BAPT Annual Conference

• Course details

• Downloadable conference booking form

• Information about lectures

• Information about workshops

• Biographies of the keynote speakers

• Information about the conference venue

• Accommodation

• Pre conference day course on 27th June 2008

• Downloadable booking form for 27/6/08

• Other BAPT training events

• Downloadable booking form

2008 Conference

Course details

Annual Conference
Saturday 28th June 2008
Sunday 29th June 2008

"Evidence Based Practice of Play Therapy"

Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Russell Square, London, WC1H 0XG


Conference Booking Form

Information about lectures

Day 1

Charles Schaefer
Evidence based practice of play therapy Part 1
Importance of evidence based play interventions
Meta-analytic studies of play therapies effectiveness
Research supported play prevention programmes
Research supported play based interventions for internalising disorders including adjustment reactions, separation anxiety and fears/phobias

Virginia Ryan
Imaginative Research Methods in Play Therapy: Suggestions for researching the process of Play Therapy

Day 2

Charles Schaefer
Evidence based practice of play therapy Part 2
Research supported play based interventions for externalising disorders including oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder and anger problems.

Christine Daniel-McKeigue
Signalling Change: Examination of a research investigation that has attempted to identify the nature of change within Play Therapy

Information about workshops

Day 1

Virginia Ryan and Richard Chillery
Comparing a Group Filial Therapy programme with an Incredible Years programme for a CAHMS service.
Virginia and Richard will give an overview of their group filial therapy programme based on L. Guerney's model, and Virginia will discuss the research project's design and preliminary results. A useful clinical and research tool, the Measurement of Empathy in Adult Child Interactions will be demonstrated using video material.

Jess Jaeger
The CHAPTER Project – Children Asked about Play Therapy in Expert Role
There is increasing interest in eliciting children’s views of the services they use, due to both services’ drive towards accountability and children’s rights advocates’ desire to truthfully represent children’s views. The challenge, as much child development research already has amply demonstrated, is to find methods for children that truly reflect their views and that clearly represent what they think are the most important aspects of the services they participated in. Arguably play therapy has an important role here. Outcome research in Play Therapy is now better established, particularly in the USA, which shows that in general Play Therapy is an effective intervention for a wide population (see Bratton et. al., 2005). However, objective measures often seem to be viewed as not measuring the changes therapists perceive in their clients and not being child-oriented.
Play-based evaluation methods were developed in my clinical practice and have been further refined through the development of research protocols, (see Jäger and Ryan, 2007). Over 20 qualified play therapists have been trained in using the techniques and have been undertaking play-based evaluations in their practice over the past year. The CHAPTER project was set up, in conjunction with this training, to gather children’s views of Play Therapy. The main aims of the project are to explore the use of play-based methods as evaluation tools within Play Therapy and contribute to the research on evaluating Play Therapy interventions with children and young people who have emotional and behavioural problems. In this paper I will outline the development of the techniques using video footage to illustrate how play-based evaluations are used. I will then present the preliminary findings of the study. There will be an experiential exercise at the end of the workshop to bring play-based evaluations to life.

John Robertson and Stuart Daniel
Play Therapy and Additional Support Needs
Living with a profound learning difficulty or a pervasive developmental disorder such as autism presents young people and their support networks with particularly challenging, potentially overwhelming experiences. This workshop is an opportunity for two play therapists (one qualified and one in training), to share their different experiences of using play with young people and their families who are living with significant additional support needs.

The workshop will include experiential play activities, case study presentations, and opportunities to debate the issues raised by such an approach.

Di Gammage
'Measuring the unmeasurable in Play Therapy'.
'Play therapists are frequently asked and expected to undertake psychological/therapeutic assessments on children, usually over a short time period. In this workshop we will explore some of our responses as person-centred play therapists to this request, identify some of the areas we are drawn to, and ask, how can we measure the unmeasurable? This is an enquiry...not a definitive outcome'.

Nina Rye
Not the lone ranger
The role of play therapists within professional networks

Anne Barnes
Play Therapy with Traumatized Children: Integrating Approaches to Trauma
This workshop will explore the interface between Play therapy and other models of therapeutic intervention, with specific reference to the experiences of Looked After Children."

Day 2

Christine Daniel McKeigue, Della Austin, Chris Daniel-McKeigue, Tim Woodhouse and Alison Woolf
To research or not to research, that is the ethical question
The consideration of complex ethical issues may be a factor that deters therapists from conducting and publishing research. Codes of ethical conduct exist to guide researchers but the reality of applying them and facing the gatekeepers of research in the form of an ethical committee within an academic institution or the NHS Central Office of Research Ethical Committees may inhibit investigations within play therapy.
This session will explore theoretical, philosophical, and practical issues related to ethical research practice in play therapy and aims to encourage and guide practitioners to navigate the labyrinth of ethics.
The presenters will draw on a variety of experiences of creating investigations, seeking ethical approval and conducting research. The workshop aims to provide information and to provoke reflection and discussion about a number of significant issues.

