Master of Arts in Creative Psychotherapy
(Humanistic & Integrative Modality)
Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy
2023 MA APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN. WE WILL PROCESS 2023 MA APPLICATIONS IN NOVEMBER 2022 SO PLEASE APPLY BEFORE THE END OF NOVEMBER.
This
is the first accredited programme of its kind here in Ireland to offer a
comprehensive, experiential training in Play Therapy as part of a fully
professionally recognised MA qualification as a Psychotherapist with a major
emphasis on the practice of Play Therapy. Our focus on younger clients is
unique in a humanistic and integrative psychotherapy training, as is our
intense focus on utilising creative, action methods
that bring neuroscientific learning and interpersonal neurobiological concepts
into the heart of developmentally appropriate clinical practice.
Graduates will be ideally placed
to work as therapists with children and young people presenting with emotional
difficulties that may be mild or severe in nature and to practice as humanistic
counsellors (PG Diploma) or psychotherapists (MA). This course incorporates both professional
and academic training. The MA is
awarded by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). It is an IAHIP recognised
course – the only child and adolescent psychotherapy training to achieve this
status. IAHIP (Irish Association of Humanistic
and Integrative Psychotherapy) is a section of the Irish Council for Psychotherapy
so accredited members will be eligible to receive the European Certificate in
Psychotherapy through the ICP. This
course is also directly recognised by the European Association for
Psychotherapy (EAP).
The Childrenโs Therapy Centre (CTC) is the
longest established and foremost provider of professional play therapy and
humanistic & integrative child psychotherapy training and CPD courses in
Ireland and has been delivering specialised training since the 90โs. We have
approved quality assurance standards with QQI and we are a registered third
level educational institute. We are
also an APT approved provider of play therapy training โ the only one approved
to deliver training in Ireland. In addition, CTC is now recognised as a
European Accredited Psychotherapy Training Institute (EAPTI) by the EAP.
QQI replaced
the National Qualification Authority of Ireland (NQAI), The Further Education
and Training Awards Council of Ireland (FETAC), and the Higher Education and
Training Awards Council (HETAC) in November 2012. It also took over functions
of the Irish Universities Quality Board.
See Paris Goodyear-Brownโs Ted
Talk on Play Therapy to see how
play therapy as practiced by psychotherapists with a specialisation in play
therapy can help children who have been traumatised.
Introduction
to the course
This is a
four-year part-time experiential and eclectic child and adolescent psychotherapy
training with theoretical, practical and skills development components. It
is made up of two distinct stages: the first
two years comprise the play therapy programme and forms the basis for the final
two-year component which leads to the psychotherapy award. All 4 years are
structured in a way that builds on prior learning so as to develop the necessary
personal characteristics, skills and competence and acquire the depth and
breath of knowledge that is core to the formation of a psychotherapist. There
are clear distinctions between the professional roles of play therapists and
psychotherapists, mainly linked to the fact that psychotherapists are mental
health professionals. The title of psychotherapist is one of the protected
titles currently in the process of becoming subject to CORU regulation and practitioner
registration.
We utilise
role-play, small and large group work, lectures, presentations, discussions,
creative activities, etc. This course is designed for mature students who wish
to engage in training in the use of creative interventions and approaches,
therapeutic play, play therapy, child psychotherapy, counselling and
psychotherapy. Great emphasis is put on
personal development and experiential learning, skills development, supervised
clinical practice, utilising action methods, active imagination, and on working
in accordance with a clear theoretical framework. Core play therapy, counselling
and psychotherapy trainers, and clinical supervisors, all meet the required
standards for professional and academic training. Course
content pays particular attention to humanistic and integrative approaches, the
psychotherapy process with children and adolescents, neurobiology, and to
trauma issues. Neurobiologically informed psychotherapists take a
neuroscientific perspective and are mindful of the biology of attachment and
arousal. Such knowledge is used to inform clinical decision-making. In addition to ongoing clinical training, a
research project with relevance to the field of psychotherapy is completed in
the final year.
Play therapy is a developmentally sensitive
therapeutic modality in which a trained play therapist uses the therapeutic
powers of play to help children prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties
and achieve optimal growth and development.
Play therapy is relationship based โ the power of the therapy comes from
the strength of the relationship between the Play Therapist and the child.
โChildren
must be approached and understood from a developmental perspective. They must
not be viewed as miniature adults. Their world is one of concrete realities and
their experiences are often communicated through play. Unlike adults whose
natural medium of communication is verbalization, the natural medium of
communication for children is play activity. (Landreth, 1991)
Play therapists
use approaches, interventions, media, and activities that are appropriate to
the age and developmental stage of the client. Play permits the child to communicate
with adults nonverbally, symbolically, and in an action-oriented manner.
