Children often struggle to communicate their emotions, such as anger, distress, or anxiety. Instead of words, they often use play to communicate their feelings and thoughts. With the guidance of a play therapist, the play becomes both enjoyable and a safe way for children to express their emotions and understand life experiences.
In the UK, this job is increasing in demand as schools and families begin to recognise the importance of early mental support. This growing awareness about children’s well-being makes play therapy a crucial part of many support services, such as schools and healthcare. Read on to learn more about this profession and the potential career path it offers.
Who is a play therapist?
A play therapist is a mental health practitioner who employs the use of play in order to enable children to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Children do not use words like adults, but use toys, games, or art to show their expression. Play therapy provides a safe place where a qualified adult helps children understand their experiences and feelings.
These professionals work across different places in the UK. For example, they support children with issues like bullying and anxiety problems in schools. Others are employed by the NHS, where their main job is to help child patients who are suffering from mental illness. They also work in charities to support children who go through the adoption and fostering experience. Some professionals also offer private practice, providing one-on-one sessions for children referred by parents or schools.
Professional organisations are making this profession have high standards in practice. The British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT) and Play Therapy UK (PTUK) supervise the training and also set the ethical guidelines. Their job is to ensure that all the registered therapists are the right individuals with the correct qualifications to support children in the best possible way. It is important because they work regularly with children and families, who need a safe and trustworthy professional.
Roles and responsibilities
Being a play therapist is much more than just playing with children. Although play is the main part of the work, it is approached carefully and with a purpose. This is a career where you have to listen to a child and address their feelings, and also guide them safely through life issues. The job demands you to be patient and deeply understand each child’s unique needs.
A play therapist also becomes the bridge between children and the adults in their lives. The aim is to understand how a child expresses their emotions through play. Then, this information becomes the advice to the parents or teachers on how to deal with their kids or pupils. The end goal is to help the child develop healthy emotional habits that last into adulthood.
Facilitates therapy session
The key part of this role is to create a welcoming space. This may include choosing the right toys and art materials based on the kids’ personalities. Using appropriate materials helps the child feel comfortable enough to express their feelings during the therapy session. The play therapy has a role to guide the play, making the children able to explore their emotions at their own pace.
Analysing needs
This job heavily involves observing how a kid interacts with toys and games. These observations make a play therapist understand the unspoken feelings within children. These could be anger, sadness, fear, and other emotions. Knowing this information helps to identify the best way to support them so they can overcome the challenges they currently face.
Formulating treatment plans
Since every child has a different personality and needs, a play therapist should create unique goals that suit them. Some might need to build their confidence, while others have to manage the anxiety they constantly face. Thus, a treatment plan serves as a roadmap to help children heal and grow emotionally.
Working with families and schools
This job often requires you to meet with a few people, like parents and teachers, to have communication about a child’s progress. The goal is to help adults understand the child’s experiences. At the same time, they should also know how to support them. This collaboration makes sure that the child receives constant care in their daily life.
Keeping records and reports
The last important responsibility is to document each session. A play therapist writes down the observations or insights from each meeting to track the children’s progress from time to time. These records are also useful when consulting with other professionals. Clear documentation ensures that the child’s needs and concerns are properly understood.
Education and training path to be a play therapist
To be qualified as a play therapist, you need to have formal education and experience with some hands-on training. While the path may seem demanding at first, it prepares you to provide the right support to a child. Here are the most common pathways that you should go through in this job:
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Undergraduate Study: Most people in this field attain a bachelor’s degree in psychology, education, or counselling.
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Postgraduate Course: Completing a postgraduate training or a master’s degree in play therapy.
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Professional Certification: Training under the supervision of BAPT and PTUK to make sure that you meet the standard requirements.
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Clinical Supervision: After obtaining the licence, you’ll work under a senior play therapist who will supervise you and give practical guidance.
The pathway to becoming a play therapist involves numerous supervised hours in real-world settings, such as at schools or hospitals. For example, the professional certification requires 200 hours of practice, plus an additional 250 hours under the supervision senior therapist, after which you’ll then become a qualified professional in this field. For further career progression, continuous professional development (CPD) is required in the medical field.
Career path and opportunities
Becoming a play therapist in the UK gives you many career options. Common starting places include schools, child centres, and charities, allowing you to gain experience while studying to complete the certification. After you gain enough hands-on practice and become qualified, you can work in better places such as the NHS, specialist clinics, and many more.
With experience, play therapists can progress into more senior roles. Some become clinical supervisors, guiding new trainees to ensure they meet professional standards. You can also get into management roles in local councils, charities, and health services. If you prefer research or teaching, you can work at universities or training centers. There is also another option to pursue a specialisation program. Usually, people in this field might focus their specialty on:
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Treating children with autism or ADHD
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Helping kids with trauma or abuse
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Giving medical play therapy in hospitals
Another possible option that you can take is to provide private practice, as it allows you to set your own schedule in your area of specialisation. While private practice offers independence, it requires business skills to ensure profitability. For instance, a digital marketing skill will help you grow your practice by making it more well-known on the internet. Overall, being a play therapist gives you flexible career opportunities and a lot of room to grow and develop as a professional.
Salary in this field depends on factors like experience, employer, and location. Entry-level professionals earn less, but salaries increase with experience, skills, and qualifications. Here are the average earnings for this job, starting from trainees, and even becoming a supervisor:
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Trainees or Assistants: £18,000 – £25,000 per year.
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Qualified Therapist: £25,000–£40,000 per year.
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Senior Therapists and Supervisor: £40,000–£50,000 or more.
Conclusion
Being a play therapist is a unique career that uses play to help children express their emotions and process life experiences. As more people are recognising how important early mental health support is, the demand for skilled professionals in this role keeps increasing. However, becoming a professional in this field requires extensive training and certifications involving many hours of study and clinical practice
If you are an aspiring play therapist, it is important to have the right guidance and proper learning resources. For those who are considering starting a career in the medical field, the College of Contract Management is the perfect choice to start their career. They have many online courses in different fields, and the best part is that you can study anywhere at your own pace. Moreover, you’ll also be guided by expert mentors within the industry, and it will help you gain the right theoretical and practical knowledge. Take your first step today and enrol in courses guided by expert mentors to begin your career as a child therapist.
