PLAY THERAPY EDUCATION COMPETENCIES & STANDARDS OF PRACTICE

The effective integration of knowledge and skills acquisition in Play Therapy practice is paramount to ethical work with clients of all ages, families, the community, and the profession. Play Therapy practice requires commitment to the development of both personal qualities and professional abilities. The personal qualities support and guide practitioner self-reflection and professional behavior.

The document "Play Therapy Education Competencies and Standards of Practice" (see downloadable PDFs below; more languages will be available soon!) differentiates Education-based Clinical Competencies and Best Practice Standards for Play Therapy. Clinical Competencies are measurable behaviors used to assess Play Therapy practice evidenced by educational experiences through university course work and/or approved training experiences. These competencies inform the play therapist's education and supports curriculum development.

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The Best Practice Standards guides and benchmarks service delivery of Play Therapy within the clinical environment. It is the responsibility of each member of the IC-PTA to agree with and establish methodology with which to adhere to these Play Therapy standards.

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GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
The document was adapted from original documents of the British Association for Play Therapists (BAPT) and the Australasia Pacific Play Therapy Association (APPTA) and further refined through a task force representing several national Play Therapy associations. IC-PTA gratefully acknowledges BAPT and APPTA for all the initial work that went into preparing the original documents.