When the
practitioner does not hold a separate mental health qualification to practice
as a psychotherapist, play therapy is practiced as a non-mental health
profession often in the context of another professional career (e.g. teacher,
social worker, childcare). The play therapist may provide services for
typically developing children and clients who do not have clinical issues: they
may work with children with mild adjustment issues or those struggling with
developmental challenges. The aim is to promote emotional wellbeing and assist
the child, including those facing adversity (e.g. stressful events including
e.g. hospitalisation, parental separation, bereavement, or single incident trauma
in previously well adjusted children) to master developmental milestones and
develop emotional literacy and resiliency.
Play therapists who are also
psychotherapists (i.e. on completion of the full MA) are mental health professionals
and, in addition to the developmental and therapeutic services offered by play
therapists, are involved in providing psychological treatment to clients with
complex emotional needs and issues. In addition to the benefits identified above,
the aim of the intervention can also include the resolution of particular
psychological and/or psychiatric issues that compromise the childโs healthy
interactions with the world. This includes children and adolescents who have
experienced adversity, experience chronic distress, and who may struggle with
emotional, psychological, or mental health related difficulties. This practice is designed to help facilitate
personal growth, allieviate distress and overcome emotional and behavioural
problems. It is concerned with resolving issues, building resources, repairing
damage and restoring (or enabling for the first time) positive mental health.
It plays a significant role in reorganising the personality and helping those
who have experienced developmental trauma that has interrupted or distorted
development to enable and maximise their true potential. Such psychotherapists
are qualified to work with children across the spectrum of need including those
with significant clinical issues, e.g. disrupted and disorganised attachments,
histories of neglect, experiences of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and
those whose development has been distorted by living in situations of chronic
distress, unpredictability and lack of supportive, attuned caregiving.
Counselling in Action ยฉ
This course focuses
extensively on the play therapy process and the therapeutic relationship as
part of the healing intervention for children and adolescents who have
experienced difficult life events or who are compromised in reaching their full
potential. In addition, it takes a
systemic approach, looking at the needs of young clients within their family
and the broader needs of the family also. Therefore, in addition to
client-centred play therapy, psychotherapy, and creative arts approaches, we
include training on the counselling skills that are essential if one is to work
successfully with the child within their family.
We utilise humanistic and integrative
models that incorporate the use of non-directive and focused approaches as
indicated, to respond to the changing needs of the specific client as they
present to us in therapy. Students will also become proficient in the use of
therapeutic activities and interventions utilising play and the creative arts
to enrich their therapy practice.
Unique
Features of this training programme
Our training programme is very unusual
in that it qualifies graduates to work as humanistic and integrative child and
adolescent psychotherapists, and as play therapists. While many courses address
working with adult clients, our focus on younger clients is unique in a
humanistic and integrative psychotherapy training, as is our intense focus on
the use of play and creative therapies.
Many of our trainees are attracted to our course specifically because of
these two factors. Our experience has been that there is a lot of interest in
training in the field of play therapy as part of psychotherapy training and
that many graduates from the social sciences are interested in pursuing a
career as a psychotherapist to work with children and adolescents.
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Play Therapy (60 level 9
credit embedded award)
This embedded award is not offered
outside of the MA. All training
requirements are met on completion of the 3rd year of the MA. The professional
body (Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy) that recognises
this course as part of the criteria to become professionally accredited, has
the most stringent standards for this work, greatly exceeding the training
hours requirements of other play therapy professional bodies around the world. CTC
has an extensive focus on the therapy process itself, intensive supervision by
core trainers (fully accredited psychotherapists) and we consider a broad range
of human development theories, neurobiology perspectives, models of play
therapy and psychotherapy, developmentally appropriate counselling skills (for
children and adults), clinical and professional practice issues etc. We have
ensured that our learning outcomes encompass all the benchmark criteria that have
been agreed as being necessary in educating competent play therapists. While
play therapists most commonly work with children under 14 years of age, they
may also work with older adolescents and adults using creative approaches
rooted in play. Play therapy is a developmental counselling approach in which
the therapist takes the clientโs age and stage of development into account in
all aspects of their work. The play
process is central to the therapy which relies on itsโ specific therapeutic
powers as the agents of change in facilitating the client to prevent or resolve
psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development.
Upon entering 3rd year, graduates
of the Postgraduate Diploma stage of the programme become eligible for pre-accredited
membership of the Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP)
and on completion of the year will fully meet the training requirements for
play therapy practice.
Master of Arts in Creative
Psychotherapy (Humanistic and Integrative Modality) – additional 60 Level 9
credits.
The whole ethos of the programme, and
its content, aims, methodologies, learning outcomes, philosophy etc. is
humanistic and integrative in nature. Our focus is on utilising creative,
action methods that bring interpersonal neurobiological concepts into the heart
of developmentally appropriate clinical practice with children and adolescents.
