The Play Therapy therapist is in the child's world

The therapist during the process is in the world of the child's feelings, the child's thoughts, the child's wishes and plans. The therapist follows the child.

This Diploma in Play Therapy training is accredited by Play Therapy International (PTI), Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy.
It is the only worldwide Play Therapy training whose effectiveness is validated by clinical research involving more than 19,000 cases.

Successful completion of this Play Therapy training and submission of a portfolio provides the international title of 'Play Therapist'- bestowed by the PTUK Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists. The professional title is endorsed by the Professional Standards Authority- an independent UK organisation dedicated to creating and protecting standards in the human health professions in the UK.

TRAINING RECEPTIVES
The Diploma in Play Therapy training is designed for anyone who has successfully completed the APAC 'Certificate- Practical Therapeutic Skills in Play Therapy and has at least 40 hours of the 100 hours of required clinical work with children or adolescents using Play Therapy.
The training is designed for:
psychologists, clinical psychologists, teachers, pre-school teachers, speech and language therapists, psychiatrists, child psychiatrists, paediatricians, psychotherapists, social workers, special educators, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, staff in children's homes, staff in adoption/foster agencies.

GENERAL INFORMATION
The training has been designed to:
- enhance your career/professional skills
- increase your satisfaction in working with children
- give you the skills to develop the emotional skills of children from the age of 3
- give you the skills to alleviate behavioural and mental health problems in children from the age of 3
- support your personal development
- equip you with the competencies of the Profession Structure Model as defined by PTUK to work with individual clients at an in-depth level of non-directive and directive therapy and groups of children with moderate to severe problems.
The training is experiential and will be rooted in non-directive play therapy.
As with the training for the Certificate, the material for the Diploma is based on the theory and practice of humanistic psychology, particularly that of Virginia Axline ('Dibs In Search of Self') and Carl Rogers, and Gestalt therapy developed by Violet Oaklander. It acknowledges the contributions made by others in the early 1900s such as John Bowlby, Margaret Lowenfeld, Donald Winnicott, Rachel Pinney etc. It expands on the deeper understanding of unconscious processes in relation to child development based on the teachings of Freud, Jung, Graff, Fairburn Hillman, Moore and Jacobson. It also emphasises the spiritual aspect of human development.
The main elements of the 'Play Therapy Toolkit', which were covered in the 'Certificate-Practical Therapeutic Skills in Play Therapy' training, are revisited at a higher level of competence and transformed into skills for use in therapy groups. You will also learn how to deal with more difficult problems and how to use PTDM as an assessment tool.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES
To enable participants to practise safely and effectively as a Play Therapy (Play Therapy) therapist.
On successful completion of the course each participant will:

• has the competence to work with all children (individual and group) with all problems where play therapy is appropriate and with children and young people with mild, moderate and severe emotional problems
• evaluate sessions using PTD
• has a thorough understanding of the principles underlying Play Therapy and uses the Play Therapy Tool Kit techniques appropriately
• possess the competences required to conduct Play Therapy sessions with groups of children as well as individually
• have the ability to assess children's needs
• had the capacity to establish an independent Play Therapy service practice
• have the ability to make decisions taking into account ethical considerations for all parties
• had increased confidence in using Play Therapy with children and young people and communicating with referrers, parents and carers
• have the counselling, therapeutic and practical skills to conduct effective Play Therapy
• have an awareness of their own process and development
• has a comprehensive theoretical knowledge of child development and child psychology
• have the ability to use the full Play Therapy toolkit
• had a basic understanding of the issues and research methods related to play therapy.

DIPLOMA - TRAINING STRUCTURE
Modules 1 - 3 are part of the APAC training course 'Certificate- Practical Therapeutic Skills in Play Therapy'.. The sequence and content may vary slightly from training to training. At Diploma level, the skills from Modules 1-3 are deepened.
Module 4 - Therapeutic Work with Groups of Children - Developing Metaphorical Play Skills at Advanced Level
The aim of this module is:
1. students' use of advanced play therapy interventions with children who have more severe problems
2. an introduction to therapeutic work with groups of children
3. an overview of the Play Therapy (Play Therapy) tools taught during the Certificate to enable students to work with children and young people with more severe problems
4. therapeutic group work
5. introduction of new theoretical concepts including Embodiment, Projection and Role (EPR) and the Play Therapy Dimensions Model (PTDM)
6. development of students' ability to work harmoniously and productively in a group setting, as well as to lead and be responsible for Play Therapy (Play Therapy) group therapy.
Module 5 - Therapeutic Decision Making based on in-depth skills in working with children and adolescents with more serious problems
The aim of this module is:
1. to be able to apply and critically analyse sandbox and art therapy techniques at the deeper level required when working with children with serious problems
2. to prepare students to act within a legal and ethical framework as advocates for children who will be witnesses in a court process and who have disclosed abuse. This part includes responding to court requests and writing reports for the court.
Module 6 - Integrating the therapeutic toolkit with practice and research
During this module you will learn to:
- use clay and masks with clients with a wide range of needs at an in-depth level
- use the Play Tool Kit in a variety of settings and with a variety of clients
- use an expanded knowledge of neuroscience and research methods
- use an evidence base based on play therapy practice and consider new topics for research
- work therapeutically with groups in practice
- use an in-depth knowledge of neuroscience and its links to psychotherapy at an in-depth level
- solve problems you have encountered in developing your own play therapy practice.

TEACHING METHODS
Learning will be experiential and collaborative, using pair work, group work, through role play and case presentations.
It is essential that participants work with children during the training. Before receiving the diploma, 100 hours of supervised work must be completed. (These hours are in addition to those required for the certificate course). Group clinical supervision of this work is the primary method of learning. The situations and problems you encounter in your clinical work along with their solutions are an essential part of the learning process.

DURATION
- 15 days delivered in the form of 5 three-day modules
- 9 months from the start of training - to submit academic work
- 18 months from the start of training - to complete clinical work and 100 hours of supervised practice.

CONDITIONS FOR GRANTING THE
DIPLOMA The Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy will be awarded upon completion of the following coursework within 20 months of training:
- two written case studies, involving work with a child for at least 1 year and demonstrating a clear integration of theory and practice; the second piece of work is 6 sessions of group work.
- completion of an individual practical therapeutic project, developed and documented by the participant.
- continuous evaluation of the work input during the training and ability to work with group dynamics
- preparation of a presentation of the group work programme during the training
- 100 hours of individual work with children using play therapy.
- completion of an essay on the development of your own practice (approximately 3000 words)
- regular supervision (1 hour of supervision per 6 hours of clinical work) with a Play Therapy PTI supervisor
- 80% attendance at the training.