Courses listed in this section have all been
accredited by PTUK. The combined Certificate and Diploma in Practice Based Play Therapy
has also been accredited by the BACP (British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy). Most of these courses have also been accredited through
Play Therapy International (PTI) by the IBECPT as well as being
validated by Canterbury Christ Church University
Both the Certificate and Diploma courses
provide a qualification to practise. Participants are able to work,
under clinical supervision, therapeutically, with children after
they have completed the first 3-day module.
Course accreditation is very important to
consider when choosing a course:
-
It is an assurance of quality
-
Accredited courses have to have a good track
record
-
An accredited course is more likely to be
recognised by an employer
-
A provider of accredited courses is more
likely to be in business for the long term, to provide you with ongoing
support
-
In the event of Government regulation,
qualifications gained by completing an accredited course are more likely
to be recognised
The APAC accredited training provides a
consistent and coherent programme across the UK and Ireland.
The course content is the same wherever you
choose to train. The APAC faculty is used to
deliver the courses in all venues. The work is examined by the
same professional staff and External Examiner. This is a different
and more equitable approach than that used by courses accredited by
other play therapy organisations.
These courses are designed to produce safe and effective play therapy
practitioners hence the emphasis on experiential and practical work to
balance the theory. They are the only ones in the UK with published
measured clinical outcomes.
The courses are practice based and will prepare
you for the eventuality of the
registration of
Play Therapists by the government.
It is not necessary to be in personal therapy although the Course
Director may require this if issues arise during the course that impede
the student's ability to work with children.
Normally Diploma applicants will only be accepted if they have
satisfactorily completed the Certificate course or an equivalent. Click on
the course title for more details.
APAC
also offers in-house & local group
training if
the venues, dates or times of the open courses listed below are not
convenient
Government
Registration of Play Therapists
The government is planning the registration of
a number of the mental health professionals such as Counsellors,
Psychotherapists and Play Therapists by 2008, which PTUK regards, at
present (March 2006), as being an optimistic date.
PTUK is currently participating with a number
of professional organisations including BACP, PTUK and BAPT in
discussions and working parties with the Health Professions Council (HPC)
as well as providing input to the HPC directly.
Some professional titles, such as Arts
Therapists, already registered with the HPC require a Masters degree
qualification but others do not. It is far from clear what the
requirements will eventually be. Any statements made that
suggest that HPC standards have already been set for Play Therapists are
not true and are misleading.
The training programme offered by APAC to PTUK
standards covers all likely eventualities. We encourage all students to
complete the Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills and
the Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy courses, including a total of
200 hours clinical work, to become a PTUK Certified Play Therapist and
then to reach a total of 450 hours to become a PTUK Accredited Play
Therapist. We also require evidence of clinical governance.
We suggest that students may wish to complete
the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy, by dissertation, if they
have a particular interest in play therapy research, to advance their
career prospects or for personal satisfaction. At present it is
not necessary to have an Masters level degree to become a Play
Therapist. To suggest otherwise would be dishonest. There is
no evidence, at the moment, to show that play therapy practitioners with
an MA produce better clinical outcomes than those who do not have
one. It may or may not be a future HPC requirement.
If however, you wish to 'cover all bases' by
all means continue onto APAC's MA part of the programme.
HPC's policy is to set 'entry level' standards
to safeguard the public. Professional organisations such as PTUK
may then set their own higher standards. We believe that our
current standards originally set in 2000 are at a higher level when
compared to professional titles already registered by the HPC.
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