IPT Faculty Team

Sarah Blalock - IPT Director

Sarah Blalock, PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S™, is an Associate Professor in the Professional Counseling Program at Texas State University where she has the opportunity to teach, research, and supervise in the area of play therapy. She received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of North Texas. She enjoys presenting on play therapy topics at local, regional, and national conferences. She has over 20 years’ experience in play therapy, including 10 years’ experience as a school counselor, where she spent much of her time conducting school-based individual and group play therapy and expressive arts therapy. Sarah’s research interests include school-based play therapy, group play therapy, expressive arts counseling, child-parent relationship training, and child-teacher relationship training.

Elizabeth Kjellstrand Hartwig

Maria Haiyasoso

Maria Haiyasoso, PhD, LPC, RPT™, is an Associate Professor in the Professional Counseling program at Texas State University. She received her Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her research interests include play therapy for child survivors of sexual abuse, counselor wellness, and relational-cultural theory.