The Importance of Certification

Our Members are working with vulnerable children. Very often they are evoking memories from the unconscious which are painful for the child. The feelings of grief, sadness, guilt and anger must be safely held if the child is not to be more emotionally damaged. It is absolutely essential that the practitioner has had adequate experiential as well as theoretical training to cope with situations that may arise. It is also very important that the therapist has experience of using a wide range of play and creative arts tools to follow the child's lead.  

Certification by PTUK requires applicants to have completed an accredited training programme that is based on the required competencies and has been validated by clinical outcomes research. List of Competencies Required. PTUK is the only organisation in the UK to accredit play therapy and therapeutic play courses to these standards. To become a Certified Play Therapist a member has to have completed 200 clinically supervised hours of practice. To become an Accredited Play Therapist a member has to have completed 450 clinically supervised hours of practice.  

Certification by PTUK assures employers and clients of the highest standard of play therapy training. (Proven by practice based evidence)  

To retain certification a Member has to submit evidence of clinical governance (quality control) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) when renewing their membership each year.