Stage 3 – Diploma Courses in Play Therapy

The Diploma course is designed for anyone who has successfully completed the APAC Certificate in Therapeutic Play and has at least 50 hours experience of working with children or adolescents using Play Therapy. Participants may come from any background such as:

• Counsellors Psychotherapists
• Clinical Psychologists
• Primary School Teachers/Assistants
• Nurses
• Nursery School Teachers/Assistants
• Social Workers
• Play School Teachers/Assistants
• Care Home Staff
• Adoption/Foster Agency Workers

The Diploma course is the second part of a programme leading to an MA in  Practised Based Play Therapy  It is at stage 3 of the PTUK four stage training model

The course has been designed to:

• Enhance your career/professional skills
• Increase your satisfaction in working with children
• Give you the skills to help children develop their emotional literacy
• Give you the skills to alleviate behaviour and mental health problems
• Assist your own personal development
• Provide you with the  Profession Structure Model competencies defined by PTUK to work with individuals and groups of children who have moderate to severe problems

The Diploma course is the second part of a programme leading to an MA in Practised Based Play Therapy.  It is at stage 3 of the PTUK four stage training model.

The course is experiential in nature and will be specifically rooted in non- directive Play Therapy.

As in the Certificate course material for the Diploma builds upon the theory and practice of humanistic psychology, particularly that of Virginia Axline (“Dibs In Search of Self”) and Carl Rogers and gestalt Play Therapy developed by Violet Oaklander. It recognises contributions made by others in the early 1900s, such as John Bowlby, Margaret Lowenfeld, Donald Winnicott, Rachel Pinney etc It extends to a deeper understanding of the unconscious processes in relation to the child’s development based upon Freud, Jung, Graff, Fairburn Hillman, Moore and Jacobson. It also places importance on the spiritual aspect of human development. Opportunities for many forms of creativity will enrich the contents of the course.

You will be exploring ways of integrating the child as the centre of a social system, which includes schools, families, and team of support.

The main items in the ‘Play Therapy Tool-Kit’ covered in the ‘Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills’ are re-visited at a greater level of competence and converted into skills to be used with therapeutic groups. You will also learn how to deal with more difficult problems and using the PDM as an assessment tool.

The overall purpose is to enable participants to practice safely and effectively as a Play Therapist.

Upon successful completion of the course each participant will have gained:

• The competencies to work with all children (individual and group) of with all problems where Play therapy is suitable and with children and young people with mild to severe problems
• To make assessments incorporating the PDM
• A sound understanding of the principles underlying Play Therapy and the appropriate use of techniques
• The competencies required for running Play Therapy sessions with groups of children as well as individuals
• An ability to assess children’s needs and set up a Play Therapy services unit
• An ability to make decisions taking into account the ethical issues concerning all parties involved
• Increased confidence in using Play Therapy with children and adolescents and communications with referrers, parents and guardians
• The counselling, therapeutic and practical skills to carry out effective Play Therapy
• Awareness of your own process and development
• A comprehensive theoretical knowledge of child development and child psychology
• An ability to use the taught Play Therapy skills as assessment tools
• The ability to use a full Play Therapy tool-kit
• A basic understanding of Play Therapy research issues and methods

The course is divided into 3 modules some of which will gain a CPD certificate in its own right for the skills learnt as above. P

articipants will learn through working with other members of the course about the roles and responsibilities of the therapeutic relationship. There will be tutorials on theory but formal teaching and lecturing will be kept to an essential minimum.

Learning will be experiential and collaborative using pair, group work, role-play and case presentations. Homework reading and other assignments will provide new information and consolidation of material from the experiential work encountered within the weekends. Assignments will be subject of group discussions the following weekend.

It is essential that participants are working with children whilst the course is in progress.  100 supervised hours need to be completed before the Diploma can be awarded.  (These hours are additional to those required for the certificate course). Group clinical supervision of this work is a primary learning method.  The situations and problems that you encounter in real life outside the classroom together with their solutions are an essential part of the learning process.

15 days consisting of 3 x 3 day modules (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays) spread over 7 – 9 months. Alternatively as a 15 day intensive course at the Summer School in La Mouline, South of France and in Hong Kong , Sydney, Australia, Hamilton , New Zealand and Ireland

The Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy will be awarded, with 60 ‘M’ points, on the basis of:

• Two written case studies, covering the work with a child for at least 1 year and showing a clear integration of theory and practice.
• Completion of an individual practical therapeutic project, designed and documented by the participant.
• Continuous evaluation of course work contributions and ability to work with group dynamics Post training presentation
• Evidence of a further 100 hrs supervised hours of working with children using Play Therapy
• Completion an an essay of about 3000 words
• Evidence of regular Play Therapy supervision
• Satisfactory attendance on the course

East of England

• The Cambridge Belfry^LBU, Back Ln, Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6BW

South East England

• Salomons Estate^LBU, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TG
• Ditton Manor^LBU, Ditton Park Manor, Royal Berkshire, Slough SL3 7JB
• etc.venues Victoria^LBU, 1 Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London SW1V 2QQ

West Midlands

• Moor Hall Hotel^LBU, Moor Hall Hotel, Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 6LN

West of England & Wales

• Engineers House^LBU, The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol, BS8 3NB

North of England

• The Pinewood Hotel on Wilmslow^LBU, Wilmslow Rd, Handforth, Wilmslow, Manchester, SK9 3LF
• The Northern College at Wentworth Castle^LBU, Barnsley, S75 3ET
• Brook Mollington Banastre Hotel^LBU, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 6NN
• Slaley Hall, Coal Rd, Hexham NE47 0BX

Scotland

• Hilton Edinburgh Carlton^LBU, 19 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1SD
• Golden Jubilee Conference Hotel^LBU, Beardmore Street, Glasgow, G81 4SA

Northern Ireland

• Crowne Plaza Belfast, 117 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 7XP

Ireland

• The Clayton Hotel Silver Springs^NUI, Tivoli, Cork T23 E244 Ireland
• Talbot Hotel Stillorgan^NUI, Stillorgan Road, Co Dublin A94 V6K5 Ireland

For Garda vetting please contact bbkells@gmail.com

France

• La Mouline^LBU, St Genest de Contest, Tarn, France

And other locations upon request.