1.Evaluate and interpret play therapy theory models and apply them to therapeutic practices for children between 0-8 years of age.

2. Critically evaluate play therapy strategies which can be used to support the recovery process for children aged 0 to 8 years.

Task 1 (LO1)

A 10-minute presentation that outlines how a play therapy resource could be used to support the recovery process of a child between 0-8 years. This is followed by 5 minutes of Q&A by peers. The presentation needs to draw on knowledge of play therapy modules to support the justification of the use of the resource.

Task 2 (LO2)

A 1500-word critical reflection which evaluates the knowledge, skills and understanding required by professionals when supporting the recovery process for children aged 0-8. Students will be required to draw on presentation feedback as well as relevant literature to support their evaluation.

Formative Assessments opportunities include;

Practice Workshops to evaluate different play therapy resources; Peer and tutor feedback on resource ideas and planned tutorials to gain feedback on plan of work for Task 2.

This module builds on the knowledge and understanding of play pedagogies gained at level 4. Students will gain a critical understanding of how children (0-8) can be affected by trauma, drawing on relevant theory and research. They will examine play therapy principles from an historical and contemporary perspectives.

The module is underpinned by practical activity, where students will have the opportunity to examine the range of strategies commonly used in play therapy. These include but are not limited to: Neurolinguistic programming, self-regulation, e coaching, and SFC.

An important consideration for students is the professional and ethical dilemmas that may be encountered when supporting children who have been affected by trauma.

This module¿offers¿an opportunity to learn about children who have experienced trauma and the role of play therapy in supporting children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences.

The teaching, learning and assessment strategy has been carefully developed for this module. It recognises you may bring with you practical experience and knowledge of specific contexts to share with others. This pool of practical experience will be used to promote discussion and debate, which will build upon existing knowledge to encourage reflection and critical thought. You will be an active participant in your learning and engage with online learning, some face to face content, group activities and individual tasks set. You will be encouraged to be a critical thinker and apply your learning in an academic and professional context. Some sessions require prior reading and independent research to inform the sessions.

A digitally enabled approach will be used to support both virtual and face to face opportunities.

University workshops will draw upon your experience and help you to interpret that experience in the light of current thinking on teaching, learning, assessment and schooling in relation to literacy and numeracy. You will also be asked to use the ideas explored in the sessions in planning your future work. You will also be asked to collaborate with others in preparing and presenting your work.

The methods are designed to provide practical contexts for the analysis of contemporary issues and problems of a practical nature. The following strategies will be adopted to ensure that you have a supportive teaching and learning environment, providing a range of learning opportunities

Work Related Learning – You will be required to reflect on values, practices, assumptions and work-place policies in your taught sessions. Work-based activities either as class based simulated tasks or in the workplace help students to establish connections between the workplace and issues raised by the programme.

Lectures - You will be given lectures which will provide theoretical underpinning on key educational concepts. These may take the form of face-to-face, digital or virtual sessions

Tutorials – You will be given the opportunity to discuss work-related and academic concerns in small group tutorials and/or individual tutorials. This will support the development of theoretical understanding.

Guided reading and supported self-study – You will be provided with booklists and reading tasks in order to enable you to engage with relevant and appropriate debates.

This module will also provide opportunities for you to:

Work with others

develop interpersonal skills

demonstrate the capacity to plan, share goals, and work as a member of a team

communicate and present oral and written arguments

Mellenthin, C. (2019) Attachment Centered Play Therapy Paperback. Routledge; Oxon

Perry, D & Szalavitz, M. (2017) The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (3rd Ed) Harper, London

Music, G et al (2019) Supporting Vulnerable Babies and Young Children: Interventions for Working with Trauma, Mental Health, Illness and Other Complex Challenges. Jessica Kingsley Publishers; London

Unless otherwise stated, all books are available online through Staffordshire University library website when logged in using your university username and password. If you have difficulty accessing these, please contact the University library. There is also an online reading list for each module on this course. To access this, go to http://staffs.rebuslist.com/ and then type in the module code in the search box. Do not worry if this list seems excessively long. You may wish to focus on texts which are most relevant to your education sector. This module covers a wide range of texts and you may find that you only need to read short sections of the texts listed (or from other texts that you may find in libraries or journals). Your tutor will also advise you on the relevant texts and sections of texts to read. Remember that it is important to show you have considered views from a wide range of sources. When referring to texts in your assignment, always use https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/refzone for guidance. There are many versions of Harvard referencing systems in use around the world, but for Staffordshire University, Refzone Harvard system is the only correct method to use.

Study skills:

For guidance on academic writing, remember that the Staffordshire University library holds a wealth of resources to support study skills at https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/study-skills. The study skills team can also provide 1 to 1 support

VLE Resources¿¿

Your University VLE will enable you to have access to course materials, lecture notes, PowerPoint presentations and reading lists.¿ Your VLE offers opportunities to engage in group work and independent learning¿by the use of¿such things as synchronous/asynchronous discussion boards, video links, blogs and wikis