Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Postgraduate Diploma Play Therapy, Level 7, Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy, 2023/24 - Course Handbook
Welcome to the Course
Message from your Leeds Beckett Link Tutor
This handbook provides you with information that you will need on your course. You should find it helpful when you first start, when you are preparing for assessment and at any time that you need help or advice in connection with your studies on this course. You will also receive more focused guidance for each module you study on your course. The course team is looking forward to working with you this year.
Dr Mike Wragg, Leeds Beckett Link Tutor
Welcome to your course in the School of Health. I am delighted to be able to welcome our new and returning students and apprentices into the 2023/24 academic year.
The year ahead will contain success, challenge, and personal growth for you, and the School's team of dedicated academics, learning officers and administrators are here to help you to achieve your potential.
Our School has a broad range of disciplines, including Biomedical Sciences, Health Promotion, Nursing and Healthcare, Nutrition and Dietetics, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychological Therapies and Mental Health, Safety and Environmental Health, Social and Community Studies and Sports and Exercise Therapy teams. Our academic teams work collaboratively - drawing on each other's expertise to support learning, undertake professional practice and consultancy, and delivery internationally recognised, societally impactful research.
Throughout the year ahead please do take time to let us know what you are enjoying and what you find valuable - but also please let us know if there are things we could do differently to improve your experience through feedback to your Course Director, at the School Forum or through the module evaluation and surveys.
I wish you every success for this academic year!
Dr Duncan Sharp, Dean of School
Welcome to your Play Therapy programme where I hope that you will be able to help many children with emotional, behavioural and mental health problems to enable their full potential.
This handbook provides you with information that you should find helpful when you first start your course, when you are preparing for assessment and at any time that you need help or advice in connection with your studies. You will also receive module details and learning materials for each step of each module as you progress.
Your first point of contact is your Course Director. Please approach your Course Director first if there is anything about which you are not sure, or for help with the course in general. Some of you may encounter unforeseen health or other emergencies in your lives. Please make your Course Director aware immediately when this occurs, so that any extensions or mitigation may be applied for, following University processes.
The course team is looking forward to working with you and we hope that your time studying with APAC at Leeds Beckett University is both enjoyable and successful. On behalf of APAC and the whole course team, I would like to wish you well in your studies.
Monika Jephcott, Programme Director and Chief Executive
Academy of Play & Child Psychotherapy
Key Contacts & Keeping in Touch
Eileen Braham, Clinical Director APAC
If you have a question or a problem relating to your course, your APAC Course Director, the APAC Office and the Course Administration team are there to help you. You also have a Course Administrator at Leeds Beckett who can help with queries.
APAC Course Administration Team contact@apac.org.uk
Sherrine Champion, Admission Co-ordinator, sherrine@apac.org.uk
Caroline Tooth, Admission Operator, caroline@apac.org.uk
Michelle McGuire, Admission Operator, michelle@apac.org.uk
Radek Kwietnlewski, Admission Operator, radek@apac.org.uk
Jennie Smith, Admission Operator, jennie@apac.org.uk
Susi Ibelati, Admission Operator, susi@apac.org.uk
Nancy McIntosh, Portfolio/Marking, nancy@apac.org.uk
Leeds Beckett Course Administrator: SHC-CPD@leedsbeckett.ac.uk
In addition to the physical and online resources provided by the library at APAC, you have access to resources via the University's online library. The Library website (library.leedsbeckett.ac.uk) provides access to resources and information about Library services available to support you.
The Academic Librarians for this course can be contacted at: sohlibrary@leedsbeckett.ac.uk or complete their online Get Help form for help with academic and research skills.
The courses are delivered by APAC who will deal directly with any problems and day to day enquiries regarding course delivery, management, organisation and expectations. Leeds Beckett University provides services to support students and quality assures the course.
During the entirety of a course, APAC tutors for each cohort are contactable either by email or by phone with prior appointment.
Clinical Supervisors are responsible for their students' clinical work and are contactable by email or by phone. Individual arrangements should be made between both parties.
