Childcare and education settings have immense potential to positively impact children’s mental health and wellbeing at Tier 2 through creative therapeutic support. However, this potential remains largely untapped due to significant barriers to accessible and affordable online training in creative therapeutic practice. In our work, we encounter many talented practitioners who are deeply passionate about helping children but face obstacles such as financial constraints, geographical limitations, or caregiving responsibilities that prevent them from pursuing specialised training.
Meanwhile, the rising demand for mental health support and growing waiting lists mean that countless children and young people (CYP) are unable to access timely, creative therapeutic interventions at Tier 2, often leading to a worsening of their issues.
To address these dual challenges, we’ve developed an innovative course with a twofold mission:
Enabling more children to access effective creative therapeutic support at Tier 2 as step up or step down from CAMHS, psychological support or other tier 3 therapies
Providing accredited, online, and affordable creative therapy training for suitable practitioners.
This course bridges the gap between aspiration and accessibility. Drawing on the established professions of Art Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapies, Psychotherapy, and Counselling, it offers a robust evidence-informed framework that is both theoretical and practical. While it is most closely aligned with art therapy, it utilises creative visual art media as the primary mode of communication.
At its core, Creative Therapeutic Practice (CTP) harnesses the power of visual and creative media to support and enhance the emotional and mental wellbeing of children and young people. Under skilled supervision, the course trains practitioners to guide CYP in expressing their thoughts and feelings through creative means, providing a safe outlet for their emotions and fostering emotional literacy.
Under professional supervision from carefully selected and highly experienced Art Therapists, learners can begin applying their knowledge in year 2 of the programme. This supervision enables them to safely and effectively support the children and young people in their existing workplace or placement as part of their studies. Supervised application of learning addresses a pressing need: the growing number of children and young people experiencing emotional and mental health challenges, exacerbated by the global pandemic. By equipping practitioners with these essential skills, the course empowers learners to make a tangible difference in schools and childcare settings.
What the Course Is and Isn’t
It is important to clarify that while this course is closely aligned with Art Therapy, it does not qualify learners as Art Therapists. Art Therapy is a statutorily regulated profession in the United Kingdom, and only those qualified and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) may legally describe themselves as Art Therapists or Art Psychotherapists. These titles are protected by law and reflect a specific level of training and practice.
However, this course offers a unique and valuable pathway for those seeking to make a meaningful impact without pursuing the full Art Therapy qualification. It provides a solid foundation for using creative therapeutic practice ethically and effectively, opening doors for practitioners to enhance and utilise their skills.
The urgency of the mental health crisis among children and young people cannot be overstated. Long waiting lists and limited resources have left too many without the support they need. At the same time, the demand for accessible, affordable training opportunities has never been higher. This course is our response to these challenges — a way to empower both practitioners and the children they support.
By removing barriers to training and equipping practitioners with the tools they need, we can unlock the potential of a workforce ready to make a difference. And by doing so, we can ensure that more children and young people have access to the creative therapeutic interventions they so desperately need.
Our course is targeted to those who wish to further enhance their creative therapeutic practice skills to support children and young people’s mental health and is suitable for Therapists, Teachers, Learning Support Assistants, SENCOS, Nursery Workers, Social Workers, Counsellors etc. Other suitably qualified or experienced adults can apply to join the course and will be considered on a case-by-case basis if assessed to have equitable experience.
More details about this course can be found here or by emailing hello@tcctp.org.
We are offering 10% off all courses booked in the month of January.
We look forward to welcoming you.
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