The core model of psychotherapy that we teach is Client Centred, and we compare
and contrast this with other models (e.g. Psychoanalytic, Cognitive Behavioural)
within the programme. In addition, we integrate the use of the expressive arts
therapies and play therapy to equip learners to provide a creative
psychotherapy practice. Supervised practice, and
theoretical content, relate to working on a deep psychotherapeutic level with
clients of diverse ages, and with complex needs, while making extensive use of
creative psychotherapeutic approaches. Each
learner is facilitated in developing their own individual practice style based
on the integration of theories that allows them to be most authentic in their work.
Course content pays particular
attention to the humanistic and integrative approach, the psychotherapy process
with adolescents, neurobiology, and to trauma issues, in the 3rd year
of the programme. In addition to ongoing
clinical training, a research project with relevance to the field of
psychotherapy is completed in the final year.
The four-year programme has been
designed to match the criteria of the
European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP) for core psychotherapy training
courses. Graduates of the four-year programme are eligible for
professional accreditation as a psychotherapist and the course is already a
recognised course of the Irish Association of Humanistic & Integrative Psychotherapy
(IAHIP) and the Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP).
Subject
Strands
The core programme is built around
three subject strands that build up over the course. These 3 strands are:
- Reflective
Practice
- Developing
Clinical Skills
- Theoretical
Studies
Subjects in the Play Therapy Postgraduate Diploma (years 1 and 2) are:
- Psychotherapeutic
Experience: The Internal Working Model,
- Play
& Expressive Arts: Theory and Practice
- Human
Development including Play
- Psychotherapeutic
Experience: Exploring Patterns and Relationships
- Integrative
Psychotherapy and the Play Therapy Process
- Play
Therapy and Counselling: Supervised Practicum
- A
Comparative Analysis of Psychotherapy and Play Therapy Models
- Considering
Systems and Environments in Child & Adolescent Therapy
Subjects in the 2nd half of
the MA Creative Psychotherapy (years
3 and 4) are:
- Neurobiologically
Informed Therapeutic Use of Self
- Humanistic
and Integrative Psychotherapy Practice
- Trauma
Informed Psychotherapy
- Creative
Psychotherapy
- Research
Methods and Dissertation
Year 1
This focuses on developing non-directive,
client-centred, play and counselling skills, a working knowledge of child
development, play, relevant psychological theories and safe working practices;
developing a therapeutic relationship; using therapeutic play to facilitate
children in developing psychological resilience and reaching their potential
(developing self confidence, self-esteem, and a strong sense of personal
identity); and to intervene with clients with a range of particular needs. It has a specific focus on the personal
development of the course participants to ensure development of self-awareness,
growing maturity, and the development of basic counselling and listening
skills. Trainees engage in a practicum to develop observational skills, and
practice facilitating creative play sessions. The focus on child observation
builds a foundation for developing research skills, and the myriad of
approaches to therapeutic play-based interventions builds skills in assessment
and programme planning. In this year there are a mixture of 2, 3 and 4-day modules
based around weekends as far as possible.
Year 2
This focuses on training participants
to work as play therapists with a range of clients with mild and moderate emotional
problems. The initial focus is on training as a Client Centred Play Therapist,
then on integrating non-directive approaches with more focused interventions to
assist clients to develop healthy coping skills. We introduce a variety of
models of psychotherapy and play therapy, their origins, their underlying
personality theories and philosophies, and practice issues. This year also
covers counselling skills in more depth, developing a systemic and professional
framework, working with parents and carers as โsecondary clientsโ, and involves
many personal development workshops utilising creative and play media and
approaches. Participants are introduced to the use of creative therapy with clients
of all ages; working with clients who present with specific emotional and/or
behavioural difficulties (e.g. bereavement, parental separation) and/or
disorders. Participants engage in Clinical Practice with children and their
families, a proportion of which is clinically supervised by core trainers (included
in course fee). There is a focus on developing skills in linking theory and practice
including understanding themes in play, conceptualizing the therapy process
with young clients, reading play as the language of the child and facilitating
developmentally appropriate creative therapy sessions. In this year there are a mixture of 1, 2 and
3-day modules based around weekends as far as possible.
Year 3
This focuses on developing a deeper understanding
of the psychotherapy process, coupled with developing skills and a knowledge
base to work with clients, including adolescents, with more challenging issues
and complex life histories. IAPTP training requirements for pre-accreditation are
met during this year. Emphasis is given to utilising the mediums of play and
creative media, supported by talk therapy, for clients who present with attachment
disorders and/or have experienced child abuse and/or neglect. Continuing personal
development (using the creative therapies) facilitates participants to process
personal issues. Input is also given regarding sandtray therapy and integrative
approaches in clinical practise, as well as further insight into other relevant
approaches to psychotherapy, theories of change and human development. A neurobiological perspective is maintained
to enhance intuitive practice, making therapeutic use of self, and clinical decision-making.
