This program is the first major training step in play therapy. Successful completion of this program leads to the award of the title Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills and inclusion on the PTUK / PTI Directory of Play Therapists and Creative Arts. Those on this list, if working in the UK, are fully accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). See the list here.

The program is clinically accredited by PTUK and PTI
It is the only training program to offer such a high level of certification, including for the trainees within it. It is also the only program where those trained in it are fully certified as professionals. That is, they are certified as a separate specialty.

Addressed to:

The program is aimed at professionals who have at least two years of professional experience with children and hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, including:

Clinical Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Child Psychiatrists, Pediatricians, Counselors, Psychotherapists, Sociologists, Social Workers, Teachers, Professors, Kindergarten Teachers, Special Educators, Speech Therapists, Occupational Therapists.

Objectives:

This program is designed to:

• Enrich your career and professional skills
• Get listed as a Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills on the list of play and Creative Arts therapists who are accredited to work in the UK by the Professional Standards authority
• Increase your satisfaction with your work with children
• Give you the skills to help children with emotional difficulties
• Give you the skills to relieve children with mental health problems and behavioral problems.
• Equip you with the appropriate skills, as defined by the PTI in the Profession Structure Model, to work individually with children with mild to moderate problems (see here)
• To offer you personal development.

Summary

Children’s lives today are very constrained and regulated by adults. Non-directive Play Therapy offers the child the opportunity to make choices and take responsibility for them, to express themselves freely, to experience absolute unconditional acceptance and respect, and to fully embrace their deepest feelings. For these reasons, the children’s play is not interpreted or criticized.

This freedom can only be effective in a strong context. For this reason, the adult assumes responsibility for the safety of the child, himself, and the environment. Within these safety constraints, the child has complete freedom of choice. Time limits are also considered important as they provide a sense of security by defining the beginning and end of a session. In this way, time takes on a different dimension in a session and the child’s imagination is free to explore and represent their experiences and create their own world.

However, there are cases where the non-directive approach needs to be complemented by other approaches. For example, in cases of terminal illness, grief, children with diffuse developmental disorders in care facilities, or limited time for working, etc.

In this program the basic tools of the play therapy toolkit are taught and implemented.

EDUCATIONAL GOALS

The ultimate goal of the program is to enable participants to practice safely and successfully using therapeutic play skills in a variety of contexts and to provide emotional support in their individual work with children who have mild or moderate problems. Upon successful completion of the program, each participant will have gained:

• A strong understanding of the principles at Play Therapy and the correct application of the Play Therapy Tool kit.
• Practical skills to deliver individual sessions through therapeutic play with children.
• The ability to assess children’s needs and organize the provision of an appropriate environment for therapeutic play
• An understanding and appreciation of ethics and ethical issues
• Increased confidence in the use of therapeutic play with children and adolescents.
• Therapeutic and practical counseling skills to deliver therapeutic play
• Awareness of own processes, self-knowledge and personal development
• Theoretical knowledge of developmental psychology, and
• Structure of the program

EDUCATIONAL METHODS

Participants will learn about roles and responsibilities in the therapeutic relationship by working with other members of the program. There will be theoretical instruction, but as little as absolutely necessary.

Learning will be experiential and collaborative in pairs, groups, role-play and case presentations. Home reading and other homework will provide new information and help consolidate the experiential work done over the three days. The work can be discussed in the group over the next three days. An integral part of the training is practice with clients and its supervision.