So you want to become a Relational Play and Creative Therapist?
What a good choice you have made. If you want to make a difference to the lives of children and young people then a career as a play therapist is as good as it gets.
You may be a teacher who is wondering what to do next? A children’s social worker who needs a change? Or a youth worker who wants to make a difference? Play therapy is an option that is both stimulating and rewarding. Find any play therapist and ask them. If you think this could be for you, keep reading to find out more.
Fistly, Why is it Relational?
1. We believe that relationships are the key to everything we know. As a baby and a toddler we learn from our carers, by watching mimicking and having a go. We don’t learn from a do-it yourself human manual.
2. Relationships are the key to good mental health. As human beings we thrive in relationships whereas we don’t do well when we are isolated. “So, ideally, if a child is growing up in a relationally “wealthy” home, with lots of opportunities for safe, stable, and nurturing interactions, they will be building their connectedness and resilience.” (Bruce Perry)
This is why we put this emphasis on relational therapy. We teach our students how to create the right conditions for relational development
Play and Therapy.
These two elements of play therapy we need to talk about in order to understand how they work together
First, Therapy
This is who you become. When you complete our course you will be a qualified therapist. You will have learned how to be with children and young people who have a range of difficulties that are challenging and seen by the wider world as problematic. Your training will equipe you to understand your client’s needs and meet them. You will be the conduit through which change is made. You will also learn about yourself. A play therapist must know who they are and become accepting of who they are. This will be a journey of self-discovery. Why is this important? It is only when you know who you are, that you can distinguish between yourself and your client in order to meet your client’s needs rather than your own. A play therapist must be totally honest with themselves.
Second, Play
The play therapist uses play as their means of facilitating change. In the same way as a music therapist uses music, an art therapist uses art, a drama therapist uses drama, So the play therapist uses play. You will be taught how to use a toolkit of toys and games and ticky-tacky to make a creative experience that will change the lives of children and young people.
Why Creative?
We use creative methods as often as we can in all our teaching in order to allow you to become a creative therapist. by working creatively, using a wide variety of creative media such as music, puppets, clay, sand trays art and craft… we can help children and young people to work in a way that is not cognitive. Children are able to explore their difficulties and express their feelings safely through this media and find the healing that they need.
“I have worked with children and young people for 50 years as a teacher, youth worker, Theatre in education, children and young peoples coordinator for charities but it is this model that has had the biggest and most possitive impact on the lives of the individuals.” Alun John, Play therapist.
If you are interested in a change of career or the start of a different chapter then contact us at the school of Play and Creative Therapies. We look forward to hearing from you.
