Core Components

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a developmentally responsive play-based mental health intervention for young children aged 3 to 10 years who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioural and relational disorders. The programme is delivered by a trained mental health professional over 16-20 weekly, 45-minute individual play sessions in hospital, out-patient, community and school settings. CCPT utilizes play, the natural language of children, and therapeutic relationships to provide a safe, consistent therapeutic environment which a child can experience full acceptance empathy and understanding from a counsellor whilst processing inner experiences and feelings through play and symbols, leading to lasting positive change, a move towards integration and self-enhancing ways of being. CCPT aims is to unleash the child’s potential to move toward integration and self-enhancing ways of being and seeks to decrease symptomatic behaviours and improve overall functioning.

This manualised programme includes a range of resources and support materials including Play Therapy and Advanced Play Therapy Books which include the CCPT Treatment Manual (protocol and checklists) in the appendix. The manual includes parent handouts & notebook, homework and worksheets for each session, model adaptations, additional training materials and a CD-ROM of training materials that can be downloaded and reproduced.

Core components of the programme include foundational principles, establishing a therapeutic working relationship between therapist and child, developing facilitative responses and esteem building and therapeutic limit setting and choice giving.

Fidelity

In order to effectively replicate the programme and achieve good outcomes, all elements of the core programme should be implemented in the order outlined in the treatment manual.   A play therapy skills checklist (PTSC) is available to ensure fidelity of intervention protocol for training and research purposes.

Modifiable Components

All core elements of the programme are strongly recommended for implementation following a 16-20 session format delivered weekly for 45 minutes, however the programme has been modified to be implemented in the school setting following a 16-session format, twice weekly for 30 minutes. The CCPT treatment model can also be provided in the context of longer treatment requirements and may be used in a small group format. The CCPT manual is available in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) was developed by the University of North Texas, Centre for Play Therapy in the United States of America.

Support for Organisation / Practice

Implementation Support

Support is provided from the Centre for Play in the form of one-to-one phone/email support, programme developments through newsletters and social media, and remote support meetings.

Licence Requirements

A licence to deliver CCPT is not required.

Start-up Costs

Start-up costs include therapist training in two phases: Child-Centered Play Therapy 101 - $280 and Child-Centered Play Therapy 102 - $600. Additional resources are also required including the CCPT Therapy Model book at $55 per individual purchase.

Building Staff Competency

Qualifications Required

To become a CCPT level 1 & level 2 certified practitioner, participants are required to be a mental health practitioner who has received extensive training in Child-Centred Play Therapy principles.

For participants who are not trained mental health practitioners, associate/parent educator certification is available and for mental health professionals working outside the US, the Centre for Play Therapy offer an international CCPT certificate.

Training Requirements

Training to become a CCPT therapist is a requirement. Professionals must complete CCPT 101: Foundations in CCPT (12 hours) and CCPT 102: Advanced CCPT Practice and Application (12 hours). The total training time is 4 days, 6-hour training per day (24 hours).

Mental health professionals working outside the US, who complete the international CCPT certificate, are eligible to apply to become a certified therapist. In order to maintain certification status, CCPT certification must be renewed every 5 years. Requirements for renewal include 18 continuing education hours specific to CCPT and a renewal fee of $95.

The Centre for Play Therapy also provides ongoing training in CCPT through annual workshops and conferences.

Supervision Requirements

Completion of 30 continuous weekly sessions of CCPT with a minimum of 3 children, under supervision with an approved CCPT supervisor is a requirement. Remote supervision is available to accommodate therapists in locations where approved supervisors are not available.

Please note that training in the CCPT programme is not a UK accredited Play Therapy qualification, and one could not be called a Play Therapist upon completion of the training.

Theory of Change

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is a systemic intervention grounded in play therapy theory, attachment principles, and interpersonal neurobiology. CCPT is built on the foundation of a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedures who provides selected play materials and facilitates the development of a safe relationship for the children to fully express and explore self-feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviours through play, the child’s natural medium of communication, for optimal growth and development.

Values

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) exemplifies the Centre for Play Therapy’s mission which is to encourage the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy, a dynamic interpersonal relationship between a child and a therapist trained in play therapy procedure.

• Does encouraging the unique development and emotional growth of children through the process of play therapy align with the key values of your organisation?

Priorities

The CCPT programme priorities the use of play therapy to develop a safe relationship between therapist and child to enable them to fully express and explore their self-feelings, thoughts, experiences and behaviours through play, the child’s natural medium of communication, for optimal growth and development and to prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties.

• Is implementing a play therapy to prevent psychosocial difficulties in children and enable optimal growth and development a priority for your organisation?

Existing Initiatives

• Does your service already provide play therapy programmes to support children’s development and emotional growth?
• Does your area have practitioners trained in delivering CCPT?
• Do you have links with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health Services and Child Protection Services to refer onto if required?

Workforce

To deliver Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) requires a mental health practitioner who has received extensive training in Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT) principles and who has participated in the training which takes in total 24 hours. For participants who are not trained mental health practitioners, associate/parent educator certification is available and for mental health professionals working outside the US, the Centre for Play Therapy offer an international CCPT certificate.

• Do you have staff with the required qualifications / experience available to commit to the necessary training in CCPT?

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is delivered over 16-20 weekly, 45-minute individual play sessions in hospital, out-patient, community and school settings by trained practitioners.

• Do you have staff available to commit to delivering the full extent of this intervention?

Technology Support

To implement CCPT requires minimal technological resources. Some of the teaching sessions may require online access to technology that enables web access to teaching, resources, and streaming.

• Do you have access to technology to support practitioners to undertake training online and to access the optional teaching elements of the programme?

Administrative Support

Practitioner preparation for each session is minimal, requiring only printing, photocopying and cutting up of resources in advance of each session and one home activity prepared and sent home per module.

• Do you have enough administrative capacity to meet these needs?

Financial Support

To deliver CCPT requires a total training fee of $880 and 5 yearly renewal of license at $95. Additional resources are also required including the CCPT Therapy Model book at $55 per individual purchase.

• Do you have the finances available to fund the required training and supervision, programme resources and manuals/books?

Comparable Population

Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is designed as a targeted programme for all children aged 3-10 years across the full range of socio-economic levels who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioural and relational disorders.

Evidence of its effectiveness includes populations aged between 5-11 years with highly disruptive, problematic and aggressive behaviours in the south west, south east and north east regions of the US.

• Is this comparable to the population you serve?
• Does your organisation have existing contacts with this population?
• Are you likely to receive enough referrals/demand for eligible children with these problems to populate a recurring programme of CCPT?

Desired Outcome

CCPT is aimed at children ages 3-10 years old who are experiencing social, emotional, behavioural and relational disorders. The goal of CCPT is to unleash the child’s potential to move toward integration and self-enhancing ways of being. CCPT seeks to decrease symptomatic behaviours and improve overall functioning.

Research has demonstrated that CCPT has shown improvements in children’s levels of aggression, self-regulation and learning related self-efficacy, empathy, anxiety and externalizing behaviours.

• Is decreasing symptomatic behaviours and improving overall functioning in children aged 3-10 a desirable outcome for your service?
• Does your organisation have other initiatives in place that effectively and efficiently address the above outcomes?