The APAC staff team details can be found on the APAC website: https://apac.org.uk/faculty/
For each module, the module handbook will include the preferred method of communicating general information about that module to you. We will inform you of cancelled classes / activities / course notices as soon as possible.
APAC
APAC and PTUK will contact your personal email address so please ensure that these will be accepted by your email system.
Leeds Beckett
As a student of the University you will be provided with a student email address, which the University will use to contact you. It is an important responsibility for you to check this account regularly. You can forward emails from your student email address to a preferred personal email address. Quarantine and spam filters needed by our University mean that emails sent from external email addresses may be delayed, blocked or deleted. It is therefore important that you also use your student email address to contact University staff. Information on how to access your University email address can be found on the Library Student IT Support page http://libguides.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/it_support/office365/outlook
APAC and Leeds Beckett An important responsibility is that you inform your course administration team both at APAC and Leeds Beckett whenever you change your name, address or contact details.
For APAC and PTUK records, please email contact@apac.org.uk for the attention of MEMBERSHIP.
For the University, please contact SHC-CPD@leedsbeckett.ac.uk. It is important that you also update your University records yourself. You can do this via the My Account/Update my Data tab on MyBeckett: https://my.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/
Further information on local course delivery arrangements continue to be available from APAC. Students should refer to the following websites:
https://apac.org.uk/
https://playtherapy.org.uk/
http://playtherapy.org/
Timetable Information
PG Certificate and PG Diploma courses
The standard student calendars vary according to the venue and start date. See the Play Therapy UK website for details: https://playtherapy.org.uk/
Please be advised that while your course may broadly follow these calendar dates, there may be local variation due to religious, national and local holidays. You will be provided with a calendar specific to your course with assessment submission dates at the start of each year of your studies.
MA course
Due to the blended learning method of course delivery, which allows you to study at home and at your own pace, there is no externally set course calendar. Seminars are organised in liaison with your Course Director and, later, contact with Academic Supervisors is arranged between yourselves. You must however complete your dissertation within 18 months of starting the course, to avoid additional course fees, and within 10 years of starting the PG Certificate Therapeutic Play Skills (this is an APAC requirement). See the Teaching and Learning Activities section for more details.
Course Overview
- Provide an opportunity for graduates with relevant professional qualifications and for experienced practitioners to study play therapy from both non-directive (Certificate) and directive perspectives (Diploma) at an advanced level, fostering the knowledge and skills necessary to challenge boundaries at the forefront of the discipline and meet the requirements of Government regulation.
- Develop creative and reflective practitioners of play therapy who are able to critically evaluate current research and practice.
- Enable practitioners of play therapy to contribute to the further development of their profession through supplying practice-based evidence data.
- Enable students to study and explore the field of play therapy in a way that meaningfully incorporates the therapeutic perspective into other types of work with a wider client group.
- Provide a postgraduate programme that fills the need for a genuinely integrative approach to play therapy.
- Ensure that they work according to ethical principles and within statutory requirements including the Data Protection Act 2018.
- Provide students with sufficient skills to obtain work as professional Play Therapy practitioners.
- Develop personal perspectives in the field of play therapy for working with groups of children.
- Put into safe and effective practice the competences required for helping children with social, emotional, behaviour and mental health problems for working with individual and groups of children who have any severity of problems.
- Apply the techniques learnt, to meet the standards required for a Registrant at the Certified Play Therapist grade/occupation on the Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, by practising in a safe and effective way using clinical supervision and clinical governance principles.
- Gain a greater insight into themselves as practitioners with a wider client base, making informed judgements about current developments in play and creative arts therapies, and apply these in practice and be able to communicate these to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Critically analyse and make informed judgements about current developments in play and creative arts therapies, apply these in practice and communicate these to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
- Develop personal skills for learning and self-management to pass the course and cultivate the skills which are necessary for success in fulfilling the course aims and learning outcomes. These skills enable students to develop the personal and professional qualities which integrate their studies and research and facilitate the transfer of skills into other personal and professional environments, and include: personal responsibility (ethical awareness, active participation, accountability); self-direction (a reflective, questioning, proactive attitude, taking initiatives based on curiosity; communication at different levels to different audiences, as appropriate; and the IT skills to search for knowledge and evidence, produce documents, charts, statistics, keep and manage confidential records and communicate with others.
