SB1 - Play Therapy Interview

Play Therapy Interview

What is your main job?

-Was a head teacher but had enough and wanted a change
-Was a SENCO (trained through school for mental health support) and knew people needed help but that the school couldn't get or afford it
-Wanted to work with the children in a holistic way
-Wanted to stay working with children

Art therapy and Counselling course then play therapy. Art therapy more specific about how it works. 

Anglia Ruskin or place in London for art therapy course. 

What is the play therapy course?

-Run by PTUK (Academy of Play) 
-Can do for a weekend over the year in Buckden (local to cambridge) or a 2 week intensive course in France at Monacca and Geoff's house/estate in France (founders)

-Post graduate certificate - have to have had 200 hours experience working with children, can go onto do diploma
-Diploma is after the certificate and means that you can work with more advanced mental health problems and with groups - have to do 50 hours more of working with children.

-2 week intensive summer school in France (best way for her) 
-Fully immersed - 15 days - EXTREMELY intense. £3500
made friends and support
-Affiliated with Leeds Beckett
- A range of different people came : already councillors, social workers, teachers. Lots of backgrounds and of different ages youngest 22, early 60s.

- Each module has assessments. Summer 2018 graduate 2020 but can apply for diploma 2019 summer
- Letter from course director that your on track and can start charging. Whilst doing 100 hours cant charge people for your time.
-Her placement is in a school. 
-Can be self employed after the diploma. Can superviser put work your way? 

They run taster sessions in November
snap shot (hers in London) £130 for the day

What does the certificate look like?
-70% experiential
-Assignment essay, powerpoint, clinical hours after half term 
-100 hours of clinic supervision
-every 6 hours a supervision 

-Play therapy involves the use of; sand, clay, music, movement, dolls house, creative visualisation.
-Child has access to entire toolkit, they direct them selves. Child leads and therapist follows.

!!!!Play therapy is different to art therapy. Art therapy is a section of play therapy. Art therapy is much more structured and asking the children to explore specific things rather than play therapy is following what the children chose to do with art as an option!!!!

-Interpret a lot by how they move. Figuring out what their problems could be. What the movements could possibly be reflecting. Being aware. 
-Whilst on the course the therapists experience a lot of different things that the children would. Did things that raised anxieties to figure out how you could cope and therefore how they might. Emapthy.
-Some activities brought a lot of emotions forward so you know what your triggers are. 

SB1 - Mental Health Teacher Training Day

Children and Young People's Mental Health
Octagon Cluster Teacher Training

As part of my work experience at Swavesey Primary School they kindly let me attend their teacher training day on child mental health. 
It was really interesting and really made me think about:

- The types of attachment impact childrens' personalities and ways of interacting differently and how to respond/ help engage the children effectively.

- Appropriate and thoughtful responses to help different types of children and make them feel cared for.

-The bio, pscho, social model explanation for anxiety and behaviour to really consider the   complexities of what could affect children whilst growing up.

-Really considering how the behaviour that they are showing is an expression of their     feelings and to think about where the behaviour may stem from.

-How to try and give children opportunities in a school environment that they might not   have at home.

-Mindfulness promotes living in the moment, recognising but not dwelling on stressors and   cultivating happiness. It works over a long time with a range of extreme health benefits by training the mind to train the brain.

This really inspired me that I want to learn and understand more about mental health both theoretically and practically.