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WORKING AS
A PLAY THERAPIST
Contents
Job Description
Typical Work Activities
Work Conditions
Entry Requirements
Continuing Professional Development
Career Development
Typical Employers
Sources of Vacancies
Pay and Benefits for Play Therapists
Related Occupations
Professional Body
Information Sources
Job Description
Play
Therapists work with children aged between three and eleven years of age,
and occasionally adolescents, suffering from a range of psychological
difficulties and complex life experiences. Psychological difficulties
include depression, anxiety, aggression, learning difficulties and ADHD.
Difficult life experiences include abuse, grief, family breakdown, domestic
violence and trauma. A professionally trained Play Therapist helps a child
to increase insight, to decrease internal conflict and to increase
resiliency, coping and emotional literacy. Play Therapists work closely with
the child's parents/carers throughout the Play Therapy intervention and
occasionally undertake parent-child relationship interventions.
Typical Work Activities
Play Therapists are trained in the assessment
and treatment of children, from nursery age to adolescence. They work
predominantly with individual children and are skilled in developing
symbolic communication and establishing in-depth therapeutic relationships.
This mode of communication and type of relationship facilitates change and
growth in children experiencing emotional distress. The emphasis is on the
therapist communicating the core conditions of congruence, empathy and
unconditional positive regard within the therapeutic relationship. Typical
work activities include:
·
Assessing
the emotional needs of children in consultation with other professionals in
schools, hospitals, clinics, social service teams and courts;
·
Providing treatment of children as
individuals and in groups. Therapy takes place once a week, in sessions
normally lasting 50 minutes;
·
Providing a regular and consistent
setting and time where play therapy can commence;
·
Working in a
multi-disciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists,
social workers, psychiatric nurses and/or occupational therapists;
·
Clinically
supervising other play therapists;
·
Offering
consultation and advice to professionals in the community.
Work
Conditions
·
Newly
qualified Play Therapy posts are normally within the salary range of
£18,240
to £20,415.
With increasing experience and responsibility, Play Therapy posts are within
the salary range of
£20,415-
£29,415.
In private practice, Play Therapists earn between £30 -£80 per session;
·
Many Play
Therapists work part-time, but for more than one organisation or undertake
private practice activities. It is rare for Play Therapists to work
full-time for one organisation;
·
Opportunities
for employment vary from region to region - the majority of Play Therapists
work in the South East of England. Some areas of Britain have no qualified
play therapists in post. Opportunities for work tend to be in towns and
cities and there is a very high proportion of female practitioners;
·
Play
Therapists tend to work in multi-disciplinary teams and require a strong
supportive network to cope with the emotionally demanding work;
·
Play
Therapists receive regular clinical supervision with a more experienced
therapist who monitors, supports and increases the play therapists awareness
of the Play Therapy process.
·
Travel within
a working day is frequent. Some Play Therapists work for several employers
and may travel between them during the week.
Entry Requirements
An
Honours degree in a relevant subject is an essential pre-requisite as the
training is offered at postgraduate level:
·
Psychology
·
Nursing
·
Social work
·
Teaching
·
Occupational
therapy
Applicants would normally have completed a minimum of two years’ work with
children of varying ages and families in a voluntary or professional
capacity. All applicants would also need to be in good physical and mental
health and undergo a check through the Criminal Records Bureau.
Personal suitability is
an essential pre-requisite to play therapy training. Maturity and relevant
life experience are essential, as prospective play therapists need to be
sensitive, open and motivated to help children and families in intense
emotional distress. Play Therapists are faced with children in severe
emotional pain and will require the insight, confidence and strength to
enter into the in-depth play therapy process.
Most successful
applicants have a background that includes some study of psychology and work
with children in emotional distress within health, social or educational
services. Play Therapy is usually a second career for those working in the
fields of counselling, psychology, nursing, social work or teaching.
The minimum age for entry
onto the training is 25 years and the average student is aged between 30 –
45 years.
Four training programmes are accredited by
the British Association of Play Therapists:
·
Notre Dame Centre (Glasgow)
·
Liverpool
Hope University College (Liverpool)
·
Roehampton
University (London)
·
University
of York (York)
Continuing Professional Development
Qualified Play Therapists are required to participate and maintain
continuous professional development (CPD). They are required to regularly
attend conferences, courses and meetings in order to remain up-to-date with
theoretical, clinical and research findings. The British Association of Play
Therapists (BAPT) organise a yearly
national play therapy conference
and regularly advertise short courses in the PLAY THERAPY magazine.
Training
institutions also offer post-qualifying courses.
Career Development
There is no standard pattern for a play
therapist developing his/her career. Most Play Therapists work for the
National Health Service, Social Services, Education, Voluntary sector and in
private practice.