Assessment & Feedback
APAC will provide details of the assessment periods in the academic calendar. Please make sure that you are available during those periods. Coursework submission deadlines can normally also be found in individual Module Handbooks/other module guides.
Students with a disability requiring adjustments to assessments/examinations, should contact APAC in the first instance and then if required, the Leeds Beckett Disability Advice team at the earliest possible opportunity to discuss their support requirements.
Email: disabilityadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk, tel: 0113 812 5831, website: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/student-information/disability-advice/
It is important for your progression and achievement that you submit all work for all assignments in a timely manner. It is also important that you keep copies of all work submitted until after you have graduated. You should also keep any receipts confirming the submission of assignments. In the event of your submitted work being lost you may be required to produce a copy of the work and submission receipt. If you are unable to do so, your work will not be marked.
It is important to note that submitting all assignments is a requirement of your course. Should you experience extenuating circumstances which prevent you from submitting on time please make yourself aware of the Mitigation and Extenuating Circumstances process. Without any form of extenuating circumstances, standard penalties apply for late submission of assessed work. Full details of the penalties for late submission of course work are available in section 3 of the Academic Regulations at https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/our-university/public-information/academic-regulations/
If you have been recommended 'flexibility around deadlines' as a reasonable adjustment in a Reasonable Adjustment Plan, your Course Administrator will be able to advise you of the process.
You may be required to submit your written work via Turnitin and information on Turnitin is available here: https://libguides.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/it_support/mybeckett/turnitin
Summative and formative assignments have to be submitted to the responsible member of teaching staff at the specified times and format as detailed in the module handbooks.
Assessed work will normally be returned with appropriate feedback within four weeks of your submission. Each Module Handbook will provide you with specific guidelines on how and when you will receive this.
If you are unable to submit an assignment due to extenuating circumstances, you must provide APAC with details and any available evidence as soon as possible. Contact the APAC Course Administration team contact@apac.org.uk for the extenuating circumstances form for extension requests.
For more details on 'fit to sit/submit' and mitigation and extenuating circumstances, and the online form for applying for mitigation requests, please see: Mitigation and Extenuating Circumstances
If you have not passed a module at the first attempt you will be eligible for re-assessment. See your Module Handbook for details of the relevant re-assessment process (e.g., whether it is coursework, an examination, a presentation or other form of assessment/when it will take place/what the deadline is). You will be advised via your Course Director of your options for re-assessment. You are advised to contact your Course Director or Administrator for any clarification.
Details about our Appeals process can be found on the appeals web page.
Academic integrity means intellectual honesty and is part of good academic practice. Further information can be found on our academic integrity web page.
Teaching & Learning
The key concepts that our students need to understand and internalise on the programme are:
-The application of the core theoretical integrative holistic approach. This is the key to safe and effective practice.
-The Spectrum of Needs and the Play Therapy continuum, key to the integration of their work with other professionals.
-The Axline principles and the PTUK Ethical framework to ensure safe practice.
-The principles of efficacy, effectiveness and efficiency to be able to interpret research in the context of play therapy and communicate it to other professionals.
-Child protection, risk management and data protection requirements to protect the children.
-Child development stages to understand the appropriateness of an intervention and therapeutic medium.
-The application of attachment theory.
-The principles of clinical governance and clinical audit to quality assure work and identify areas for self-improvement.
-The dynamics of therapeutic group work to avoid chaotic practice.
-The adoption of a therapeutic decision-making framework to maintain safe practice but increase effectiveness and efficiency of practice.
-The use of IT for essential play therapy clinical records management.
