Course Overview

Based on a humanistic person-centered model of therapy, this course emphasizes the use of play within a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and client to facilitate therapeutic change. The course encompasses theoretical, practical, and experiential learning. With our holistic approach to teaching, you will be provided with thorough and systematic knowledge, experience, skills, and the confidence to work as a professionally qualified play therapist. At the end of the course, you will be able to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of therapeutic techniques and approaches that are required for professional registration purposes.

This course leads to a qualification that entitles you to register as a Full Member of the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT) whose register is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). You will be taught by experienced practitioners who are practising play therapists and will bring the teaching on the course to life by drawing upon their own clinical experiences and case materials.

All students are required to be in personal therapy for the duration of the course and will complete two specified periods of supervised clinical placements alongside their studies.

This intense, rigorous, and comprehensive program is made up of ten modules that encompass the theoretical, practical, and experiential learning experience required to become a professional play therapist. All modules are designed to prepare you for child-centered therapeutic practice that is theoretically sound and emotionally aware, complying with the core competencies of a play therapist as specified by the British Association of Play Therapists.

Clinical placements are a central component of the training in this program. In your first year, the modules will include experiential learning to prepare you for your first work placement, as theoretical understanding will give you a strong grounding for your clinical practice. Your professional development is interrelated with the development of theoretical knowledge, skills, and personal awareness. Within the clinical placements, you will synthesize, integrate and apply all aspects of your learning into practice. 

In the second year, you will build upon your play therapy skills and knowledge from your first-year modules. You will have the opportunity to develop and explore your understanding of the theory and practice of play therapy in relation to working with different client groups and more complex needs. You will also synthesize your theoretical knowledge and clinical experience to pursue your research interest in the Research Portfolio module. A clinical issue, your own clinical work, or a professional issue may provide the inspiration for this research project. Recent research areas have included: child-centered play therapy and the use of therapeutic boundaries, play therapy and unresolved bereavement issues, play therapy in schools, and play therapy and different cultural beliefs.

General Eligibility

You should usually hold a second-class honors degree (certain programs may require a 2:1) from a recognized British or overseas university.

Part Time Work Details

20 hours of work permit weekly for international students.

Language Requirement

• An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 7 with no element below 6.5 for applicants for whom English is not their first language.