCSD Play Therapy Certificate: UC San Diego Extended Studies Play therapy certificate program provided mental health professionals with specialized training and advanced education in this therapeutic approach.