Accredited Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play Training Courses

Courses listed in this section have all been accredited by PTUK and meet the requirements of the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. These courses have also been accredited through Play Therapy International (PTI). Courses delivered in the UK are validated by Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University and in Ireland by NUI Galway (National University of Ireland).  

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  

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, lead by APAC CEO Monika Jephcott, 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 Post Graduate courses fully meet the requirements of the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. www.playtherapyregister.org.uk  

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

PTUK, having indicated that it wished to be in the forefront of regulation, was chosen by the Professional Standards Authority as one of five professional organisations to participate in the pilot programme to develop and test the proposed standards and procedures. PTUK CEO Monika Jephcott and Jeff Thomas were instrumental in this process.  

The programme exists to provide assurance that accredited registers are well run and achieve its high standards. The Professional Standards Authority, assures PTUK, who assures its registrants, and the practitioners assure themselves using PTUK’s standards.  

Parents, commissioners and employers will seek practitioners who are on an accredited register because this assures them that registered practitioners are more likely to be competent and to behave ethically, professionally and compassionately. Children are a particularly vulnerable client group. Choosing a therapeutic practitioner who is not on the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.  

The titles currently registered are:    

• Certified and Accredited Play Therapists
• Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills
• Certified Clinical Supervisor of Play and Creative Arts Therapies
• Certified Filial Play Coach
• Trainee in Play and Creative Arts Therapies  

Practitioners living and working outside the UK are included in the Register.  

As a trainee you will be taking a big career risk if your course does not meet the requirements of the Register. The PG Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills, the PG Diploma in Play Therapy and the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy offered by APAC meet the required standards in full.  

It is not necessary to have a Masters level degree to become a Play Therapist. However trainees may wish to complete the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy stage, by dissertation, if they have a particular interest in play therapy research, to advance their career prospects and remuneration or for personal satisfaction.  

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