This article is part of an ongoing Faculty Friday series, highlighting Ramapo College of New Jersey professors and their impact on students and the world.

November 21, 2025

by Emilia Koenigsmark ‘29

As a registered play therapist supervisor, Dr. Colleen Daly Martinez has seen firsthand how play therapy can help children.

When an 8-year-old boy was struggling to settle into his foster home, instead of asking the boy directly about the problem, she used play. Martinez drew out the child’s feelings by giving him paper and paint to express himself. The result helped her understand the issues he was facing and how to help him.

Martinez, a licensed clinical social worker and assistant professor of social work at Ramapo College of New Jersey, shared the anecdote during her lecture on animal assisted play therapy at Pony Power Therapies. The 13-acre farm down Ramapo Valley Road from the College’s welcoming Mahwah campus, offers horse and nature-based programming to connect people with disabilities or life challenges to the wonders of horses, farming and nature.

The special lecture was made possible through a Foundation Allocation Grant from the Ramapo College Foundation, and was open to Ramapo College students and Pony Power staff.

Ramapo College students walked through the grounds of Pony Power Therapies in Mahwah, NJ to visit the farm’s animals.

During the lecture, Martinez explained that mastering play therapy is a must before moving onto animal assisted play therapy, and it is vital to be patient and understanding of a child’s needs to help them cope with different past experiences. She explained that animal assisted play therapy is conducted when someone who needs therapy assistance, most likely a child, will connect to an animal and do different activities that create a relaxing environment, like playing with toys, reading stories to the animal or taking a walk with the animal.

“Play therapy is not about techniques or activities or tricks. It’s about relationships and about animals’ voluntary participation in something that they actually enjoy,” Martinez said.

Martinez shared the seven principles of animal assisted play therapy that therapists should follow. They include: ensuring safety for the human and the animal; accepting the animal for who they are; ensuring both the human and the animal enjoy the activity; ensuring there is a relationship of trust between the human and the animal; prioritizing empowerment and agency by focusing on unique interests and paths; using process orientation, or thinking about how to make the process work without forcing it; and following the foundations or theories on which the therapy is grounded.

According to research, Martinez explained, following the principles could help create a better understanding of animal assisted play therapy and why it is something to take seriously.

The Ramapo social work students in attendance, many of whom have taken courses with Martinez, described the professor as compassionate, hardworking and one of the best teachers they ever had. Martinez takes it upon herself to serve as a mentor to many students. She also serves as an advisor to Master of Social Work (MSW) students during their internships.

Dr. Colleen Daly Martinez, right, mentored ten students, including Katherine Andino ’25, left, who presented their research at Ramapo’s 2025 Scholars’ Day. Andino, a social work major, conducted a scoping review of how restricting play impacts children.

Her lecture at Pony Power opened the doors for students to learn and experience what a future working with children could look like.

Kaylon Lindsay ‘25 ‘27 of Paterson, NJ, earned a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science and is now pursuing her MSW. Lindsay said she learned that animal assisted play therapy is “a good experience for all involved.” She said the lecture was inspiring and would benefit anyone interested in working with children.

Fellow MSW student Esmeralda Espinosa ‘24 ‘27 of Oradell, NJ who majored in psychology as an undergrad at Ramapo, said the presentation made her want to learn more about play therapy and ways to work with children that are in need. The impact of the lecture on animal assisted play therapy, “makes people realize it’s more than talking to children in a room,” she said.

A pair of Ramapo College students take part in Dr. Colleen Daly Martinez’s Introduction to Play Therapy course that is offered to MSW students.

Martinez said she was grateful to the Ramapo College Foundation for giving her the opportunity to expose so many to the practices of play therapy and animal assisted play therapy. She hopes to develop more learning opportunities in the future.

“I want to bring this to all students because communicating with children is the skill that we all need,” she said.