Collaborative Partnership With Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom

The Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC) is delighted to announce that its collaborative partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) in the UK, has been extended to cover the delivery of the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy programme in New Zealand.

There are three stages:

• Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play - 15 days

• Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy - 15 days

• MA by Dissertation - 8 days

Participants may exit the programme after any of the stages. 

The Post Graduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play course will be delivered in Hamilton, North Island: starting 14th November 2010, which will enable participants to set up and to start practising therapeutically with children.  The total fee for 15 days tuition and support is NZ5000

The Post Graduate Diploma in Play Therapy  course will be run in Hamilton, North Island in November/December 2011. The total fee for 15 days tuition and support will be NZ$6000.

It is anticipated that teaching and tutorial support for the MA dissertation will be provided in 2012/13.

The academic awards will be made by Canterbury Christchurch University; each of the three stages results in the award of 60 Level 7 credits .  The professional, clinical awards will be made by Play Therapy International (PTI) as certificates of practice: ‘Practitioner in Therapeutic Play Skills’ and ‘Certified Play Therapist’.

The programme is the first and only one at Post Graduate and Masters level, accredited by a recognised university, in Play Therapy, in New Zealand.  By meeting the highest academic standards and the PTI international standards of practice competencies, it will enhance successful trainees' professional credibility and earning power.  It will enable them to achieve professional parity with other mental health professionals.

The collaborative partnership between APAC and CCCU has been in existence since 2006 in the United Kingdom where the programme is delivered at 9 venues in the UK, Ireland and France. The programme has become the most successful in Europe in terms of clinical results with the children (see research page/section) and number of trainees.

The University registration fees, which are in addition to the course tuition fees, are: NZ$1300 for the Certificate stage and NZ$900 for the Diploma stage