Do you wish to become a working Play Therapist?

In 2018 Play Therapy Training Australia launched our clinical training program in child centred play therapy. The objective of this training is to equip those with a relevant undergraduate degree to obtain further training in the area of child centred play therapy in order to apply this knowledge and skill to clinical practice. Our vision for providing child centred play therapy training in our local communities is to ensure practitioners are equipped to provide quality play therapy services to children across Australia. The current program requires participants to attend three workshops in order to apply for professional membership upon completion.
We ask that all applicants have previously completed our ‘Introduction to Play Therapy’ course.

Clinical Training Program

2025 Clinical Program Intakes

Program 1/2025 – CLOSED

Program 2/2025 – Beginning April 2025

  • Workshop Two – 11th, 12th & 13th April 2025
  • Workshop Three – 30th, 31st May & 1st June 2025
  • Workshop Four – 1st, 2nd, 3rd August 2025

Program 3/2025 – Beginning June 2025

  • Workshop Two – 27th, 28th, 29th June 2025
  • Workshop Three – 5th, 6th, 7th September 2025
  • Workshop Four – 24th, 25th, 26th October 2025

Program 4/2025

  • Dates TBC- coming soon – register your interest by contacting us.

Qualifications

Upon completion of the 200 hours Certificate training program, participants are eligible to apply for registration Play Therapy Practitioners Association. Completed training hours may also count towards registration with Australian Play Therapists Association noting additional hours are required to be registered as a Play Therapist under this association.

Play Therapy Training Australia cannot guarantee that completing this training program will result in graduates meeting all other requirements for registration with each association. It is your responsibility if you are wishing to become a registered play therapist to ensure you meet all eligibility criteria and requirements set out by your chosen registration body (i.e., APTA, APPTA, PTPA).

Pre-Requisites

Please note applicants enrolling in the Clinical Program must have completed the Introduction to Play Therapy workshop and hold a bachelor degree in in Social Work, Human Services, Education, Counselling, Psychology or similar.

Trainer qualifications

Kylie Ellison – Founder, CEO and Trainer

Kylie is a Registered Counsellor with ACA and PACFA, Registered Play Therapist and Registered Play Therapist- Supervisor who has been working with children, young people and families in the human services field for the past 19 years.
Kylie is passionate about creating a community of play therapy practitioners that fosters access to training and therapy services along with advocacy for play therapy in both the community and professional arenas.

Melanie Robinson – Trainer

Mel is a Registered Counsellor with ACA, Registered Mental Health Social Worker, Registred Play Therapist and Registered Play Therapist – Supervisor and is energised by the transformative nature of child-led therapeutic play; and how this modality demonstrates an endlessly hopeful belief in the child’s innate capacities for healing and growth.
Mel has been practicing as a Social Worker and Psychotherapist for 25 years, in Independent School settings, health services, and more recently has been employed as a Mental Health Clinician in a boutique psychology practice on the outskirts of the beautiful Barossa Valley in South Australia.

A full profile and list of qualifications can be found on our team page here.

Workshop Two
Considering the structure and components of CCPT

(Total hours: 62 hours including 24 hours face to face via Zoom, 38 hours readings and module completion)

Workshop two covers the following content during the three-day workshop:

  • Child development theory
  • Trauma and attachment theory
  • Stages and themes of child centred play therapy
  • Parents as partners in play therapy: An introduction
  • Goal setting/ treatment planning
  • Importance of awareness of transference/ countertransference
  • Skill development: Facilitative responses- tracking, reflecting feelings, returning responsibility, limit setting

Workshop Three
Issues in
CCPT

(Total hours: 62 hours including 24 hours face to face via Zoom, 38 hours readings and module completion)

Workshop three covers the following content during the three-day workshop:

  • Play therapy with varying presenting issues including working with children with ASD, children experiencing domestic violence and working with children who have experienced sexual abuse
  • Issues in the playroom
  • Typical problems and what to do if….
  • Legal and Ethical guidelines for practice
  • Clinical presentation- Dr. Jodi Mullen
  • Skill revision: Facilitative responses- tracking, reflecting feelings, returning responsibility, limit setting
  • Skill introduction- Making meaning of the play

Workshop Four
Competency in skill development and other types of CCPT work

(Total hours: 62 hours including 24 hours face to face via Zoom, 38 hours readings and module completion)

Workshop four covers the following content during the three-day workshop:

Determining the therapeutic process and termination
Revision of four skills- emphasis on revision of limit setting
Intensive child centred play therapy: An introduction
Play Therapy Across the Lifespan
Play therapy within the school setting
Group/ sibling play therapy: An introduction
Filial therapy: An introduction
Variations on play therapy