TRAINING IN PLAY THERAPY

Introduction

Courses accredited by the British Association of Play Therapists are post-qualifying and it is usual for trainees to hold a first qualification in either teaching, social work, occupational therapy or other related field and to have extensive experience of working with children. Personal therapy and supervised practice are essential elements of the training.

The courses listed have been accredited by the Association and are therefore recognised by BAPT as providing entitlement to Full membership and a qualification to practise:

• Notre Dame Centre, Glasgow (in association with the University of Strathclyde) - CLOSED: SEE BELOW

• Roehampton University

• University of Glamorgan, South Wales - NEWLY ACCREDITED COURSE

There is also the prospect of a new training course being set up in the South West of England - this will be seeking BAPT accreditation and will be advertised on this page of the website once fuller details are available (see bottom of this webpage)

Notre Dame Centre (in association with the University of Strathclyde)

The Notre Dame Centre has reluctantly decided to withdraw from offering a qualifying course in Play Therapy. This is due to the need to extend the course to meet impending changes in qualification level and to changes in the organisation leading to a decision to concentrate on our clinical work with children and young people. We will still remain involved in sharing our practice skills in short courses for interested professionals.

We are happy to have been involved in the training of 54 play therapists to date in the lifetime of the course.

Roehampton University

MA in Play Therapy

The Play Therapy Maters programme aims to provide students with a course of study that will prepare them for clinical practice within the public and private sector. On successful completion of the MA in Play Therapy students will be entitled to register as a full member of the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT)

From 2010 entry, the programme will be made up of ten modules that encompass the theoretical, practical and experiential learning experience required to become professional Play Therapists. The restructured course now runs over two full years with attendance on the University site two days a week (Mondays and Tuesdays) for the first five terms, with further components offsite that require at least one further day of time commitment. The course is designed to prepare the students for therapeutic practice that is theoretically sound and emotionally aware.

The training is based upon a Person-Centred perspective and serves to enable students to competently practice with a variety of child mental health difficulties. One of Roehampton’s strengths is its clear and coherent theoretical foundations that influence each of the courses in the programme.

The MA programme provides the opportunity for students to research and explore specific or general areas of Play Therapy theory and practice:
1. Human Development and Growth
2. Play Therapy Theory and Skills 1
3. Placement 1 (including Placement Preparation and inhouse supervision)
4. Child Observation
5. Process Group 1
6. Placement 2
7. Play Therapy Theory and Skills 2: Working with different client groups
8. Process Group 2
9. Play Therapy in Context
10. Research Methods & Portfolio: This module is the culmination of the Masters Programme & is designed to provide students with a critical understanding of research methodology, and to enable them to plan, design and carry out a research project and write a research dissertation.

All students are required to be in personal therapy throughout the training and conduct various short and medium term supervised Play Therapy placements.

PhD Research

As part of the School of Psychology and Therapeutic Studies, Play Therapy is part of a thriving research community. Students may continue to PhD level, undertake a very detailed research dissertation. Roehampton currently has a number of PhD students researching specific areas of Play Therapy; including the clinical effectiveness of Play Therapy, Play Therapy with looked after children etc.

Enquiries:

University of Glamorgan

MSc Play Therapy

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Course Length: Full time 2 years/part time 3 years
Location: Treforest Campus

The course is highly challenging and demanding and will, on completion of the programme, offer successful graduates the opportunity to work as a play therapist.
You will study the following modules:
1. Child development
2. Research methods
3. Play therapy skills
4. Working with children and their families
5. Advanced play therapy skills
6. Preparing for professional practice
7. Personal therapy portfolio
8. Child observation

As well as the academic content of the programme, students will be required to undergo personal therapy and to complete placements in supervised clinical practice in play therapy (100 hours of practice).

You will be taught by academics specialising in play and child development as well as by professionals in Play Therapy and other therapies.

The university has established links with a number of agencies to support these clinical placements.

A feature of this course is that it also offers students the opportunity to study therapeutic interventions with children with disabilities and with older adults.


Enquiries:

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Advance notice of a forthcoming course in the South West:



It is planned that a one year Foundation training 'Play and the Creative Arts Therapies' This course will be a prerequisite for a three year MA in Play Therapy

For enquiries contact Di Gammage:


(page updated February 2010)