Play Therapy Training

Play Therapists usually hold a primary qualification in a relevant mental health field such as counselling, psychotherapy, social work, psychology: in addition to having undertaken specific Play Therapy training and supervision. Furthermore, there is no overarching governing or regulating body that legally requires a Play Therapist to be registered in order to practice Play Therapy. Therefore, a practitioner can practice Play Therapy should they have the appropriate training and the support of their workplace. Hence, APTA was founded on the view that a formal mental health background is crucial to working therapeutically with children and an essential criteria for APTA membership.

APTA is aware of several different training providers. These different providers offer different modalities of Play Therapy. APTA recommends that you do your own research to find a modality and training style that suits you.

Here are some training providers available in Australia:

- Child-Centred Australia - provides full training hours https://www.childcentredaustralia.com/

- Master of Play Therapy, Deakin University - provides full training hours https://www.deakin.edu.au/

- Play Therapy Australasia - provides full training hours https://playtherapy.org/

- Play Therapy International - provides full training hours https://playtherapy.org/

- Queensland Institute of Play Therapy - provides full training hours https://qipt.com.au/

- Sydney Centre for Creative Change - provides full training hours https://www.artandplaytherapytraining.com.au/

- Play Therapy Online Training Academy (APTA accepts this as part of the full training needed as the course is only 25hrs)

- Interplay, Play Therapy Australia (APTA accepts this as part of the full training needed as the course is only 60hrs).

- Synergetic Play Therapy Institute (APTA accepts this as part of the full training needed as the course is only 87hrs)