We place very high emphasis on the integration of theory and practice and
developing advanced skills in conceptualising the therapy process. Supervised
clinical practice continues over the full year with clients of diverse ages,
with diverse issues, and in diverse settings.
In this year there are a mixture of 1, 2 and 3-day
modules.
Year 4
A significant focus in the professional
training element of fourth year is on developing the skills, knowledge and
competencies to practice safely and ethically as a psychotherapist with a
diversity of clients with complex and multifaceted needs. A special focus on
working with clients who have experienced sexual abuse is introduced. Trainees
continue to engage in clinical practice throughout the year and will attend
regular supervision sessions with assigned supervisors. These sessions incorporate
a significant training element and both challenge and support trainees in
making links between theory and practice
Supervised practice, and
theoretical content, relate to working on a deep psychotherapeutic level with
clients of diverse ages, and with complex needs, while making extensive use of
creative approaches.
In the MA research methods blended
learning component students are introduced systematically to the range of
research methods used in psychotherapy and will complete a research dissertation.
Particular emphasis is given to formulating appropriate questions, objectivity,
reliability, techniques used in research projects that are most relevant to
practitioner researchers, ethical considerations, analysing data and presenting
findings.
Personal Therapy
Each trainee must participate in Individual Therapy
Sessions, a minimum of 30 per year, with an accredited psychotherapist (generally
IAHIP), of their own choosing, scheduled at own convenience, over the duration
of the course. The experience of being a client is vital to developing an
understanding of the therapy process in an experiential way and facilitates the
self-exploration and development of increased self-awareness that is central to
the practice of therapy. The cost of these sessions is not included in the
course fee and will be negotiated between the trainee and the therapist of
their choosing. Group psychotherapy
sessions take place during course time. There is no additional cost for these
sessions.
Over the 4 years therapeutic/personal
development sessions including both group and individual therapy sessions span
180 hours. Further personal reflective activities bring these hours up to 250.
There are opportunities for personal development in the course itself and through
workshops, experiential activities and relationships within the group. All personal
therapy requirements must be met as a condition of graduation.
Clinical Practice and
Supervision
CTC take a careful
and sequential approach to clinical practice: for safety reasons there are many
carefully monitored stages before the work with clients will reach the level of
psychotherapy. Trainees will begin by engaging in child observation sessions,
then therapeutic play sessions, then play therapy sessions with children and
adolescents, intake, review and support session with parents and relevant adults,
as they progress through the training and are assessed as being ready to engage
in increasingly complex clinical work and psychotherapy practice. Some clinical
supervision (during the academic year) is included in course fee; additional
privately funded supervision is also required both during the course itself and
the pre-accreditation period.
Professional Training Assessment Components:
- Self, peer, trainer and supervisor assessment.
- Self-awareness, maturity, and ability to work
with group dynamics.
- Satisfactory participation, development and
demonstration of appropriate skills and competencies in relation to each
module.
- Completion of course requirements and assignments
to acceptable standard
- Satisfactory completion of supervised clinical
practice and personal therapy. Completion of all required hours must be logged
and confirmed.
- Satisfactory attendance and timekeeping. Full
attendance is a requirement and is monitored. Should exceptional
circumstances made attendance unavoidable for a training day/s,
alternative attendance will generally be required to make up the required
training hours.
Our Psychotherapy Award
This
is a four-year course. The QQI award for those completing the 4 years is an MA
in Creative Psychotherapy (Humanistic and Integrative Modality). As the QQI
award is set at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications entry is
restricted to applicants who have already completed a suitable undergraduate
degree. Entry to year 3 is restricted to
holders of IAPTP recognised Play Therapy course qualification, or to holders of
an alternative Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy plus the IAPTP Statement of
Equivalence to IAPTP Approved Play Therapy Training, which entails additional
conversion training to meet IAPTP criteria.
Registering for
the QQI award: Direct Entry to year 1
For admission to the M.A. in Creative Psychotherapy
(Humanistic and Integrative Modality), entrants will normally:
- Have
a 2.2 or higher in a relevant undergraduate (generally a level 8) degree (for
example, though not exhaustively, social science, social care, psychology,
nursing, community development, education, counselling, psychotherapy etc.)
or equivalent
- Have
at least two years relevant professional experience (for example, social
care, counsellor, helpline worker, childcare, social work, education or nursing)
working with children.
- Be
able to demonstrate maturity, personal readiness and suitability for
psychotherapy training including commitment to personal & professional
development and a willingness to engage in a self-reflective process that
includes personal therapy
- Have
participated in relevant foundation level training or CPD events in play,
therapeutic play, or play therapy; CPD in creative arts and counselling
skills are also useful. Ideal foundation training courses are the
Therapeutic Play Skills Certificate and/or the Principles of Art Therapy
Certificate) and most successful applicants will have completed one or
both of these courses.