The learning methods have a large proportion of experiential work. Students are guided to distinguish between what principles may be used in practice with the children and which are to identify psychological issues within themselves that will lead to unsafe practice and suboptimal clinical work.
There is progression throughout the programme. This starts with the Postgraduate Certificate modules, where fundamental skills are acquired for working with individual children who have slight to moderate problems. It continues in the Postgraduate Diploma modules in which skills for working with groups of children and those with more severe problems are provided. In the MA, the students create and interpret new practice-based methods to extend the knowledge base of the profession.
Students develop their own cohort-based network and also join PTUK local support groups which include experienced practitioners.
A number of exercises involve presentations both by individual and small groups of students to the whole cohort. Each student has to give a presentation to an external audience. These enable the students to gain professional confidence and celebrate their achievements.
The Programme Director and many of the APAC Course Directors have delivered the programme in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia enabling course materials and activities to reflect a range of cultural perspectives and practices.
Students who display concerns about fitness to practise are mandated to undertake personal therapy using the creative arts. The therapist is required to send a report to the APAC Course Director confirming the fitness to practise before the trainee is allowed to work with children.
Students are given a self-scored Learning Style Inventory questionnaire which obtains reliable measures of the four Jungian psychological/learning dimensions. This has assisted APAC Course Directors and Clinical Supervisors as well as the students to take account of different learning preferences and learning styles.
Level 7 core modules, all 20 credits
Working Therapeutically with Groups of Children - developing metaphorical play skills at an advanced level
Therapeutic Decision Taking, developing skills for working with more severe problems
Integrating the Therapeutic Tool-Kit with Practice and Research
A standard 20 credit module equates to 200 notional learning hours, comprising teaching, learning and assessment, embedded placement activities and independent study.
The course has three core taught modules and 100 hours of clinical practice. The course is delivered as 15 days taught in five blocks of three days each or 15 days continuous teaching, plus 100 hours of clinical practice. The academic assignments are completed within nine months of the start date. Students then have up to a further nine months to complete their clinical placement work, process diary and case study from the end of the taught part.
Overall Workload in hours | Level 7 |
Teaching and Learning | 66 |
Independent Study and Assessment | 347 |
Placement and placement related activities | 187 |
Details of teaching staff can be found on the APAC website: https://www.apac.org.uk/Home/Faculty
Attendance & Absence
There is a minimum attendance requirement of 85% minimum attendance in order to successfully complete the PG Certificate and the PG Diploma. Due to the experiential nature of the training in which group dynamics play an integral role, it is not possible for students to miss any part of the course due to pre-existing engagements. In extenuating circumstances, a student may be allowed to miss a day's training, but a 'catch-up' session will need to be undertaken in the student's own time at an additional expense.
Please note there is not a minimum attendance requirement for the MA Practice Based Play Therapy course.
You must notify your Course Director and the APAC Course Administration team if you are unable to attend a scheduled training day or weekend as soon as you are aware of your inability to attend.
If you are unable to study because of illness for more than 14 consecutive days (including weekends), you should advise APAC as soon as possible.
If you are unable to submit an assignment due to illness or extenuating circumstances, you must provide APAC with details and any available evidence as soon as possible. Contact the APAC course administration team contact@apac.org.uk for the appropriate extenuating circumstances form.
For more details on 'fit to submit/sit' and mitigation and extenuating circumstances, please see: Mitigation and Extenuating Circumstances
If you are considering withdrawal from your course you should speak to your personal tutor / academic advisor to discuss your reasons. If there is a problem, staff at your delivery provider or the University may be able to help. It may be possible to arrange suspension of studies from your course.
If you are considering withdrawing, permanently or temporarily, you must complete a withdrawal form, which you can obtain from the administrative staff at your delivery provider. This form must be submitted as soon as possible as withdrawals cannot normally be backdated. For further details see the Student Regulations.
International Students
This is not applicable as the course cannot accommodate applicants requiring student visas.
Professional Accreditation or Recognition Associated with the Course
Play Therapy UK (PTUK) and Play Therapy International (PTI)
The British Council for Therapeutic Interventions with Children acts as the PTUK accreditation body for the clinical components of the award www.bctiwc.org.
