About Us - Executive Board
Play Therapy UK is managed by an
Executive Board of two members:
- Monika Jephcott - Chief Executive and
Clinical Director
- Jeff Thomas - Registrar and Director
responsible for Communications, Systems and Research
PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
Monika has over 17 years successful
experience of managing professional organisations, as Chief Executive and
Clinical Director of Play Therapy UK (PTUK), of which, she was a founding
member in 1998. This has grown to become the largest Play Therapy professional
organization in the UK and the first to have a Register of Play and Creative
Arts Therapists accredited by the Professional Standards Authority in April
2013. Since its formation, PTUK has led the way in innovations in the field of
play therapy.
This includes the development of the
Integrative Holistic model of play therapy which is the only one, worldwide, to
be validated by a substantial number of clinical outcome measures.
She was elected President of Play
Therapy International (PTI) in December 2002, which is responsible for
promoting Play Therapy and administering the standards required for safe and
effective practice outside the UK.
She is also Chief Executive and
founder, of the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC). This has grown to become the largest UK and
international provider of post graduate training for Play Therapists and
Practitioners in Therapeutic Play Skills, in partnership with several
Universities. The design of the MA in
Practice Based Play Therapy programme was the first to emphasise the essential
need for experiential training methods for play therapy and blend it with
on-line learning methods.
Elected member (2010-2015) of the BACP
CYP Division Executive to represent the interests of children.
TRAINING EXPERIENCE
Programme design, organization,
presentation and management of 325 post graduate play therapy training courses,
over 3000 trainees and many shorter workshops including a variety of cultural
settings.
Achieved validation of the MA in
Practice Based Play Therapy programme by Leeds Beckett, Canterbury Christ
Church, Chichester Universities and the National University of Ireland
(Galway).
Developed specialist training courses
for clinical supervision of play and creative arts therapists, filial play
coaching and sand play therapy skills.Adapted the filial play coaching course
to improve the recovery of severely malnourished Ethiopian children resulting
in greatly improved height and weight increases and a reduction in mortality.
Designed and implemented a training
programme for Play Therapy Course Directors and Facilitators. This has resulted in a faculty of 16 that
trains worldwide.
CLINICAL MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE
Place 2 B Project Manager 1997/8 -
delivering therapeutic play services in a primary school.
Set up and ran two innovative managed
counselling services for over 300 000 adults in two NHS Primary Care
Group/Trusts for 40 GP practices improving the efficiency of service
delivery. Recruitment and selection of
Counsellors and Trainees. Supervised the Management of Trainee Counsellors.
Consultations with and management, professional staff and therapists including
wage negotiations. Financial management of counselling services keeping within
strict budgets for the NHS.
Introduced and managed the use of
clinical governance systems and specification of enhancements for adult
counselling and therapeutic play.
Liaison with voluntary associations and
help groups.
RESEARCH/PUBLISHING
Developed an Integrated Counselling
Service Delivery Model - used to achieve dramatic improvements in
counsellor/therapist performance, quality of treatment, volume of referrals,
equity of provision and implementation of national guidelines. Results
published at BACP Research Conference (2001). Two papers written.
Co-author "A National Strategy for
the Psychological Support of Ethiopian Children", a study for UNICEF.
Jointly developed the "Therapeutic
Play Continuum" - published in various forms in a number of journals
including "The World of Children" and "Play Words". Presented to the International Conference of
Play Therapy. (Wroxton - 2002)
Co-author of PTUK's Ethical Framework.
(2002)
Joint developer of the Profession
Structure Model including the Play Therapy Competence Framework for
practitioners of therapeutic play. (2002)
Convenor and Clinical Adviser for the
2004 and 2010 World Congresses for Play Therapy.
EARLIER CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
20 years experience as a counsellor and
psychotherapist, gained with a wide variety of clients and presenting
conditions. Specialist skills working with couples, families and children,
individually and in groups.
Using and refining patient assessment
techniques.
Over 6000 hours direct counselling and
play therapy experience with clients.
Provided 2500+ hours clinical
supervision.
EXPERIENCE - EDUCATIONAL
Teacher (30 years) as Head of Modern
Languages, Head of Careers, Head of Pastoral Care. Initiated a European work
exchange project through the Leonardo programme.