- Successfully
undertake a selection interview
- Commit
to full attendance for all 4 years of the course.
Registering for
the QQI award: Indirect Entry
A small number
of applicants, with extensive
relevant professional experience (generally 10 years or more in a professional
role), who do not have honours on a suitable level 8 degree may be eligible
for entry to year 1 of the academic programme via Recognition of Prior Learning
(e.g. completion of training that is at a lower academic level than is
generally required). Such applicants must demonstrate, and provide evidence to
attest to their acquisition of suitable level 8 learning outcomes in a relevant
area and will generally hold a full level 7 degree in a relevant area.
Processing Applications
Please complete the
application form in full and post, with CV, 2 passport photographs, and โฌ100
application fee to:
The Childrenโs Therapy Centre,
Stewart House
Lonsdale Road
National Technology Park,
Castletroy
Limerick
V94 KN70
You can pay the โฌ100 processing fee via cheque,
postal order, or a bank transfer. If you would like the CTC banking details
please email Damian at ctcdamian@gmail.com.
You can also pay the processing fee directly on our website www.childrenstherapycentre.ie
Please email soft copies
of the completed application form and CV with the other required documents to CTCMAapplications@gmail.com . Your application will
not be processed unless we have all relevant documentation and the required
processing fee. If you have any queries please email CTCMAapplications@gmail.com
We begin
processing applications at least nine months to a year prior to the start of
the course, although applicants are advised to apply as early as possible and definitely
before the end of November of the year preceding entry. Applications for 2023
intakes should be submitted before the end of November 2022. The first stage
our process is a review of the application form and documents. A short list of
applicants are selected for interview. Interviews take place in January. When
all places have been allocated the intake for the year will close and subsequent
applications will be held for the following year. Applicants are advised that
there is tough competition for entry to this course due to the number of high
calibre applicants. We accept
applications throughout the year.
We
Venue
The venues for most of the on-site
training days are 1) Ballymore, (near Moate) Co. Westmeath, and 2) Limerick. We have fully equipped and resourced training
centres in both counties. Some modules are also delivered at alternative
locations including Claremorris and Leixlip. Library facilities are available.
Trainees complete their clinical practice (from 2nd year
onwards) in their own area. These begin with play therapy and progress to psychotherapy
practice during year 3. Fortnightly supervision sessions take place at a
variety of locations around the country.
Fees
The course fee for year one entrants in 2023 is โฌ4500 including learner
protection cover as required to meet QQI and legal requirements (this costs approx.
โฌ130 per student each year). Year 2 will be approx โฌ4500, (years 3 and 4 are estimated
to be in the region of โฌ4600), including library and access to the online portal.
Trainees are facilitated in making a payment
plan, to suit their individual circumstances where necessary rather than being
required to pay for the year in advance although the full fee is due for each
person starting on the course. An additional
fee for academic registration and certification with QQI is currently set by
QQI at โฌ200 for each Level 9 award (Postgraduate Diploma (2nd yr)
and MA (4th yr). Also budget for private personal therapy and clinical
supervision costs as described above. Factor in travel and local accommodation (if
required) costs also.
Course
fees are eligible for
tax relief under section 473A, Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997. Details available
from Revenue (Revenue Leaflet IT 1 ‘Tax Credits, Rates and Reliefs’ and IT 31
‘Tax Relief for Tuition Fees in respect of Third Level education) or from
www.revenue.ie.
Provisional Year 1 Course Dates for 2023-2024
There are two intakes each year. The course
runs for the full day on each date. A similar schedule of dates are set each
year. The following dates are provisional and subject to change. The location
in brackets after each date identifies the location for that module.
Year
1 June 2023-2024
30th
June โ 3rd July (Limerick), 19th โ 20th August (Online), 8th
โ 10th Sept (Limerick), 7th–
8th Oct (Westmeath), 25th
โ 26th November (Westmeath), 26th โ 28th
January (Westmeath), 1st โ 3rd March (Westmeath), 27th-28th
April (Westmeath).
Year
1 August 2023-2024
25th
โ 28th August (Limerick), 30th Sept โ 1st October
(Online), 20th โ 22nd October (Limerick), 18th
โ 19th Nov (Westmeath), 13th โ 14th January
(Westmeath), 16th โ 18th February Ballymore 15th
โ 17th March (Ballymore), 11th โ 12th May
(Ballymore).
**
2022-2023 Course Dates โ Schedules are similar each year**
30th June โ 3rd July (Limerick), 20th
โ 21st August (Online), 9th
โ 11th Sept (Limerick), 8th–
9th Oct (Westmeath), 26th
โ 27th November (Westmeath), 27th โ 29th
January (Ballymore), 3rd โ 5th March (Ballymore), 29th-30th
April (Ballymore).
