Play Therapist in Training

I became interested in play therapy when two of my pupils awhile back began attending PT for various reasons. I directly saw the positive impact on a child who had struggled with self-regulation. Following PT she became more attentive, focused and appeared overall happier to be in school. This intrigued me and having always worked with pupils with BESD in my years in SET I wanted to learn more. I enrolled in a FETAC Level 6 with Children’s Therapy Centre, one of the top training providers in the field. Covid put a stop to my completing that course earlier this year but I was luckily enough to have been accepted into the MA in Creative Psychotherapy which commenced the end of August. This is a 4 year course which qualifies you as a PT after 2nd year and a Creative Psychotherapist at the end of the 4th year. Following an interview process I felt informed regarding the commitment, both academically and financially. You definitely enter it with your eyes wide open. We’ve lectures once a month (mostly online due to Covid but hopefully we’ll return to face to face asap). You are given an in between modules schedule which really helps you stay on track between each month. There are a few assignments this year but again, they are staggered and manageable once you are doing some bit each week. I am loving learning about child development, the sensory systems and the therapeutic powers of play whilst also completing child development observations, play sessions and personal therapy. I’m just finding everything so far is so applicable to my pupils. I’ve had so many ‘aha moments’ from knowledge attained through lectures and reading which have led me to understand my pupils that little bit better. It’s also helped me prioritise things in my teaching that I may have overlooked or glossed over before. It’s also changed my classroom & behaviour management styles, I absolutely have a better understanding of certain behaviours now and can manage challenges more effectively. Undoubtedly it’s a huge commitment, however I can still say that I am thoroughly enjoying it and it has 100% improved my relationships with my own girls here at home as well as my pupils. As Lou Holtz said “It is not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.”

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