Quotes:
- In the last year, training has been almost entirely in person, as Covid-19 restrictions have ceased. However, due to students occasionally being sick or having been a close contact, the college facilitated such trainees via an online link. CTC is committed to in-person training given the experiential nature of the work. Interest in CTC training has increased significantly due to the high reputations of the training, and an increased awareness of the need to provide counselling to children and young people, particularly in the field of education. Accordingly, additional staff have been recruited with the aim of streamlining the organisational and technological aspects of the college. In addition, a large premises has been acquired in Limerick and is fully operational. In this manner, CTC has significantly increased its resources in order to maintain very high standards amongst an enlarged student body.
- The evidence as demonstrated by the quality of assignments is that the extant very high standards were maintained, and that the quality of delivery was undiminished. Student feedback on their satisfaction with the course continues to be very favourable including the positive impact of training at CTC on current careers. It is impressive to see that even before graduating, the skills and knowledge acquired on this course have already had significant beneficial influences on the students in their workplaces.
- Concerning the positioning of CTC program nationally and internationally, this course stands out as a comprehensive child and adolescent psychotherapy training, whereby incoming students who have no prior knowledge progress to being fully trained and competent psychotherapists. Some other training programs in Ireland view child and adolescent therapy as an addition to adult therapy, and such programs, being only two years in duration, do not reach the depth of CTC’s training. Internationally, CTC’s course has been accredited by the European Association of Integrative Psychotherapy (EAIP), and by the European Association of Psychotherapy (EAP), and as such is acknowledged to be of a high quality within Europe.
- Strengths of the programme include a strong emphasis on theory and practice in conjunction with a focus on the personal development of the students. In my view, the existing balance between these strands of training is ideal as is. A further strength is the collegial and inclusive manner of the teaching staff, which has resulted in a student body which is highly motivated to learn at a high standard.
Conclusions and Recommendations
“In conclusion, having overseen the Master of Arts in Creative Psychotherapy for four consecutive years, I can attest that this training is of an extremely high quality and produces Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists of the highest standard, both in competence and commitment to serve their clients.”