Year 1 August 2022-2023
25th โ 28th
August (Limerick), 1st โ 2nd October (Online), 21st โ 23rd
October (Limerick), 19th โ 20th Nov (Westmeath), 14th
โ 15th January (Westmeath), 17th โ 19th
February Ballymore 17th โ 19th March (Ballymore), 13th
โ 14th May (Ballymore).
Year
2 Group 1 2022-2023
2nd โ 4th Sept (Limerick), 1st โ 2nd
Oct (online), 5th โ 7th Nov (Limerick), 3rd โ
4th December (Westmeath), 7th-8th Jan
(Westmeath), 11th โ 12th Feb (Westmeath), 11th-12th
March (Westmeath), 1st April (Online), 14th โ 16th
April (Westmeath), 5th โ 7th May (Westmeath).
Year
2 Group 2 2022-2023
16th-18th
Sept (Limerick), 15th โ 16th Oct (Online), 12th-14th
Nov (Limerick), 17th โ 18th Dec (Westmeath), 21st โ 22nd
Jan (Westmeath), 25th โ 26th Feb (Westmeath), 25th
โ 26th Mar (Westmeath), 1st April (Online), 21st โ 23rd
April (Westmeath), 19th โ 21st May (Westmeath)
Year
3 Group 1 2022-2023
16th-18th
Sept (Westmeath), 30th Sept โ 2ndOct (Westmeath), 8th
Oct (Online), 28th -30th Oct (Westmeath), 25th
– 27th Nov (Limerick) 6th โ 8th Jan
(Limerick), 4th โ 5th Feb (Limerick), 4th โ 5th
March (Limerick), 15th April (Limerick), 7th May (Online)
25th -27th May (Case Presentations Online).
Year 3 Group 2 2022-2023
23rd โ 25th Sept (Westmeath), 9th
Oct (Online) 14th โ 16th Oct (Westmeath), 11th
โ 13th Nov (Westmeath), 9th -11th Dec
(Ballymore), 13th โ 14th Jan (Limerick), 18th โ 19th
Feb Limerick, 25th โ 26th Mar (Limerick), 16th
April (Limerick), 6th May (Online), 28th โ 30th
May (Case Presentations Online).
Year
4 Group 1 2022-2023
8th
May (Online), 13th โ 14th Aug (Online), 27th โ
29th Aug (Westmeath), 10th โ 11th Sept
(Online), 23rd โ 25th Sept (SDL & Online), 14th
โ 16th Oct (Online and SDL), 29th -30th Oct
(Claremorris), 19th โ
20th Nov (Limerick), 10th โ 11th Dec
(Limerick), 3rd โ 5th March (SDL & Online), 1st
April (Online)
Year
4 Group 2 2022-2023
7th
May (Online), 27th โ 28th Aug (Online), 2nd โ
4th Sept (Westmeath), 10th โ 11th Sept (Online),
23rd โ 25th Sept
(SDL & Online), 14th โ 16th Oct (Online and SDL), 5th
โ 6th Nov (Claremorris), 3rd -4th December
(Limerick), 17t โ 18th Dec (Limerick), 3rd โ 5th March (SDL & Online), 1stApril
(Online)
Peer group meetings, personal therapy,
clinical practice, and clinical supervision sessions take place between the
modules listed above. There is also an online learning site for each group plus
online courses. An online site for Academic Writing support is also provided
and students may book in for scheduled tutorial sessions.
See www.childrenstherapycentre.ie
for details of upcoming course dates as they are set.
Safety Provisions
It will be
necessary for participants be vetted by An Garda Siochana and to be covered by professional
insurance cover prior to undertaking direct work with children. To be eligible for professional insurance cover,
as required, (details available), each participant must be a member of the Irish
Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy and act in accordance with their
Code of Ethics (www.iaptp.ie) and the IAHIP Code of Ethics. Trainees
must secure Garda vetting through the IAPTP who will share the outcome with CTC
as per our quality assurance agreement.
Programme
Aims and Objectives
We are committed to training leading
practitioners who are professionally competent in the expanding field of
psychotherapy and who will have a specialisation in the use of play and creative
approaches. As the longest established
and foremost provider of this training in Ireland we have a responsibility to
respond to the needs of the sector and to the increasing demand for training of
prospective students and the continuing professional development of graduates
and allied professionals.
This 4 year course is based on three
constructs of learning โ theoretical, experiential and clinical, which form a
central core of learning defined as โprofessional practiceโ worked from a belief
in the creative and therapeutic potential of relationships and play mediums. These
three areas embody key features of knowledge, skills and competence in the
professional practice of play therapy and psychotherapy. We see learning as
involving three complimentary, interlinked and interweaving strands of skills, theory
and personal development that cannot totally be separated into component parts
โ for us, the whole is definitely more that the sum of the parts! In putting this into practice we place a high
emphasis on experiential learning while ensuring that the emphasis on academic learning
is simultaneously maintained.