As this course is accredited by the professional organisations PTUK and PTI, students are required to be either Trainee or Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills members of PTUK's Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). This is to ensure that they observe the Ethical Framework and comply with the standards necessary for the protection of the public.
Once successfully completed both the academic and clinical work, students may upgrade from Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills to the Certified Play Therapist grade/ occupation. The register provides further career path opportunities. The professional award by PTUK is 'Certified Play Therapist'. Successful students will receive a Certificate of Practice from Play Therapy UK and the Register grade of 'Certified Play Therapist'.
'In Year' Work Placement Information
The length of the placement is required for a minimum of 18 months to complete the clinical course requirements working with children with severe problems. This means that in general clients are seen for a minimum of a year. For the Postgraduate Diploma, this typically entails six clients a week maximum. Each session will take 60 minutes of which 40 minutes are spent counselling the client and 20 minutes in self-reflection, personal processing, record-keeping and restoring the room for the next client. The placement hours should be completed within 18 months of the course start date.
Skills, Employability & Graduate Opportunities
The Postgraduate Diploma course revisits and expands upon the play therapy tools taught in the Postgraduate Certificate course to enable you to work with children who have more severe problems, and also to work with groups of children.
New theoretical concepts are introduced including, the Embodiment, Projection and Role framework (EPR), the Play Therapy Dimensions Model (PTDM) and the neurobiology implications for specific conditions.
You will be encouraged to consider working directively as well as non-directively with appropriate clients.
You will also be exploring ways of integrating the child as the centre of a social system, which includes schools, families, and team of support. Systemic aspects are considered including your role as an advocate for children who have become part of the Justice system.
The course includes the support you need to become a fully autonomous, evidence based, reflective Play Therapist.
Students will continue to learn through working with other members of the course, as well as during their practice with children, about the roles and responsibilities of the therapeutic relationship. There will be tutorials on theory but formal teaching and lecturing will be kept to an essential minimum.
Learning will again be mainly experiential and collaborative using pair, group work, role-play and case presentations. More emphasis is placed on written work including an essay, a project plan and implementation portfolio. These items are excellent preparation for a MA dissertation, if you wish to proceed to this stage.
As this course is accredited by the professional organisations PTUK and PTI, students are required to be either Trainee or Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills members of PTUK's Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). This is to ensure that they observe the Ethical Framework and comply with the standards necessary for the protection of the public.
Once successfully completed both the academic and clinical work, students may upgrade from Certified Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills to the Certified Play Therapist grade/ occupation. The professional award by PTUK is 'Certified Play Therapist'. Successful students will receive a Certificate of Practice from Play Therapy UK and the Register grade of 'Certified Play Therapist'.
Graduates may decide to continue their studies on the MA Practice Based Play Therapy (top-up) course.
Graduates are qualified to practise as a Certified Play Therapist at an advanced level in a number of settings (schools, primary care, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (NHS services)) teams, care homes, adoption and fostering agencies, hospitals, social services) with individual and groups of children to alleviate multiple problems up to the severe category. Graduates may apply to train as a clinical supervisor followed by training as a Play Therapy Trainer. Graduates are qualified to set up as an independent private practitioner.
Other post-qualifying courses accredited by PTUK include 'Certificate in Play and Creative Arts Supervision', 'Certificate in Filial Play Coaching', 'Therapeutic Sandplay Skills', 'Story Play' and 'Working with young people using talking therapy skills'. There is also a range of accredited short CPD courses.
Learning Support
If you have a question or a problem relating to your course, your APAC Course Director, the APAC Office and the Course Administration team are here to help you. You also have a Course Administrator at Leeds Beckett who can help with queries, see the Key Contacts section.
Your Academic Advisor will be an academic member of staff who teaches you on your course. Your Course Director will make sure that you are given the contact details of your Academic Advisor at the beginning of each year, usually in your course induction. Further details on the role of your Academic Advisor are available on the Academic Advisor web page.
