On Campus - 11th Oct

October 2026 On campus

This is the Intermediate Foundation, running October - December. The Advanced Foundation follows on from this course and runs January - March. It is advisable to participate in the Intermediate Foundation before the Advanced Foundation. This enables flexibility, offering the option to study the Intermdiate Course first, and the Advanced course either straight after or the following year.

Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. These courses are suitable for Health Professionals, Social Workers, Teachers and anyone else interested in finding out about Art Therapies. The following course is offered on a part-time basis for 10 weeks. The course compromises of two half day workshops and 8 evening classes.

Course Description

 

Course Structure

Experiential Workshops

These workshops will be facilitated by a qualified and experienced BAPT-registered Play Therapist.

Experiential activities form the core of the course, providing students with an opportunity to explore and reflect on the process of Play Therapy on a personal level.

Connections and links will be made to the theories that underpin Play Therapy as this emerges from the practical component, enabling students to learn from theory that directly relates to their experience.

Please note that whilst the emphasis of the workshops is on an educational not a therapeutic experience, students should be aware of potential tensions between their personal and professional responses and should be prepared for a degree of self-exposure.

Seminars and Lectures

The seminars and lectures are integrated into the workshop experiences. Each workshop will be part experiential play therapy and part seminar/lecture.

The seminars will often comprise presentations of clinical / therapeutic work and opportunity for group discussions. Visiting experts from different fields will lead seminars/lectures on particular specialist areas of play therapy practice.

 

 

Timetable

On campus timetable

Time	Title
10am-2pm	INDUCTION DAY   Introduction to the course and to one another.   Course overview, boundaries and expectations   Discussion of the Play Therapy profession and entry into training and the professional organisation:   the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT)
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 1   Why Play? The central importance of play in child development
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 2   Historical overview of the development of Play Therapy in the UK. Comparison of different models of Play Therapy, including    Non-Directive Play Therapy, Social Constructionist and Narrative Therapy appraoches
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 3   Sensory or embodiment play in Play Therapy - using clay, play-dough, slime, sand and other sensory materials
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 4   Projective or symbolic play in Play Therapy - using toy figures etc to create symbolic stories
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 5   Dramatic role-play in Play Therapy
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 6   Using art in Play Therapy
7pm - 9pm	Workshop 7   Providing a therapeutic environment – the therapist’s role. Developing reflective listening skills etc
10am - 2pm	Closing Plenary Day