Play Therapy - Accredited Training Courses

Why Train With APAC?

	Internationally and nationally accredited courses	Qualifications with international and national recognition. (BACP, IBECPT, PTI, PTUK). We give you the play therapy skills to obtain worthwhile posts.
	Emphasis on practical work	Skills for working in real life gained more quickly on an experiential rather than a theoretical orientated course. You'll be able to start to work safely and effectively more quickly with children. We'll give you the confidence to start working with children from the first module.
	Our faculty	Modules are presented by specialist experts in their fields providing different perspectives and a variety of presentation styles. You won't get bored!
	Course content	We will train you in the widest set of therapeutic play skills available from any training organisation in the UK.
	Integrated learning process	The learning process used by APAC is far more than providing course lectures and presentations. It is based upon: Acquiring knowledge - from presentations and reading material Understanding the impact yourself of the techniques that have been taught through practical exercises Turning the knowledge into practical experience by working with children during the course period and undertaking a project Being supported and advised upon your work with children will help you to become competent Guided reflection upon your progress and personal development The practical therapeutic exercises using play and creative arts enable you to experience the processes that children undergo when taking part in therapeutic play. Many find that the exercises enable them to work through their own issues thereby enhancing their own personal development. Group supervision, in which your work with children is discussed with the Supervisor and other participants, accelerates your learning dealing with real issues and problems that you will encounter. The use of a process diary enables the Course Director to mentor your learning and personal development processes. Book reviews ensure that your reading becomes learning.
	Safe, magical environment	Fern Hill Centre is a peaceful, non-institutional environment. Only one course is running at any time. There are very few intrusions - mainly birdsong and the small waterfall! It is ideal for therapeutic training where participants can relax and take time out to reflect and rest.
	Flexible programme to meet your needs	Most courses take place over a Friday and week-end so that you won't have to take too much time off work and are more likely to be able to make arrangements to suit your family. For those who do not wish to travel to Sussex we can arrange local training.
	Our record	If you would like talk to any of our past or present course participants please get in touch with us. See what our students say.

Play Therapy Training Experience

APAC offers both public courses run at the Fern Hill Centre and in-house programmes designed to meet the specific needs of organisations such as schools, care homes, counselling services, heath centres and social services.

In response to local demand the first, experimental, "Introduction to Play Therapy" 3 day course was held in the autumn 1998 at Fern Hill. This was followed by a number of similar 1, 2 and 3 day events which lead to the development of "Certificate in Play Therapy" and "Diploma in Play Therapy" courses.

These have been accredited since 1999 by IBECPT / PTI (Play Therapy International). Six "Certificate" and three "Diploma" courses, each of 5 x 3 day modules have been run to date.

APAC has received considerable advice upon content from PTI based upon the criteria laid down by the International Board of Examiners of Certified Play Therapists (IBECPT) who were the first body in the world to set training standards.

In addition modified versions of courses have been provided in-house for a number of organisations, tailored to meet their specific needs. The demand has meant that we have had to run additional "Certificate" courses for each of the last two years. In December 2001 we commenced a 5 x 2 day modules course in Play Therapy Supervision because of the national shortage of suitably qualified Supervisors.

The main principles that we have adopted are:

1	The main emphasis is upon experiential work underpinned by theory. The balance is about 70:30. We consider this to be vital in enabling our delegates to be able to obtain jobs or assignments working with children.
2	The courses must be held in an environment that is therapeutically safe and conducive to delegates being able to deal with their personal psychological issues that arise in learning to deal with and experience their "inner child".
3	The use of leading experts in their field to deliver course content. Play and creative arts therapies are relatively recent developments – it is important for the students to have access to the latest thinking.
4	Encouragement of the measured application of the taught material and innovation under safe conditions by the students.
5	Practical assistance in helping the students with placements and identification of suitable research projects.
6	APAC's success is ultimately measured by the results that our students obtain in working with children.

Course Calendar

Certificate in Play Therapy (Autumn 2003)	Module 1	12th -14th Sep 2003
	Module 2	21st - 23rd Nov 2003
	Module 3	16th - 18th Jan 2004
	Module 4	5th - 7th Mar 2004
	Module 5	7th - 9th May 2004
Diploma in Play Therapy (Autumn 2004)	Module 1	5th - 7th Sep 2003
	Module 2	7th - 9th Nov 2003
	Module 3	23rd - 25th Jan 2004
	Module 4	12th - 14th Mar 2004
	Module 5	14th - 16th May 2004
Certificate in Play Therapy (Spring 2004)	Module 1	27th - 29th Feb 2004
	Module 2	2nd - 4th Apr 2004
	Module 3	21st - 23rd May 2004
	Module 4	1st - 3rd July 2004
	Module 5	17th - 19th Sep 2004
Diploma in Play Therapy (Spring 2004)	Module 1	26th - 28th Mar 2004
	Module 2	28th - 30th May 2004
	Module 3	9th - 11th July 2004
	Module 4	10th - 12th Sep 2004
	Module 5	5th - 7th Nov 2004
Introduction to Play Therapy	1 day	25th Sep 2003

