Play Therapy

Entry requirements

Applicants should have completed the PG Certificate Therapeutic Play Skills at Leeds Beckett University, or hold an equivalent qualification. Have a minimum of 50 hours of clinically supervised practice. Applicants should have a work based placement, which may be the applicant's place of work, and a PTUK approved Clinical Supervisor member, who must be in place before clinical work starts. Applicants will also need to evidence their Professional indemnity and public liability insurance cover.

Months of entry

January, September

Course content

Modern family life has been transformed by high divorce rates, the decline of the extended family, easy access to alcohol and drugs and other social and cultural factors adversely impacting on many of today's young people. By developing your 'play therapy toolkit' competencies to an advanced level using mediums such as storytelling, music, dance and drama, you will be able to work with children who have serious social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties.

You will focus primarily on developing techniques in non-directive play, encouraging the child to work towards finding their own solutions to problems through play. You will explore ways of integrating the child as the centre of a social system made up of school, family and teams of support. You will also undertake 100 hours of clinically supervised work with children in a variety of practical settings.

Please note that all applications and queries for this course will be dealt with by APAC, and that start dates may differ depending on your location of study. Find out more on the APAC website.

As you progress, you will develop your own network of contacts and be able to join Play Therapy UK (PTUK) local support groups and meet experienced practitioners. You will join the PTUK as a trainee member, observe the ethical framework and clinical governance requirements designed to protect the public.

You will also undertake 100 hours of clinically supervised work with children in either a primary school, special needs school, nursery, primary health care, hospital, care home or adoption and foster care setting, where you will apply your learning in a practical setting.

Our School of Health has a well-established playwork group which has close links with APAC and professional organisations Play Therapy UK and Play Therapy International.