- 6 years - Principal Examiner with SEG
for the Foundation and Higher Levels
- 6 years - Principal Examiner for Oxford
& Cambridge Board
- 5 years - Chief Examiner Welsh Board,
German
EDUCATION, TRAINING &
QUALIFICATIONS
- Mallinckrodt-Gymnasium grammar school
Germany – A - levels (1965)
- Cert. Ed.University of Dortmund 1965-66
- BA(Hons), Class II/1, London University
1970-74
- DipI.Tefl, Tesol 1987
- Cert. Co-Counselling 1988
- Diploma Counselling, CAC 1989
- Internationally recognised training in
Transactional Analysis as Psychotherapist (clinical) 1993-97
- Extensive training in Gestalt,
Psychosynthesis, Play Therapy, Bio-Energetics, Couple, Family and Bereavement
work 1986 - 1999
- BACP Accredited
Counsellor/Psychotherapist 1996-2015
- UKRC Occupational Therapist 1996
- BACP accredited supervisor of
individuals and groups 2001-2015
- Professor of Play Therapy (IBECPT) 2001
- Recipient of the International Award
for Contributions to the Field of Play and Child Psychotherapy – 2001
CAREER SUMMARY
Initial career in marketing and systems
culminating in senior management positions in Thomas De La Rue and the British
Printing Corporation. 15 years as a
management consultant including pioneering work for the EEC Council of
Ministers, UBS and UK MOD. Given honorary rank of Wing Commander 1996. Commenced counselling practice and management
in 1971. Contributed to developing the
professionalism of play therapy since 1999.
Awarded a Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Marketing for
contributions to the children's mental health field.
EXPERIENCE - COUNSELLING & PLAY
THERAPY
Facilitator of play therapy
training. Seven years experience. Specialised subjects; ethics, play therapy
research, therapeutic storytelling, clinical governance, play therapy career
development, play therapy practice management.
Developed (2000) and currently manage
the international database of play therapy clinical outcomes - the largest
continuous play therapy programme evaluation project in the world with over
23,000 clients and 40,000 pre and post therapy measures.
Developed (2001) and currently manage
play therapy demand models for six countries.
Publisher of Play for Life (eleven
years) - the professional journal of PTUK and PTI.
Jointly developed the "Therapeutic
Play Continuum" - published in various forms in a number of journals
including "The World of Children" and "Play Words". Presented to the International Conference
(Wroxton) of Play Therapy. (2002)
Co-author of PTUK's Ethical Framework.
(2002)
Joint developer of the Profession
Structure Model (for practitioners of therapeutic play. (2002) Responsible for
developing the competency framework for therapeutic play and the Therapeutic
Play Career Development Map (TPCDM). (2003) Updated 2006.
Researched the needs of a number of
Primary Care Trusts for counselling services. (1999)
Developed, under the direction of
Monika Jephcott, an Integrated Counselling Service Delivery Model - being used
to achieve dramatic improvements in counsellor/therapist performance, quality
of treatment, volume of referrals, equity of provision and implementation of
national guidelines. Results published at BACP Research Conference. (2001) Two
papers written.
Over 20 years experience (over 4000
hours) specialised counselling for the Armed Services.
Assisted the PSA, with a number of others, in the
development of standards and processes for the Accredited Register programme.
Led PTUK's successful application for the accreditation of the PTUK Register of
Play and Creative Arts Therapists. (April 2013)
EXPERIENCE - PROFESSIONAL
Systems and Communications Director
APAC Ltd - 1998, Play Therapy UK (PTUK) - 2000 and Play Therapy International.
(2002) Registrar PTUK. (2013)
EXPERIENCE - CONSULTANCY
38 years of management consultancy
experience specialising in information management, training and
communication. A large range of clients
from small private companies to large national and international organisations including
the EEC Council of Ministers, UK Ministry of Defence, UK Cabinet Office, UK,
Central Bank of Brazil, INMARSAT, Primary Care Health Trusts, UNICEF/Ethiopian
Government.
Skills: needs assessment, proposal
preparation, project costing, project management, budget control, problem solving
procedures, creative/innovative solutions, formulation of strategies, policies
and action plans, corporate planning, negotiating consensus, report writing and
presentation.
EXPERIENCE - SYSTEMS
Experience dates back to 1963.
Designed and developed software for the
Play Therapy Profession Structure Model.
Designed and developed software for
clinical governance systems for adult counselling and therapeutic play, SEPACTO
and CAERUS (user and server versions).
Designed and implemented a
bibliographic database for therapeutic play.
Designed, implemented and manages
www.playtherapy.org.uk (2002), and six other web sites.
12 years experience of designing and
developing learning management systems (The National Training Index).
35 years information and database
management systems experience.
A pioneer in the introduction of
computer based word and text processing into the UK in 1977 as Managing
Director of Wordwright Ltd.
Build banknote demand forecasting
models for several countries.
EARLIER EXPERIENCE
National Service: Graduate of RAF
School of Navigation and commissioned 1951.
Marketing and sales experience in
consumer goods, storage and materials handling systems.