The presenters are all experienced play therapy practitioners and lecturers at Liverpool Hope University who have experience of conducting research:

Simon Kerr Edwards
The Rhythm of Adoptive Relationships
Playful approaches to deepening attachment

Geraldine Thomas
Early Intervention Play Therapy in Schools - A tried and tested method for helping children access the curriculum
Play therapy in primary schools aims to support children, aged between 4 and 12, who have difficulties accessing the school curriculum because of social, emotional or challenging behaviour. Those children who come to the attention of educational staff because they are under-functioning or failing to develop can be helped to address earlier or ongoing experiences which are likely to have contributed to a distortion in cognitive and social functioning. Fears, anger and anxiety which have built up but which have not been explored in either the home or school situation, which now manifest as obstacles to learning or school refusal, can be safely examined in the therapeutic space within the school environment. In providing a way in which the child’s emotional needs can be met, play therapy aims to separate out the extent to which learning difficulties are emotionally based, thereby removing some constraints on the child’s functioning. Improvements of the child’s behaviour, social and academic achievements are discussed and evaluated alongside the perceived resolution of themes presented in the play therapy sessions.

David LeVay
Play Therapy for Children with Sexually problematic and harmful behaviours
Exploring factors that cause children to display problematic sexual behaviour and how play therapy can provide an effective strategy for them

Judith James
The Play Therapist as an expert witness
Exploring taking letters of instruction, assessment methods, contracting with the child, report writing and reference to the research literature.


Alison Green and Steve Farnfield
Assessing Attachment - to play or not to play?
This workshop will explore play therapy practice in relation to attachment theory and models of assessment and intervention

Biographies of the keynote speakers

Charles Schaefer is considered by many to be the "Father of Play Therapy". He is Professor of Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, New Jersey. An expert in the field of play therapy, he is the cofounder of the Association for Play Therapy and the founder and co-director of the Play Therapy Training Institute in New Jersey. Dr. Schaefer was presented with the Distinguished Service Award-International Association for Play Therapy in 1996, and the Distinguished Faculty Award for Research & Scholarship, Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1994. Dr Schaefer has written or edited more than 50 books on parenting, child psychology and play therapy.

Virginia Ryan is a child psychologist, a qualified play therapist/supervisor, and a certified filial therapy instructor. In her clinical work she provides a range of services for children, younger teens, their parents, teachers and carers, along with the professionals who work with them. Virginia also works part time at the University of York, where she is the director of their MA/Diploma postgraduate programme in play therapy, as well as a PhD supervisor on play therapy topics. Virginia has a variety of research interests, including the process of play therapy, imaginative play development and maltreatment. She has published widely in play therapy, including her book co-authored with Kate Wilson, Play Therapy: A Non-directive Approach for Children and Adolescents, 2nd Edition.

Chris Daniel-McKeigue is a qualified and experienced drama therapist and play therapist. She is director of the play therapy training at Liverpool Hope University and is employed as a practitioner within the NHS. She was awarded a research fellowship by the NHS Research and Development Directorate to investigate the nature of change in play therapy and is currently in the final stages of completing the investigation and submitting the work as part of a PhD at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Information about the conference venue

Address: Brunei Gallery, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square. London WC1H 0XG
Telephone no: 0207 898 4917
Email address: www.soas.ac.uk/conferences

Accommodation

Hotels near the Brunei Gallery, SOAS
Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury
0870 400 9222
www.london-bloomsbury.holiday-inn.com
The Park Inn (formerly Bonnington Hotel)
0207 242 2828
Le Meridian Russell
0207 837 6470
www.principalhotels.co.uk
Imperial Hotels:
Tavistock Hotel
Imperial Hotel
President Hotel
Royal National Hotel
Bedford Hotel
County Hotel
0207 278 7871
www.imperialhotels.co.uk

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Pre conference day course on 27th June 2008

Course Title: “PLAY THERAPY: A BEGINNER'S GUIDE”
Everything you ever wanted to know about starting out as a Play Therapist but were too afraid to ask!

PLEASE NOTE THIS TRAINING DAY HAS NOW BEEN WITHDRAWN DUE TO INSUFFICIENT NUMBERS.

Apologies to those who had expressed an interest

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Other BAPT training events:

Training Day Friday 18th July 2008

'Practical and Playful Supervision Strategies for Expressive Content’

The main aim for this third training day in the supervision series is to increase play therapists' specialist supervision skills and enable them to be more effective supervisors for both play therapists and other child therapists. We will apply well established models of supervision for therapists (e.g. the developmental, cyclical, and process models) to play therapy practice. Participants' own supervision experiences will be drawn on and supervision methods will be practiced throughout the day. The use of play materials and expressive techniques during supervision will be a particular focus.

Trainer: Virginia Ryan

Venue : Friends Meeting House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
This day training is open to all qualified BAPT Play Therapists who have at least 2 years' post qualifying experience. BAPT supervisors and Play Therapists who are interested in becoming supervisors are welcome to attend. (Attendance on the first two days [June '07 and Jan '08]is not a pre-requisite for attending this day)

Cost : £70 (lunch not included)
To reserve a place send a cheque for £70 payable to BAPT to Janet Steel, 1 Beacon Mews, South Road, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 9DZ

Booking Form

Downloadable booking form