As well as support provided by APAC, the University's Student Advice can also support you in relation to elements of student life you might need help with. If you have a question and you're not sure who to ask, please get in touch and the team will either answer your question or direct you to the most appropriate person.
If you need help with more complex queries or concerns, our trained Student Services Advisors offer students 1-1 appointments, providing a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space to talk about your circumstances and identify support that you can access both within and outside of the University.
Student Advice can also support students with a range of practical elements of University life. The team produces your Student ID card when you first enrol at the University, and any replacements you require during your studies. When you commence your studies, the team can provide you with bank letters, so that you are able to open and maintain student bank accounts, and Confirmation of Enrolment letters, which you might need for a range of purposes. Current students and graduates can also request transcripts from Student Advice. To contact the team or to arrange an appointment, visit the Student Advice web page for details: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/student-information/student-advice/
During the entirety of a course, APAC tutors for each cohort are contactable either by email or by phone with prior appointment.
On the PG Certificate and PG Diploma, Clinical Supervisors are responsible for their students' clinical work and are contactable by email or by phone. Individual arrangements should be made between both parties.
The APAC Office and Programme Director are also contactable by email or phone as appropriate.
APAC
Support is available for students with disabilities from the APAC course team.
Leeds Beckett
Support for students with disabilities is also available from the University's Disability Advice team. Support is available for students with a range of disabilities. See https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/student-information/disability-advice/
In addition to the physical and online resources provided by the library at APAC, you will have access to some resources via the University's online library.
The Library website provides access to resources and information about Library services available to support you: https://libguides.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/home
All course material and necessary documentation are provided on the APAC resource system called ALMS and on the PTUK members website www.playtherapy.org.uk
On becoming a member of PTUK you will be required to use the Fortuna Record Management System. Details will be provided by email from APAC's Fortuna Team at the start of the course.
As well as advice provided by APAC, the Leeds Beckett Students' Union Advice Service offers free, independent, non-judgemental advice and guidance to all Leeds Beckett students. This can include advice on problems you might have whilst on your course including all the Academic Regulations (Mitigation, Extensions, Complaints, Appeals, Disciplinary procedures and Academic Integrity).
Email: suadvice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk, tel: 0113 812 8400, website: http://www.leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/advice
The Student Voice & Insight team at Leeds Beckett Students' Union works alongside the elected Academic Experience Officer to effectively represent students' academic interests. We provide support, training and ongoing development to the Course Representatives, who are elected by you to represent you whilst you study at Leeds Beckett; and facilitate the collection of student feedback on your academic experience.
Email: studentvoice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk, website: leedsbeckettsu.co.uk/yourvoiceResources
Students will have access to course material through APAC's Learning Management System (ALMS) on the APAC website. APAC provides the specialised play therapy training equipment and materials for each venue, and arranges audio-video support for teaching. APAC has in place, at each venue, specialist play therapy training equipment including:
-Sandtrays and approx. 2000 objects
-Art: painting and drawing materials
-Water
-Craft materials, scissors, staplers, glue
-Clay and plasticene
-Puppets
-Block bottom bags
-Picture postcards
-Miniature handbags
-Musical instruments
-Dressing up clothes
-Data projectors and audio visual equipment.
-Free records management software provided by PTUK
Student Voice
We are committed to working in partnership with you and nominated Student Representatives to provide you with an inclusive, safe and engaging learning environment which is conducive to study for all our students and our staff. An important element of your time studying with us is your engagement in developing your learning. Your engagement and attendance on your course enables you to further your learning and supports your achievement, course completion and aspirations for the future. There is an expectation that students will attend, engage in their learning and submit on time for assessment. We provide support for you to maximise your time studying with us and to develop your learning, skills and abilities to support you in your chosen career path.
