Clinical Supervision
The purpose of clinical supervision, as compared to line management supervision, is for the supervisor to help the supervisee become more effective in helping other persons ie the children in the case of play therapy. The role of a Clinical Supervisor is to provide support and advice upon issues that arise during the therapist’s clinical work. These may be matters of therapeutic techniques, therapeutic relationships, difficult problems, ethical decisions or issues that impact personally upon the therapist caused by the therapeutic process.
PTUK’s standards of supervision requirements are:
• Trainees – one hour of supervision for every six hours of clinical work with children, or fortnightly whichever is the shortest. Supervision must be with a registered PTUK supervisor who is a current member of PTUK.
• Qualified practitioners – a minimum of one and a half hours supervision a month. Supervision must be with a registered PTUK supervisor who is a current member of PTUK.
• Supervisors – a minimum of one and a half hours of supervision every month. Supervision must be with a registered PTUK supervisor who is a current member of PTUK.
All supervision must be with a supervisor whose competences align with your membership grade and client demographic.
One of the main constraints upon the growth of therapeutic play and play therapy in the UK is the shortage of experienced play therapy supervisors. PTUK accredits Play Therapy Supervision training programmes and encourages experienced practitioners (at least 350 hours clinical practice) to develop their career in this direction.
Looking for a Supervisor?
Click here to find Certified Supervisors, Approved Supervisors, Trainee Supervisors, Specialist Sand Play Supervisors and Filial Coach Supervisors.
Online Supervision
Trainees can request online supervision if they have to travel for more than one hour. They would need to discuss this with their Course Director first, then contact supervision@ptukorg.com to request a form. Ideally, they would be able to access a hybrid of online and face to face supervision sessions.
Qualified members do not have to request permission for online supervision.
What Is Supervision?
Supervision has two main functions; it should be educative and supportive.
Education – To provide a regular space for the supervisee to reflect upon the content and process of the work. To develop understanding and skills within the work. To help relate theory to practice. To enable the supervisee to apply their approach appropriately to children at different developmental stages. To have an opportunity to think and develop ideas. Back to Top
Support – To be validated both as a person and a therapist. To plan and utilise the personal and professional resources of the supervisee To give constructive positive and critical feedback. To offer a space to reflect and clarify what is evoked by the work and explore our reactions to this experience. Ensure that the work is done in such a way that the supervisor can be accountable for the monitoring and quality of the work being done with the children. It is important to form a clear contract for every supervisory relationship, stating length of contract, responsibilities and fees.
Certified Supervisors
Certified Supervisors are those who have taken the APAC Supervisor course and are on the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists. They may see any members from trainees to accredited.
Trainee Supervisors
Trainee Supervisors have completed the APAC Post Qualifying Certificate in Clinical Supervision. They are able to work with trainees on both the Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills and Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy courses and also qualified practitioners.
Trainee Supervisors need permission to carry out online supervision. Requests are assessed and permission granted at the discretion of the Clinical Team.
Approved Supervisors
Approved Supervisors are supervisors who are not qualified through APAC (i.e. not completed the APAC Post Qualifying Certificate in Clinical Supervision). They do not appear on the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists.
PTUK no longer accepts any new applications for approved supervisors.
There are 2 categories of Approved Supervisors:
1. Those who have completed APAC Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills and Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy courses and are a current member of PTUK. They can supervise the following grades:
Accredited Play Therapist, Certified Play Therapist, Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills and Trainee.
They must have a minimum of 1½hours of supervision for this per month with a supervisor who is also a current PTUK member.
2. Those who are fully qualified through another professional organisation and have been accepted by PTUK. They have not completed APAC Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills and Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy courses.
They must be a current member of PTUK.
They cannot supervise “Trainee” grade unless they have a special permission from the Clinical Team. If a trainee was working with an Approved Supervisor during their training on the APAC PG Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills course and then applied for the APAC PG Diploma in Play Therapy course, they will be able to stay with the same approved supervisor throughout their Diploma course supervision.
They can supervise the following grades:
Accredited Play Therapist, Certified Play Therapist and Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills.
They should also have a minimum of 1½ hours of clinical supervision each month.
All Approved supervisors are required to complete a top-up course every 3 years and cannot offer supervision without it.
Supervisor Map