APAC's Faculty

	Qualifications
Monika Jephcott Course Director Module Co-ordinator Facilitator & Tutor Supervisor Member of Examination Board	B.A. (Hons) London Univ Diploma in Counselling; Professor of Play Therapy (PTI)
Dr Mark Barnes Visiting Overseas Lecturer Member of Examination Board	M.A Child Psychotherapy Professor of Play Therapy Founder of PTI Author of a number of leading books on play therapy
John Daly Facilitator & Tutor Member of Examination Board	B,Sc, M.A. (Counselling and Psychotherapy Centre for Counselling & Psychotherapy Education A leading UK exponent and trainer in sandplay
Jaki Harris Facilitator & Tutor	MA in Child Development BA Sociology Specialises in the use of play therapy with terminally ill children
Joy Hasler Facilitator & Tutor	M.A. Music Therapy
Peter Jewell Facilitator & Tutor	M.A. (Cantab) M.A. (Sussex) M.Sc in Counselling (London) Assistant Director of the Centre for English Language Teacher Education, University of Warwick Specialises in multicultural awareness
Kate Kirk Facilitator & Tutor	MA in Play Therapy, BA Social Studies Specialist in Court work
Nancy Mellon Visiting Overseas Lecturer	M.A Child Psychology Founder of the Storytelling School of America
Shelly Newstead Facilitator & Tutor	B.A. (Hons) Univ. of Southampton Dip. Play Therapy Editor/Publisher of "Playworlds"
Bernard Tagliavini Facilitator & Tutor	L.R.A.M (Speech, Drama, Mime) Dip. Dramatic Art (Middx. Univ)
Marie Ware Facilitator & Tutor	Cert.Ed London Univ Senior Registration – Dance Movement Therapist Member of the Exec Council of the Association for Dance Movement Therapy (ADMT UK)
Jeff Thomas Director of Administration, Communications & Systems	CIM Diploma Editor of PlayUK

Teaching & Learning Strategies

The teaching and learning strategies of APAC's programmes reflect the aims and objectives of offering an integrative perspective on play therapy and therapeutic practice at an advanced level. The training that is offered reflects the needs of mature learners who are, or are becoming, experienced practitioners. The Certificate and Diploma programmes are a challenging set of courses which combine the convergence of theory, research and practice, together with the demands of self examination and openness to personal and emotional growth.

The aim is to develop creative and reflective practitioners of play therapy who are committed to developing the integrative approach to dealing with childrens’ mental and emotional problems.

Participants will be involved in lectures/presentations, critical discussion, small group seminars, workshops and clinical practice under supervision. Delivery of taught modules involves a full progamme of three-day weekend workshops.

Assessment is based on a careful balance of a growing mastery of the theoretical perspective that the programme offers, the development of greater personal maturity, written and oral case history presentations, satisfactory reports of practitioner skills by a supervisor and workshop facilitators, a dissertation and final oral examination. Teaching and learning strategies are monitored and reviewed regularly. The completion of the Programme Log and student feedback will also contribute to the review process.

APAC History

APAC Limited (The Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors) was formed in July 1998. Its original objective was to promote the use of psychological therapies and to obtain assignments for its Members. During the first year a database of over 200 fully accredited, qualified and experienced counsellors, psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists was built. This expertise was marketed to a number of sectors with varying degrees of success. Since 1999 the Association has developed in two specialised areas:

Play and creative arts therapy – training and running managed services in schools
Providing consultancy and managed counselling services in the NHS primary care market

Founders

Monika Jephcott – initial career as a secondary school teacher, in both state and independent schools, and Head of Modern Languages followed by 15 years extensive training and practice as a counsellor, psychotherapist and play therapist. IEBCPT Professor of Play Therapy.

Her experiences in both State and Independent schools lead to her awareness that many pupils were not developing to their full academic and personal potential due to their emotional and social problems.

Monika is Chief Executive of APAC and responsible for clinical matters and course design. She has been awarded a professorship by the International Board of Examiners of Certified Child and Play Therapists (IBECPT). She has also been awarded the year 2001 International Play Therapy Award in recognition of her contributions to the fields of child psychology and play therapy at both the national and international levels and.

Other accreditations include BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) as a counsellor, clinical supervisor of individuals and groups and UKRC.

	Jeff Thomas – a hybrid career spanning over 40 years in marketing, information technology and management consultancy having worked at all levels including senior management positions in Unilever, Dexion, Thomas De La Rue, The British Printing Corporation and Logica.
	Independent consultant since 1980. Specialised latterly in the application of IT to training and training management including 15 years as the Technical Director of the National Training Index. Over 10000 contact hours as facilitator and presenter in management training. 3000 hours of specialised counselling for the MOD. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing with DipCIM and a Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management. Jeff is responsible for systems, marketing and other administrative aspects of APAC.

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