We seek active participation by all our students in the continuous enhancement of our courses and through our monitoring, annual review and enhancement processes. These are formal processes used by our University for assuring the academic standards and quality of your course and its continuous improvement. These processes utilise your feedback, External Examiners' reports, feedback from staff and others, data relating to student outcomes on the course and student surveys to reflect on areas of good practice and areas for further enhancement. We invite all students to participate in a range of opportunities to provide us with feedback on your course and modules. This may include discussions with staff, focus groups, and meetings (e.g. with Course Representatives or with staff) and formalised student surveys e.g. mid module reviews, end of module evaluations and specific course or other surveys.
Course Representatives (Reps) at undergraduate and postgraduate taught levels are student volunteers who represent you in formal and informal meetings with the University, and follow up on actions that have occurred because of student feedback. You can become a Course Rep, volunteering to represent the views of your peers in order to improve students' academic experience.
In the first few weeks of your time at Leeds Beckett, your Course Director will facilitate an opportunity to appoint Course Reps on your course.
LBSU provides support, training and ongoing development for Course Reps and supports their engagement in enhancement activities throughout the academic year.
Being a Course Rep provides you with an opportunity to enhance your own learning and the development of relevant professional and employability skills alongside your studies. As a Course Rep you would play an important role in:
- Acting as a point of contact and advocate for students on your course and in supporting their active engagement.
- Gathering feedback from students on your course to inform enhancements to the quality of your course and the student experience.
- Facilitating good communication between students and staff on the course.
- Working with the Course Director, members of the course team and the Students' Union to enhance your course.
- Facilitating and engaging in meetings about your course; and
- Being an ambassador for your course.
Further information about being a Course Representative is available at:
We invite all students to participate in a range of opportunities to provide us with feedback on your course and modules. This may include discussions with staff, focus groups, and meetings (e.g. with Course Representatives or with staff) and formalised student surveys e.g. mid module reviews, end of module evaluations and specific course or other surveys.
We are committed to providing a high quality experience for all our students. We welcome comments and compliments from students, and find them valuable for on-going improvements to our provision. Comments and compliments about your course can be raised with your course representative or directly with your personal tutor / academic advisor.
If you have a specific complaint about your course, you should initially follow the complaints procedure of your delivery provider.
If this does not resolve the matter, then you should make a formal complaint under the University's Student Complaints Procedure. Information about how to make a complaint, including the student complaints procedure and a complaints form, is available on the Students web pages.
General Information
For students who do not pass the placement and who achieve 60 level 7 credits, there is a contained award 'Postgraduate Diploma Play Therapy Studies' (for students who enrol prior to September 2020) or 'Postgraduate Diploma Play Studies' (for students who enrol from September 2020). This contained award defines no clinical competence.
Leeds Beckett University
Level 7 of the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, with 60 credit points at level 7 of the Higher Education Credit Framework (this is a 'top-up' diploma for graduates of the Postgraduate Certificate Therapeutic Play Skills award)
The course is only delivered part-time.
Venues are organised by the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy.
For up to date fee information, please see APAC website for details.
Postgraduate Certificate Therapeutic Play Skills - see https://apac.org.uk/certificate-courses/
Course Fees: £3300.00
University Registration Fee: £370.00
Trainee Membership Fee: £70.00
Supervision (18 sessions per year approx.): £40 - £50 per session
Other costs:
Laptop
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Registration with ICO
Books
Play Therapy Tool Kit
Personal Therapy if required to attend
Costs of "catch- up" sessions in the event of unexpected absence
Postgraduate Diploma Play Therapy - see https://apac.org.uk/diploma-courses/
Course Fees: £3400.00
University Registration Fee: £370.00
Practitioner Membership Fee: £130.00
Supervision (18 sessions per year approx.): £40 - £ 50 per session
Other costs:
Laptop
Professional Indemnity Insurance
Registration with ICO
Books
Play Therapy Tool Kit
Personal therapy if required to attend
Costs of "catch- up" sessions in the event of unexpected absence
MA Practice-Based Play Therapy - Online/distance learning - see https://apac.org.uk/ma-courses/
Course Fees: £ 3400.00
University Registration Fee: £370.00
Full-fee membership of Play Therapy UK (PTUK) £140
Other costs:
Laptop
Books
Policies, Standards & Regulations
Key University regulations and policies can be accessed on the following web pages:
- Academic Regulations (including assessment regulations) are available on our Academic Regulations web page
- The Student Contract is available on our Student Regulations web page
- The Student Charter is available on our Academic Regulations web page (Section 20)
Other Student regulations and University policies, including Safety, Health and Wellbeing policies, are available on our Student Regulations web page
You should also familiarise yourself with our Zero Tolerance Report and Support web page regarding sexual harassment and assault.