Programme
Aims: Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Play Therapy
- To develop the learnersโ understanding of the principles underlying
play therapy and psychotherapy and develop skills in utilizing play and
creative mediums in their work with appropriate clients throughout the
lifespan.
- Provide learners with knowledge, skills and
competence to initiate and manage the professional delivery of play therapy
and associated counselling services and practice in compliance with a
relevant professional code of ethics.
- Equip learners to demonstrate the expertise to work
therapeutically with a wide range of individuals and groups within a
variety of clinical, community and/or educational settings.
Programme Aims: MA
Creative Psychotherapy (Humanistic & Integrative Modality)
Includes
the aims of the interim award (Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy) plus the
following:
- Build
on prior clinical training and supervised practice to equip the learner to
extend their client base, which may already include children, adolescents
and adults, to include practice with more complex referral issues
including trauma.
- Provide learners with the knowledge, skills and competence to
initiate and manage the professional delivery of creative psychotherapy
services and implement new models of practice through an advanced ability
to compare and critique a range of models and integrate relevant theory
and clinical practice.
- Critically evaluate and reflect on the effectiveness of their
practice, including the relevance of their own personal process within the
therapeutic relationship.
- Provide
learners with opportunities for personal development that will facilitate
increased self-awareness, and an understanding of the process of healing
through the medium of person-centred and humanistic and integrative
psychotherapies utilising creative mediums.
- To enable learners to carry out, analyse and present research with
relevance to the field of psychotherapy.
Objectives
- To develop the traineesโ person-centred counselling skills, enhance
the ability to develop therapeutic relationships, and become skilled in
responding therapeutically to the clientโs play, words, and non-verbal communications.
- To introduce the trainees to a range of models of psychotherapy and
play therapy, and the use of expressive arts in the therapeutic and developmental
process.
- To develop the traineesโ understanding of the principles underlying
play therapy and psychotherapy and develop skills in utilising play and creative
mediums including music, movement, storytelling, symbolism, metaphor, art,
drama, and sand play in their work.
- To facilitate the personal and professional development of the
trainees both through the group process and by providing other
opportunities for increased self-awareness and growth in maturity.
- To develop the traineesโ ability to assess the clientโs therapeutic
needs and provide appropriate services and/or refer onwards as appropriate.
- To equip trainees with clinical skills to engage confidently in
child and adolescent psychotherapy sessions, utilising play therapy and
the creative arts, and in support sessions with their adult carers.
- To facilitate trainees in understanding and critically reflecting
on lifespan development, psychotherapy, and associated relevant theoretical
frameworks, including newly emerging knowledge, to enable the use of
theory to inform professional practice.
- To enable each trainee to discover the integration of theoretical
frameworks and practice models that works best for them as a therapist in enabling
them to be authentic in their relationships with clients.
- To raise the traineesโ awareness of the relevant current legal and
ethical frameworks.
- To facilitate trainees in developing an understanding of the
relevant research issues and methods.
We aim to provide trainees with opportunities for personal development
that will facilitate increased self-awareness, and an understanding of the
process of healing through the medium of person-centred and humanistic and
integrative psychotherapies utilising creative mediums. This will assist each trainee in the integration
of any unresolved issues, facilitating emotional development and the attainment
of greater maturity, thus preparing them to provide safety and containment in
therapeutic relationships with children, adolescents, and adults. In combination with our focus on safe working
practices, ethical considerations and skills development, this will contribute
to providing a secure foundation for therapeutic work with clients of all ages.
We pay particular attention to working in respectful, non-intrusive ways
that respect the clientsโ potential to direct their own healing, at their own pace,
within a therapeutic environment and within the context of a therapeutic
relationship with a congruent, accepting, non-judgemental, therapist. The utilisation of play and creative
approaches is seen as central in activating true creativity and spontaneity โ
the freedom to be oneself.
Further Details and information
on other courses from: ctccourseinfo@gmail.com
www.childrenstherapycentre.ie Facebook: http://on.fb.me/CTC-facebook
Association for Play Therapy (APT) Approved
Provider 11-294
Play Therapy,
Counselling and Psychotherapy Context
The Practice of Counselling and Psychotherapy in Ireland
Counselling and psychotherapy
remain self-regulating professions in Ireland although moves towards statutory
regulation are under way and are welcomed. On 30th August 2016 the Minister for
Health, Mr Simon Harris TD, made an announcement formally proposing the
designation (under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005) of two
professions (counsellor and psychotherapist) each with its own register, under
a single registration board, to be regulated by CORU. Both professions are
included as currently in the โPre-Designation Phaseโ in the 5-year Strategy
published by CORU on 26th January 2017. The registration board was set up in
2019 and is tasked with setting the approved qualifications for future
practitioners and the grand-parenting requirements for current practitioners.
