Creative Psychotherapy & Play Therapy

About The Training

Our focus on younger clients is unique in a humanistic and integrative psychotherapy training, as is our intense focus on utilising creative, action methods that bring neuroscientific learning and interpersonal neurobiological concepts into the heart of developmentally appropriate clinical practice.



Graduates are ideally placed to work as psychotherapists with children and young people presenting with emotional difficulties that may be mild or severe in nature. They are eligible for professional accreditation as psychotherapists and play therapists with the Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP), and for the European Certificate in Integrative Psychotherapy. The MA is awarded by QQI, and recognised by the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP) and the European Association of Integrative Psychotherapy (EAIP).



Programme Aims and Objectives

We are committed to training leading practitioners who are professionally competent in the expanding field of psychotherapy and who will have a specialisation in the use of play and creative approaches. As the longest established and foremost provider of this training in Ireland we have a responsibility to respond to the needs of the sector and to the increasing demand for training of prospective students and the continuing professional development of graduates and allied professionals.



This 4 year course is based on three constructs of learning – theoretical, experiential and clinical, which form a central core of learning defined as ‘professional practice’ worked from a belief in the creative and therapeutic potential of relationships and play mediums. These three areas embody key features of knowledge, skills and competence in the professional practice of play therapy and psychotherapy. We see learning as involving three complimentary, interlinked and interweaving strands of skills, theory and personal development that cannot totally be separated into component parts – for us, the whole is definitely more than the sum of the parts! In putting this into practice we place a high emphasis on experiential learning while ensuring that the emphasis on academic learning is simultaneously maintained.



Course Introduction

This is a four-year part-time experiential and eclectic child and adolescent psychotherapy training with theoretical, practical and skills development components. It is made up of two distinct stages: the first two years comprise the play therapy programme and forms the basis for the final two-year component which leads to the psychotherapy award. All 4 years are structured in a way that builds on prior learning so as to develop the necessary personal characteristics, skills and competence and acquire the depth and breath of knowledge that is core to the formation of a psychotherapist. There are clear distinctions between the professional roles of play therapists and psychotherapists, mainly linked to the fact that psychotherapists are mental health professionals. The title of psychotherapist is one of the protected titles currently in the process of becoming subject to CORU regulation and practitioner registration.



We utilise role-play, small and large group work, lectures, presentations, discussions, creative activities, etc. This course is designed for mature students who wish to engage in training in the use of creative interventions and approaches, therapeutic play, play therapy, child psychotherapy, counselling and psychotherapy. Great emphasis is put on personal development and experiential learning, skills development, supervised clinical practice, utilising action methods, active imagination, and on working in accordance with a clear theoretical framework. Core play therapy, counselling and psychotherapy trainers, and clinical supervisors, all meet the required standards for professional and academic training. Course content pays particular attention to humanistic and integrative approaches, the psychotherapy process with children and adolescents, neurobiology, and to trauma issues. Neurobiologically informed psychotherapists take a neuroscientific perspective and are mindful of the biology of attachment and arousal. Such knowledge is used to inform clinical decision-making. In addition to ongoing clinical training, a research project with relevance to the field of psychotherapy is completed in the final year.

Year 1

Foundations of Therapeutic Play:

Non-directive, client-centred play and counselling skills

Child development and psychological resilience

Practicum: creative play sessions and child observation

Introduction to programme planning and assessment

Personal development and self-awareness



Year 2

Play Therapy in Practice:

Working with mild to moderate emotional difficulties

Client-centred and integrative play therapy approaches

Systems theory and working with parents/carers

Clinical practice with children and families

Deepening counselling and creative therapy skills



Year 3

Psychotherapy with Complex Needs:

Attachment trauma, child abuse, and neglect

Creative and integrative approaches, including sandtray therapy

Ongoing personal development

Increased focus on linking theory and practice

Supervised clinical practice with diverse client profiles



Year 4

Advanced Psychotherapy Practice & Research:

Working with clients with complex, multifaceted needs

Clinical focus on sexual abuse and trauma

Dissertation and research methods

Integration of theory and clinical decision-making

Ongoing supervised practice

This is a four-year course. The QQI award for those completing the 4 years is an MA in Creative Psychotherapy and Play Therapy. As the QQI award is set at level 9 on the National Framework of Qualifications entry is restricted to applicants who have already completed a suitable undergraduate degree. Entry to year 3 is restricted to holders of IAPTP recognised Play Therapy course qualification, or to holders of an alternative Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy plus the IAPTP Statement of Equivalence to IAPTP Approved Play Therapy Training, which entails additional conversion training to meet IAPTP criteria.



Registering for the QQI award: Direct Entry to year 1:

For admission to the M.A. in Creative Psychotherapy and Play Therapy, entrants will normally:

• Have a 2.2 or higher in a relevant undergraduate (generally a level 8) degree (for example, though not exhaustively, social science, social care, psychology, nursing, community development, education, counselling, psychotherapy etc.) or equivalent

• Have at least two years full-time relevant professional experience (for example, social care, education, childcare, social work, counsellor/creative arts therapist) working with children.

• Be able to demonstrate maturity, personal readiness and suitability for psychotherapy training including commitment to personal & professional development and a willingness to engage in a self-reflective process that includes personal therapy

• Have participated in relevant foundation level training (generally over 30 hours face-to-face live online or in person) in therapeutic play or play therapy. Ideal foundation training courses are the Therapeutic Play Skills Certificate and/or the Nature Based Therapeutic Play Certificate and most successful applicants will have completed one or both of these courses. The Principles of Art Therapy Certificate course is another good foundation level training course. CPD in play, creative arts and counselling skills are also useful.

• Successfully undertake a selection interview.

• Commit to full attendance for all 4 years of the course.



Registering for the QQI award: Indirect Entry:

A small number of applicants, with extensive relevant professional experience (generally 10 years or more in a professional role), who do not have honours on a suitable level 8 degree may be eligible for entry to year 1 of the academic programme via Recognition of Prior Learning (e.g. completion of training that is at a lower academic level than is generally required). Such applicants must demonstrate, and provide evidence to attest to their acquisition of suitable level 8 learning outcomes in a relevant area and will generally hold a full level 7 degree in a relevant area.

To apply for this course go to "Application Weblink" above. Applications received now will be held for the 2027 intake.

4 years part-time blended learning. A mix of lectures, experiential learning, creative practices, and clinical training.



Course Dates:

There are two intakes each year. The course runs for the full day on each date. A similar schedule of dates are set each year. The following dates are provisional and subject to change. The location in brackets after each date identifies the location for that module. The dates are the provisional dates for the 2026-2027 academic year. There may be some slight changes to this schedule. The 2027-2028 MA dates will be similar for each year group (see "Course Webpage" below for dates).

Career Opportunities

CTC’s four-year MA programme has been designed to match the criteria of the European Certificate of Psychotherapy (ECP) for core psychotherapy training courses. Graduates of the four-year programme are eligible for professional accreditation as a Psychotherapist and a Play Therapist and the course is a recognised course of the Irish Association for Play Therapy and Psychotherapy (IAPTP).



Employment potential for child and adolescent psychotherapists specialising in play therapy has been and continues to be excellent. It is best for those with relevant primary training and work experience. Psychotherapists and play therapists who trained at CTC are currently employed in a range of Child and Family Centre’s, The CARI Foundation, Hospitals, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams and Community Care Teams throughout the HSE, Statutory and Private Residential Care services, Primary and Secondary Schools, Special Schools, Voluntary Bodies, Family Resource Centre’s and with many other services. Many of our graduates are also self-employed and work with clients of diverse ages and with diverse clinical issues.