Xavier Department of Counseling
  • 513-745-3164
  • Hinkle 227

Machen Champion

Machen Champion, LPCC‑S, RPT‑S™, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor with over a decade of experience working with early childhood mental health. As founder of Wired to Bloom Therapy & Consulting, LLC, Machen and her team provide neuroscience-informed Play Therapy for children ages 2 to 12. She is certified in Synergetic Play Therapy, trained in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (Phase 1), a Foundational Theraplay® Practitioner, and EMDR trained.
Machen has served on the Ohio Association of Play Therapy Board since 2021 and is the current president. She is a 2022 graduate of the Association for Play Therapy’s Leadership Academy and serves on the Awards Committee at the national level. Machen was a Chi Sigma Iota Leadership Fellow for the 2024-2025 year and served as President for the CSI chapter at the University of Cincinnati from 2024-2025. She was honored with both the Outstanding Doctoral Student and Outstanding Service to the Chapter awards in 2025.
Machen is a dynamic speaker and educator who has presented at local, regional, and national conferences on topics related to child and adolescent counseling, counselor education, play therapy, and creative supervision practices. She has facilitated workshops for graduate students, mental health professionals, and interdisciplinary teams, with a focus on enhancing clinical competency, cultural humility, and playful, trauma-informed care. Prior to her work as a clinical counselor, Machen was a first grade teacher. Because of her experiences in the classroom, she now consults with educators to bridge the gap between mental health, behaviors, and learning.
As a alumna of the Counseling Department at Xavier, Machen is honored to be joining the counseling department faculty. She started teaching at Xavier in 2021 as an adjunct professor, teaching a Play Therapy elective each summer since.
Outside of work, Machen loves spending time with her husband and three dogs. She can often be found enjoying a good book, playing ultimate frisbee, or enjoying a lively game of Dungeons and Dragons.
  • 513-745-3164
  • Hinkle 227
Machen Champion, LPCC‑S, RPT‑S™, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor with over a decade of experience working with early childhood mental health. As founder of Wired to Bloom Therapy & Consulting, LLC, Machen and her team provide neuroscience-informed Play Therapy for children ages 2 to 12. She is certified in Synergetic Play Therapy, trained in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (Phase 1), a Foundational Theraplay® Practitioner, and EMDR trained.
Machen has served on the Ohio Association of Play Therapy Board since 2021 and is the current president. She is a 2022 graduate of the Association for Play Therapy’s Leadership Academy and serves on the Awards Committee at the national level. Machen was a Chi Sigma Iota Leadership Fellow for the 2024-2025 year and served as President for the CSI chapter at the University of Cincinnati from 2024-2025. She was honored with both the Outstanding Doctoral Student and Outstanding Service to the Chapter awards in 2025.
Machen is a dynamic speaker and educator who has presented at local, regional, and national conferences on topics related to child and adolescent counseling, counselor education, play therapy, and creative supervision practices. She has facilitated workshops for graduate students, mental health professionals, and interdisciplinary teams, with a focus on enhancing clinical competency, cultural humility, and playful, trauma-informed care. Prior to her work as a clinical counselor, Machen was a first grade teacher. Because of her experiences in the classroom, she now consults with educators to bridge the gap between mental health, behaviors, and learning.
As a alumna of the Counseling Department at Xavier, Machen is honored to be joining the counseling department faculty. She started teaching at Xavier in 2021 as an adjunct professor, teaching a Play Therapy elective each summer since.
Outside of work, Machen loves spending time with her husband and three dogs. She can often be found enjoying a good book, playing ultimate frisbee, or enjoying a lively game of Dungeons and Dragons.

First Year at Xavier
2021