Vacancies and career opportunities are good. The Play Therapy profession is
rapidly developing across
Britain.
Typical Employers
The
majority of Play Therapists work in the statutory sector; within social
services teams, child mental health services, family centres and schools.
Various independent and voluntary services also employ Play Therapists, such
as the NSPCC, Barnardos and NCH.
Many
Play therapists are employed by more than one organisation and maintain a
private practice alongside their statutory employment. A small percentage
work in the training institutions as lecturers and clinical tutors.
Sources of Vacancies
·
PLAY THERAPY Magazine
·
The
Guardian (Wednesdays)
·
The Times
Educational Supplement (TES)
·
Community
Care
·
Social Work
Today
Pay and Benefits for Play Therapists
After Play Therapists register with the
British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), the career prospects are very
good.
This
information relates only to Play Therapists registered with BAPT. The
following salary scales mirror Whitley where the skills and knowledge of
Play Therapists are deemed by BAPT to be commensurate with that of arts
therapists
The
salary scales from 1 April 2004 are from
£20,415
to £29,415
London
Allowance:
London
allowance payable from April 2004 to staff in the London Weighting zones is
shown below.
Inner
London:
All grades receive
£3,441
pa.
Outer
London:
All grades receive
£2,688
pa.
Fringe
Zone: All grades
receive £753
pa.
Related Occupations
·
Child
Psychotherapist
·
Arts
Therapist
·
Psychiatric
Nurse
·
Educational
Psychologist
·
Social
Worker
·
Counsellor/Psychotherapist
·
Occupational Therapist
Professional Body
The British Association of
Play Therapists (BAPT) is the
first and foremost
professional body and voice for play therapy in the UK. BAPT registers and
support over 400 members and since 1992 have made enormous progress in
advancing the play therapy profession. The association is recognised by
other national associations, government bodies and the general public. BAPT
exists to serve its members and to increasing awareness of the profession
among the general public.
Successful completion of a BAPT accredited
play therapy training is a pre-requisite for BAPT full membership.
Information Sources
Relevant Publications
An Ethical Basis for Good Practice in Play Therapy,
The British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT), 2002.
Core Competencies of a Play Therapist, The British Association of
Play Therapists (BAPT), 2002.
PLAY THERAPY Magazine, Quarterly, The British
Association of Play Therapists (BAPT).
British Journal of Play Therapy, The British Association of
Play Therapists (BAPT), Semi-annually.
International Journal of Play Therapy, The Association of Play Therapy
(USA), Semi-annually.
A Guide to Play Therapy, The British Association of Play
Therapists (BAPT), 2002.
What is Play Therapy? A Children’s Leaflet, The British Association of
Play Therapists (BAPT), 2003.
Cattanach, A. (1992) Play Therapy with Abused Children. London:
Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Landreth, G. (2002) Play Therapy: The Art
of the Relationship. London: Brunner-Routledge.
McMahon, L. (1992) The Handbook of Play
Therapy. London: Routledge.
Moustakas, C. (1997) Relationship Play
Therapy. New York: Jason Aronson.
O’Conner, K. (1991) The Play Therapy Primer: An Integration of Theories
and Techniques. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Wilson, K., Kendrick, P. & Ryan, V. (1996)
Play Therapy: A Non-directive Approach for Children and Adolescents.
London: Bailliere Tindall.
Addresses
Association
for Play Therapy Inc., 2050 N. Winery, #101 Fresno, CA 93703 USA. Tel: (559)
252-2278. Fax: (559) 252-2297. Email:
info@a4pt.org URL:
www.a4pt.org
British Association of Play Therapists, 31
Cedar Drive, Keynsham, Bristol, England, BS31 2TY. Tel/Fax: 01179 860390.
Email:
info@bapt.uk.com URL:
www.bapt.info
Notre Dame Centre, 20 Athole Gardens,
Glasgow, Scotland, G12 9BA. Tel: 0141 339 2366. Fax: 0141 357 1433.
Postgraduate School, Liverpool Hope
University College, Hope Park, Liverpool, L16 9JD. Tel: 0151 291 3439. Fax:
0151 291 3414. URL:
http://postgrad.hope.ac.uk/courses/PT/index.htm
School of Psychology and Therapeutic
Studies, Roehampton University of Surrey, Whitelands College, West Hill,
London, SW15 3SN. Tel: 020 8392 3232. Fax: 020 8392 3220. URL:
www.roehampton.ac.uk/psychology/
Department of Social Policy and Social Work,
University of York, York, YO1 5DD. Tel: 01904
321235. Fax: 01904 321270. URL:
www.york.ac.uk/depts/spsw/pt |