Professional Psychotherapy
Bodies set rigorous standards for training courses, tutor student contact
hours, skills training, theoretical study, clinical supervision, and personal development
groupwork. In addition, students must attend individual therapy over the duration
of their training and students should be assessed individually prior to undertaking
client work. Core Trainers and Clinical Supervisors must meet specified criteria. Some psychotherapy
professional bodies are currently moving from the accreditation of training programmes, that currently require
further experience as a trainee therapist prior to accreditation as a
psychotherapist, to the accreditation of four year integrated training
programmes that have no additional requirements for registration, in accordance
with the EAP position.
CTC is committed
to providing training of the highest professional and ethical standards. In addition
to gaining a counselling and a psychotherapy qualification, graduates of this
training will also be eligible for certification and accreditation as a Play
Therapist with the IAPTP: Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy
(www.iaptp.ie) as this is a recognised course of this professional body.
Play Therapy and Psychotherapy in Ireland
The Irish
Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP) set training and
accreditation criteria for play therapy in Ireland and maintain a register of
qualified and accredited practitioners. As yet, there have been no moves for
the statutory registration of play therapists in Ireland
Psychotherapy
professional bodies, IAHIP and IAPTP, award recognition to humanistic and
integrative courses meeting their stringent standards and also accredit and
register psychotherapists working with young clients and our course is a
recognised course with all of these organisations. CTC is also recognised as a
European Accredited Psychotherapy Training Institute (EAPTI) by the EAP.
Professional Bodies and Awarding Bodies
The Irish Association of Humanistic and
Integrative Psychotherapy (IAHIP) has awarded recognised course status to
this course โ making it the only humanistic and integrative child and adolescent
training that has been awarded this status. Formed in 1992, IAHIP is one of
five psychotherapy sections in the Irish Council for Psychotherapy (ICP), an
umbrella organisation promoting different theoretical approaches to
psychotherapy. The
ICP is Irelandโs only National awarding body for the European Certificate in
Psychotherapy. IAHIP members have many broad and creative
approaches to working with clients rather than a โone size fits allโ approach.
The individual is viewed in a holistic way including mind, body and spirit.
The
Irish Association for Play Therapy and
Psychotherapy, established since 2006, is another of professional bodies
that recognises this course. The mission of IAPTP is to act as a self-regulating
professional body for play therapists in Ireland and to protect clients, their
families, and the profession itself, by setting stringent training and
accreditation standards, ethical frameworks, and supportive policy and procedures.
This body has set very stringent standards for this work, including a requirement
for a minimum of 300 tutor student contact hours โ greatly exceeding the
training hours requirements of other play therapy professional bodies around
the world (150 required by the Association for Play Therapy, 200 by the British
Association for Play Therapy, and by Play Therapy International). IAPTP have identified and documented the
benchmark criteria that are necessary for the safe and effective practice of play
therapists. They require applicant training organisations to demonstrate that
their training meets their required standards and equips graduates for
professional practice. CTC is the only organisation thus far to have achieved
course recognition with the IAPTP.
The Childrenโs Therapy Centre (CTC) is the
longest established and foremost provider of professional play therapy and
humanistic & integrative child psychotherapy training and CPD courses in
Ireland and has been delivering specialised training since the 90โs. FETAC and
HETAC both approved our quality assurance standards. We are a registered third
level educational institute. We have also satisfied all the requirements of the
Association for Play Therapy (United States) for recognition as a Type 1 Approved
Provider of Play Therapy Continuing education (APT Approved Provider 11-294).
QQI replaced
the National Qualification Authority of Ireland (NQAI), The Further Education
and Training Awards Council of Ireland (FETAC), and the Higher Education and
Training Awards Council (HETAC) in November 2012. It also took over functions
of the Irish Universities Quality Board. QQI has assumed all the functions of these four bodies. The National
Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) provides the mechanism for recognising education
and training in Ireland and provides a framework for assessing standards and
progression options at each of the 10 levels. In general, access to training at
any level is restricted to those who have successfully completed training at
the preceding level (e.g. entry to a level 9 course is only open to those already
holding a level 8 award). Higher level awards are equivalent to university
qualifications and are recognised in 47 countries. Graduates receive a copy of
their Diploma Supplement along with their parchment to make award
identification outside Ireland easier.
Employment Potential
Employment
potential for child and adolescent psychotherapists specialising in play
therapy has been and continues to be excellent. It is best for those with relevant
primary training and work experience. Psychotherapists and play therapists who
trained at CTC are currently employed in a range of Child and Family Centreโs,
The CARI Foundation, Hospitals, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams and
Community Care Teams throughout the HSE, Statutory and Private Residential Care
services, Primary and Secondary Schools, Special Schools, Voluntary Bodies, Family
Resource Centreโs and with many other services.
Many of our graduates are also self-employed and work with clients of
diverse ages and with diverse clinical issues.
APT Approved Provider 11-294
MA Application Form PDF Version