School of Play and Creative Therapies

Web Therapy is back in October!

The question is: Can 45 minutes of therapy really support our most vulnerable clients?

This is your chance to learn how to expand your therapy practice. Train to work not only with your client but with parents/carers, teachers, social workers. Learn what a web of support looks like in practical terms. The child at the centre with the web of support holding and nurturing.

This is a two day online course that is very practical and provides a pack of resources.

Check it out here: https://schoolofpact.com/courses/web-therapy/

Cat Mountain - we love this free downloadable resource from www.socialworkerstoolbox.com
Have a look at their site to find other delights!

AutPlay® Therapy - You only have two weeks to book your place on this extraordinary course.

Here are just two of the many fantastic comments about AutPlay® Therapy, a neuroaffirming approach for working with neurodivergent children and young people developed by Dr. Robert Grant.

"I have really come away from this training feeling empowered both to work with Neurodivergent children and to think more closely about how I deliver play therapy."

"Thank you for a fantastic training weekend. I came home feeling full of knowledge and have learned so much from Dr Grant. The networking opportunity was also fabulous and I really enjoyed connecting with other therapists."

Book your place at our website: https://schoolofpact.com/courses/autplay-therapy-full-course/

In celebration of Pride Month, we are delighted to announce an exciting new course LGBTQ+ Affirmative Practice with Children and Young People, facilitated by Mike Carrington.

Children and young people who identify as LGBTQ+ often encounter unique challenges that can significantly impact their mental health and wellbeing. Experiences such as bullying, discrimination, family rejection, and the lack of affirming support can contribute to heightened rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidality.

However, research consistently highlights the protective role of supportive relationships, community connection, and affirmative therapeutic practice.

Mike is a qualified experienced counsellor and psychotherapist who works primarily with LGBTQ+ clients in private practice. He also teaches on counselling courses, passionately supporting both trainee and qualified therapists to work confidently and competently with gender, sexuality, and relationship-diverse clients.

In addition, Mike delivers LGBTQ+ affirmative practice workshops for counsellors, emphasising reflective and experiential learning.

Researcher and author of the well-received article, “How can counselling training courses better prepare their trainee therapists to work with LGBTQ+ clients?”, which has attracted significant attention in the Counselling and Psychotherapy Research journal in 2024, viewed more than 5000 times to date.

Reserve your place on this transformative course: https://schoolofpact.com/courses/lgbtq-affirmative-practice-with-children-and-young-people

Upon hearing of the passing of Dr. Garry Landreth, we would like to pay tribute to his extraordinary contribution to child-centred play therapy and his enduring commitment to the art of the therapeutic relationship. Through his pioneering work, he transformed the understanding of how children communicate, heal, and grow through play. His compassion, wisdom, and deep respect for the child’s inner world inspired generations of play therapists.

The legacy he leaves behind continues to shape the profession, reminding us that meaningful healing begins in relationships grounded in empathy, trust, and acceptance.

Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Our book of the week 📚
Creative Supervision. 50 creative activities for reflective supervision by Karen Durkin.

For all you supervisors this is a little gem. Each activity is presented and follows the same sections.
💡At a glance
💡Facilitators tip
💡Purpose
💡Process
💡Questions for exploration
💡Supervisor notes
💡Peer supervision adaption
💡Reflective follow-up

The activities give you lots of scope to adapt them to the needs of your supervisee. This is a good addition to your supervisory resources.

Level 6 Relational Creative Therapy With Adults

We have been asked to run this course again, and so here it is!

Up-skill yourself to work creatively with Adults.
The Level 6 Certificate Relational Creative Arts Therapy for Adults course is an innovative, exciting programme, which will build on your previous experience to enable you to work therapeutically and creatively with adults.

This course will be run over four weekends in Bristol
Oct 3rd-4th
Nov 7th-8th
Dec 19th-20th
Jan 9th-10th

Book your place by applying here: https://schoolofpact.com/courses/level-6-certificate-relational-creative-therapy-for-adults-bristol/

Daily check-in! I feel like an acoustic guitar - never the standout instrument in a band, but very versatile and keeps a stead rhythm...and possibly highly strung?

If you were a musical instrument, what would you be and why?

Don’t be fooled!

Before investing in a post-qualifying course, make sure you know exactly what you are paying for.

If you're investing in post-qualifying training, make sure the course leads to a recognised qualification. A course described as being "written to Level 6 or Level 7 standards" is not the same as a Level 6 or Level 7 qualification.

At the School of Play and Creative Therapies, all of our post-qualifying courses are independently accredited and formally awarded the appropriate qualification level.
Achieving accredited status requires significant investment by the School of Play and Creative Therapies in external quality assurance and validation processes, but we believe this investment is essential to ensure the quality, credibility, and professional value of your training.

Don't be misled by providers who market courses as being at Level 6 or Level 7 without actually awarding a recognised qualification. While lower-cost courses may seem attractive, it's important to understand exactly what you are receiving for your investment.

The School of Play and Creative Therapies is a provider you can trust, with qualifications that have been independently assessed and accredited by CPCAB.
Explore our post-qualifying courses here: https://schoolofpact.com/pq-courses/

Level 7 Diploma Relational Play and Creative Therapy Children and Young Peoples Training

Inspiring Play Therapists for Tomorrow!

What an amazing weekend of training we have just had! We delved into infant mental health, alongside toddler and child development, giving students valuable insights into the early years.

Everyone enthusiastically took part in sensory messy play, discovering the importance of integrating such activities into our sessions with clients to enhance therapeutic outcomes. And that was just the Saturday!

Our Level 7 qualification is designed to thoroughly equip you to become a play therapist. Many children who attend play therapy have faced situations that are confusing, overwhelming or even traumatic and our training provides the knowledge and skills to support them with care, creativity and understanding.

If you are interested in becoming a Play Therapist, join us on 07/07/2026 at 18:30 to learn more about Relational Play and Creative Therapy and discover what it takes to become a therapist.

If you can’t make this date, please let us know at [email protected] and we can arrange for you to speak with Eileen or Alun at a time that suits you.

For further details please visit: https://schoolofpact.com/level-7-diploma/