Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Play, Creative Media and Expressive Arts

Blended Learning Programme

Use creative and play-based approaches in therapeutic work.

This programme introduces practitioners to the therapeutic use of play, creative media and expressive arts when working with clients. Participants explore how symbolic expression and creative engagement can support emotional processing and communication. The programme encourages practitioners to integrate creative modalities into therapy in ways that promote safety, exploration and psychological growth.

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Programme Type: QQI Level 9 Certificate
Next Intake(s): TBC

NFQ: Level 9
ECTS: 10

Academic Validation: QQI

Professional Accreditation: N/A

Overview

Introduction

This QQI Level 9 Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Play, Creative Media and Expressive Arts is an advanced programme that develops practical skills in creative, experiential therapeutic approaches. It equips practitioners to support emotional expression, engagement and therapeutic change, particularly when working with children, adolescents and clients who benefit from non-verbal modalities.

Who Should Apply

This programme will be of interest to those working in a supportive capacity with children and adolescents, including counsellors, psychotherapists, social workers, social care workers, key workers, mental health nurses, guidance counsellors, special needs assistants (SNAs) and teachers.

This 10-credit programme allows graduates to integrate therapeutic play and the use of creative media and expressive arts into their professional context. It is a validated certificate; however, it does not have sufficient credit volume to meet the threshold for professional body recognition. It is ideal for those working in the helping professions who want to bring fresh knowledge and skills for using play and creativity in a therapeutic and supportive manner with children and adolescents to their current work. If you are seeking professional training in counselling and psychotherapy, please contact us.

Entry Requirements

Applicants must:

  • Be in a work setting or role that will provide them with opportunities to implement their learning from this programme, such as paid or voluntary work with children in the helping professions, counselling support services, psychological settings, social care settings and/or project, youth or community work
  • Demonstrate relevant experience working with people in a responsible and caring role
  • Hold a minimum Level 8 qualification in counselling and/or psychotherapy or a minimum of a Level 8 degree in a cognate discipline or equivalent
Minimum Technological Requirements

For the blended learning programme, you will need:

  • Adequate broadband for uploading and downloading
  • A desktop computer or laptop capable of using Zoom
  • A webcam and microphone
  • A web browser
  • Word processing package

This programme develops practical skills in creative and expressive therapeutic approaches that enhance client engagement and deepen clinical effectiveness. It supports practitioners in expanding their professional toolkit, strengthening therapeutic relationships, and promoting meaningful outcomes across diverse client groups and practice settings.

Malchiodi (2005, p. 8) argues that expressive and creative methods add a unique dimension to therapy, offering qualities not typically found in verbal approaches. When working with children and adolescents, clients may not have the same emotional vocabulary as adults seeking therapy. Engaging through play, creative media and expressive arts allows therapeutic work to occur through a medium that is comfortable for younger clients. In this programme, learners will engage in teaching and learning related to theoretical underpinnings of play, creative media and expressive arts in therapy. Projection and the use of metaphor and creative methods, including art, sand-tray work, and sensory and embodiment activities, will be used.

Overview

In this programme, learners will engage in formal didactic lectures, skills practice, group discussion, reflective exercises and experiential exercises related to the following:

  • The theoretical underpinnings to play, creative media and expressive arts in therapy
  • Creative counselling and therapeutic play skills
  • Therapeutic use of sensory and embodiment activities and tools
  • Projection, use of metaphor and bibliotherapy
  • Use of role-play
  • Sand in therapy
  • Art in therapy
  • Development considerations
    • Creative mediums and development
    • Developmental art stages and play development
    • Stages in therapeutic play and the creative process
    • Developmental considerations in the sand tray
  • Therapeutic process
    • Lusebrink’s Expressive Arts Continuum
    • Norton and Norton’s Stages of Developmental Play
    • Jennings’ Embodiment – Projection – Role (EPR) Developmental Play Paradigm
    • Play and creative themes
Learner Benefits and Support

We hold that it is not enough to simply teach about play, creative media and expressive arts in theory. Learners are given the space to learn, practise and be supported as they integrate their skills into their professional practice in their particular context.  

Work-Based Learning

Before starting the programme, learners must be working or volunteering in a setting where they are actively supporting children and/or adolescents. We require evidence of at least 20 hours of practice where play, creative media and expressive arts are integrated into their professional practice. This must be supervised at a ratio of 1:5, meaning one supervision session for every 5 hours of practice.

Assessment

Learners must produce a comprehensive case study that showcases integration of play, creative media and expressive arts interventions within a clinical case. The case study should commence with a literature review of the evidence supporting this approach to working with children and adolescents. It should include relevant research demonstrating efficacy, and where available, may also include evidence specific to the presenting issue in the case. The case presentation should demonstrate how creative therapeutic methods were used to engage with and assess the client. Learners must demonstrate how they selected and used developmentally appropriate interventions. They must bring the case to supervision and demonstrate how insights and learning from the supervision were integrated into clinical practice. (Word count: 4,000)

Validation and Accreditation

This certificate is awarded as a minor award at Level 9 on the NFQ and is validated by QQI.

Programme Lecturers

TBC

IICP College understands that while partaking in further education is an incredibly rewarding experience, it can also be a financial challenge for some learners. To minimise the financial impact, we strive to keep course fees as competitive as possible. We also offer payment plan options to help learners pay the balance of their fees over the duration of their course.

Overall Programme Fees

  • Deposit: €292.50 (secures your place)
  • Certificate fee: €975 (includes €50 QQI fee)
Payment Options

(1) The balance is due on or before the first day of the course.

DepositBalance of Fees Total
€292.50 (on acceptance to secure your place)€682.50 €975

(2) Learners can opt to sign up to our direct debit scheme if they wish to pay in instalments. Please note that this incurs an administration fee of €100.

Please contact IICP College to find out more.

Extra Costs

Except where stated, course fees cover tuition only. Learners on this programme must also complete clinical work and engage an individual supervisor for this work. Supervision fees are negotiable between learners and individual supervisors.

Protection for Enrolled Learners

This programme is covered by arrangements under Section 65(4) of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012 whereby, in the event of IICP College ceasing to provide the programme for any reason, enrolled learners may transfer to a similar programme at another provider, or in the event that this is not possible, the fees most recently paid will be refunded. Current PEL arrangements consist of a 2% levy on course fees. IICP do not pass the cost of this on to learners.

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