Play Therapy Postgraduate degree

Specific entry requirements

All eligible applicants to the programme will be interviewed by the Programme Convener and/or the Programme staff. Selection will be based on the following admissions criteria:

• Applicants will normally be required to hold an honours degree at undergraduate level (usually 2.1 or higher); in most cases this will be in a modality-relevant degree such as in psychology, early childhood studies, education or health & social care.
• Applicants with a relevant degree will be expected to have the equivalent of at least two years of full-time experience of working with children and young people, especially between the ages of 5-11, in a professional capacity. N.B. In most cases work experience must be gained as a graduate, i.e., work experience gained whilst studying will not be considered. The exception to this is if the applicant has worked in a full-time capacity for a number of years (e.g., 5 years+) in a role with children prior to gaining an undergraduate degree; only in this circumstance will prior work experience be considered.
• Applicants who do not hold a degree in a modality-relevant area will be expected to have considerable (5+ years) full-time experience of working in a professional capacity with children and young people. This might include working with children with behavioural or developmental challenges, learning difficulties, child mental health, etc. This work can either be done on a voluntary or employed basis.
• Applicants need to evidence that they can meet the academic demands of a Master’s degree and will be required to prepare and submit a written personal statement to support their application; in some circumstances an applicant may be asked to submit an essay prior to/after interview.
• It is recognised that this is a postgraduate training where applicants are qualified, experienced and valued practitioners in their fields; applicants are encouraged to bring prior learning and experience to the training, thus enhancing the breadth and depth of the programme learning.
• An understanding of the nature of play therapy as a distinctive discipline (in particular as practised in the UK) and a capacity for playfulness and creativity.
• Applicants should demonstrate a maturity of personality and self-awareness compatible with training as a therapist. Applicants need an appropriate degree of psychological mindedness including the capacity to form and maintain appropriate empathic relationships with clients. They should also demonstrate emotional literacy, robustness and an ability to be self-reflective. This will be ascertained by a combination of health screening, experiential activities and in-depth discussions at interview.
• An International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of at least 7 with no element below 6.5 for applicants for whom English is not their first language.
• Applicants will be required to supply the names of two referees. If possible one of these should be able to comment on the applicant's academic suitability and the other on the applicant's clinical/personal suitability for the programme.
• In addition to these requirements, all students must be prepared to enter mandatory on-going personal therapy for the duration of the programme. Students should attend no fewer than 30 regular sessions within any calendar year. Payment for therapy is separate to course fees.
• All successful applicants will need to complete an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check; payment for this is separate to the course fees.
• Equality and diversity information is logged within the application form and compiled data is sent to HESA for consideration. Student services confidentially contact successful applicants who have a stated disability on their application form, to explore what provisions can be made to support their learning.
• We also offer 20 week evening foundation courses which provide a broad outline and introduction in the arts and play therapies.