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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