The course follows the Academic Regulations except where noted below.
Attendance requirements
There is an 85% minimum attendance requirement for each module in order to meet professional body requirements. Students must not miss a part of any theme (major subject area) of a module, as each theme is a crucial part of the set of competencies required by PTUK for professional accreditation.
Assessments
All components of assessments, including practice, and modules must be passed to achieve the award to meet the requirements of the professional body.
Contained award
For students who do not pass the placement and who achieve 60 L7 credits, there is a contained award 'Postgraduate Diploma Play Therapy Studies' (for students who enrol prior to September 2020) or 'Postgraduate Diploma Play Studies' (for students who enrol from September 2020). This contained award defines no clinical competence.
Fitness to Practise
The course is authorised to use the University Fitness to Practise Policy. Students are expected to act in a professional manner at all times in line with the Policy: https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/-/media/files/policies/student/ups_fitness_to_practise_policy_procedure.pdf
If a concern is raised by the student or someone else during the course about a student's professional suitability or fitness to practise, this will be considered initially by the APAC management, with reference to the Play Therapy UK's Ethical Framework for Play Therapy and Filial Play.
Fitness to practise encompasses both student conduct and health in determining a student's professional suitability for future registration as a practitioner with Play Therapy UK or Play Therapy International.
Concerns about a student's fitness to practise will be acted upon promptly in order to provide support to the student and, where appropriate, to protect the public.
Students who display concerns about fitness to practise are mandated where appropriate to undertake personal therapy using the creative arts. The therapist is required to send a report to the Course Director confirming the fitness to practise before the trainee is allowed to work with children.
If the concern cannot be resolved satisfactorily by the APAC management, then the student will be referred to the University under the University's Fitness to Practise Policy and Procedure.
Students are advised about Play Therapy UK's fitness to practise requirements as a student and for registration as a practitioner at the start of the course.
Additional guidance provided by APAC for successful completion of this award
It is compulsory that students maintain current registration with their professional body, Play Therapy UK, as they continue with the Diploma course. On demonstration of the attainment of competence in line with PTUK Competency Framework they will attain the appropriate PTUK Register grade. This requires a total of a further 100 supervised hours worked with children in play therapy and documentation thereof. All client cases must have SDQs and casework summary forms showing Pre and Post (or interim) scores. Average of 5/6 clients per week (special permission required from Tutor and CEO to do more and more supervision will be required) for the Diploma stage. Professional standards are assessed and quality controlled by PTUK. Whilst this is a professional requirement, students will only gain the associated academic award at Leeds Beckett once confirmation has been received from APAC that the professional requirements have been met. In the event of a student not being able to complete the professional requirements, the Examination Board may consider if the requirements of the contained award have been met. Students who receive a contained award are not eligible to progress further in the Play Therapy programme.
For professional registration purposes, you are obliged to pass your practice placement, have a satisfactory report from your clinical supervisor, placement organisation and complete the stipulated number of practice and supervision hours. You should note that all assessed clinical work will be dealt with according to PTUK Assessment Procedures and will be pass/fail grade only.
The External Examiner assures that you are assessed fairly in relation to other students on the same course and also that the standard of your own award is comparable to similar courses taken by students in other higher education institutions within the UK. The External Examiner(s) provide an annual report for your course. External Examiner reports are available on our External Examiner Reports web page, which is accessible via the Course Information link on the Students home page.
Dr Stephanie Lambert, London School of Economics and Political Science
Appendices
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