Diploma Courses delivered in the UK are validated for academic standards by Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University, as part of the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy programme run in a collaborative partnership with APAC. The academic award is made by Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University.
Stage 3 – Diploma Courses in Play Therapy
Several intakes per year. To submit and application, please click here.
The National University of Ireland, Galway, are responsible for the management of academic quality and the post graduate awards for these diploma courses delivered in the Republic of Ireland.
The professional award which enables successful students to practice clinically is made by PTUK, or for overseas students by PTI. Successful participants will be placed as ‘Certified Practitioners in Therapeutic Play Skills’ on the Register – Play Therapy UK’s Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists which is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

We are proud to announce APAC’s Post Graduate Certificate running in collaborative partnership with NUI Galway. Summer School for 15 days starts July 2018 Click For More Details.
Designed To
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.
Synopsis
An integrative approach to Play Therapy – Children and their environment
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.
Learning Objectives
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
Course Structure
Module Descriptions (Modules 1 – 3 form the Certificate in Therapeutic Skills course)
(The sequence and content may vary slightly from course to course)
Module 4 - Working Therapeutically with Groups of Children - developing metaphorical play skills at an advanced level
The aim of this module is for students to utilise advanced play therapy interventions with children who have more severe problems and introduce working therapeutically with groups of children.
- Revisit the play therapy tools taught in the PG Certificate to enable the students to work with more severe problems
- Therapeutic group work.
- New theoretical concepts are introduced including the Embodiment, Projection and Role (EPR) framework and the Play Therapy Dimensions Model (PTDM).
- Particular attention is given throughout the module to the students’ abilities to work harmoniously and productively within a group as well as to run and be responsible for play therapy groups.
Module 5 - Therapeutic decision taking, based on deepening skills for working with more severe problems
The aim of this module is for students
- To be able to use and critically analyse sand play and art therapy techniques at a deeper level required for children with severe problems.
- To prepare students to act within a legal and ethical framework as advocates of children who are part of the legal process and who have disclosed abuse. This includes responding to requests from and writing reports for the Court.
Module 6 - Integrating the therapeutic tool-kit with practice and research
The aim of this module is for students
- To enable mastery of clay and masks for application within a broad range of conditions will be further enhanced.
- To enable the use of the tool-kit with a wide range of conditions.
- Extend knowledge of neurobiology and research methods.
- This includes contributing to the play therapy practice based evidence base and the consideration of new topics for research.
- Working therapeutically with groups is put into practice.
- Knowledge of neurobiology and links with psychotherapy are extended.
- Solutions are found to problems that have been encountered in setting up a play therapy service.
Learning 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.
Duration
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
Award
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
Venues
Leeds Beckett (formerly Leeds Metropolitan) University are marked LBU
Venues in Ireland validated by National University of Ireland (NUI) Galway and marked NUI
Click here for NUI Galway details
East of England
- The Cambridge BelfryLBU, Back Ln, Cambourne, Cambridge CB23 6BW
South East England
- Salomons EstateLBU, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TG
- Ditton ManorLBU, Ditton Park Manor, Royal Berkshire, Slough SL3 7JB
- etc.venues VictoriaLBU, 1 Drummond Gate, Pimlico, London SW1V 2QQ
West Midlands
- Moor Hall HotelLBU, Moor Hall Hotel, Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands B75 6LN
West of England & Wales
- Engineers HouseLBU, The Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol, BS8 3NB
North of England
- The Pinewood Hotel on WilmslowLBU, Wilmslow Rd, Handforth, Wilmslow, Manchester, SK9 3LF
- The Northern College at Wentworth CastleLBU, Barnsley, S75 3ET
- Brook Mollington Banastre HotelLBU, Parkgate Road, Chester CH1 6NN
- Slaley Hall, Coal Rd, Hexham NE47 0BX
Scotland
- Hilton Edinburgh CarltonLBU, 19 North Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1SD
- Golden Jubilee Conference HotelLBU, Beardmore Street, Glasgow, G81 4SA
Northern Ireland
- Crowne Plaza Belfast, 117 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 7XP
Ireland
- The Clayton Hotel Silver SpringsNUI, Tivoli, Cork T23 E244 Ireland
- Talbot Hotel StillorganNUI, Stillorgan Road, Co Dublin A94 V6K5 Ireland
For Garda vetting please contact bbkells@gmail.com
France
- La MoulineLBU, St Genest de Contest, Tarn, France
And other locations upon request.
Faculty / Facilitators
Selected from APAC’s faculty.
Fees
- UK Courses = £3,400 plus University Registration Fee of £370
- Irish Courses = €3,950 including University Registration Fee
The additional Registration Fee Shown above is to register with the University for this course as a part of the MA in Practise Based Play Therapy programme. There will be an additional University registration fees if you subsequently proceed to the MA stage.
Course fees are not inclusive of accommodation or travel; onsite bed and breakfast accommodation is available at the majority of our Training Centres, but this must be booked directly with the Venue and will incur an additional charge.
Course Dates
Course Venue | 1st Block | 2nd Block | 3rd Block | 4th Block | 5th Block |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | |||||
Moor Hall Hotel, Birmingham | 23rd - 25th September 2022 | 11th - 13th November 2022 | 20th - 22nd January 2023 | 21st - 23rd April 2023 | 7th - 9th July 2023 |
Engineers House, Bristol | 11th – 13th November 2022 | 20th – 22nd January 2023 | 24th – 26th March 2023 | 9th – 11th June 2023 | 1st – 3rd September 2023 |
etc venues Chancery Lane, London | 7th - 9th October 2022 | 9th - 11th December 2022 | 24th - 26th February 2023 | 5th - 7th May 2023 | 23rd - 25th June 2023 |
Ireland | |||||
NUI Galway, Galway | 5th - 19th July 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
International | |||||
La Mouline, St-Genest-de-Contest, France | 23rd July - 6th August 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 23rd - 29th August 2022 | 15th - 22nd October 2022 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Poland | 30th September - 2nd October 2022 | 9th - 11th December 2022 | 13th - 15th January 2023 | 24th - 26th March 2023 | 12th - 14th May 2023 |
Thailand | 9th - 13th September 2022 | 23rd - 27th September 2022 | 7th - 11th October 2022 | N/A | N/A |