PTUK - The UK Society for Play and Creative Arts Therapies

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PTUK - The UK Society for Play and Creative Arts Therapies

The first, largest and most innovative Register of Play And Creative Arts Therapists in the UK, accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

PTUK was the first Play Therapy organisation in the world that was accredited by the Professional Standard authority that oversees all Health Care professions in the UK. Play Therapy International ratifies the PTUK standards as they do for many other countries in the world. The Society exists to further the good practice of therapeutic work with children. This includes improving children's emotional literacy as well as alleviating behavioural and mental health problems. Research conducted by PTUK based on over 10,000 cases shows that between 72% and 83% of the children receiving play therapy delivered to PTUK standards show a positive change. PTUK: Helping the children - Protecting the public - Supporting the practitioner. Small enough to care. Large enough to count. Our objectives are:

To act as a professional organisation for anyone working therapeutically with children in the UK using Play and Creative Arts

To promote the benefits of therapeutic work with children. To set standards and provide an ethical framework. To make training and other resources available for therapeutic work with children by working with training providers, disseminating information and accrediting appropriate courses in Play and Creative Therapies. PTUK is forming links with a number of colleges and other specialised training institutions which can offer a variety of Introductory, Certificate, Diploma, Supervisor, Filial coaching courses up to Post Graduate Level and post qualifying. To promote and advance discussion, education and research in Play therapy, Creative Arts Therapies and Child Psychotherapy. To establish and develop professional standards for all those working therapeutically with children. Our detailed objectives are set out formally in the Memorandum and Articles of Association. http://www.playtherapy.org.uk/AboutPTUK/MemandArts.htm

21/09/2026

Children do not have to describe difficult experiences before they are ready. In play therapy, meaning can emerge through stories, movement, images, metaphor, repetition and silence as well as spoken words.

The therapist follows carefully, reflects what is happening and protects the child from pressure to perform or explain. If words come, they are welcomed. If they do not, the play still communicates.

For adults around the child, one of the most supportive responses can be simple: respect the privacy of the session and let the child choose whether to share.

PTUK

16/09/2026

Inside the play therapy toolkit: the sand tray.

Sand can offer a bounded, sensory space where a child may build, bury, arrange, destroy and remake. A scene can change without the child having to explain it before they are ready.

The therapist does not treat one image as a code to crack. They stay curious about process: what is chosen, repeated or changed; how the child uses the space; and what unfolds within the therapeutic relationship.

The tray makes room for a world.
The child decides what that world means.

PTUK

14/09/2026

Play therapy may look like play—because play is the medium.

It is not an unstructured break or a reward. A trained therapist works within a clear therapeutic framework, with consistent sessions, attuned responses and safe boundaries, so a child can communicate and explore experience at a developmentally appropriate pace.

The toys are visible. The clinical thinking, relationship and reflective practice are less visible—but they are what make the space therapeutic.

Save this post for the next time someone asks, “But are they just playing?”

PTI

11/09/2026

✨ Two Fresh Series, New Ideas Every Week!

Starting next week, we’re excited to launch two new weekly series across our social channels:

💬 Monday: Play Therapy Myths & Facts
Exploring common misconceptions and sharing clear, accessible insights into play therapy.

🧸 Wednesday: The Toy in My Play Therapy Toolkit
A closer look at the toys and creative tools used in therapeutic play, and the possibilities they can open up in the playroom.

Each week, we’ll be sharing fresh ideas, practical reflections and new ways to explore the world of play therapy.

Follow along, share with your community and join the conversation! 🌟

10/09/2026

A boundary can be warm and clear

Children need freedom to explore - and adults who remain responsible for safety. A warm boundary can hold both.

Instead of a sharp ’No‘, keep the message calm, brief and specific:

’You really want to draw there. The wall is not for drawing. You can choose the paper or the whiteboard.‘
’You are angry. I will not let you hit. You can stamp your feet or push against this cushion.‘

The feeling is accepted; the unsafe action is limited; a possible choice remains.

This is not a script that will make every child calm immediately. Boundaries work through consistency, relationship and repetition. When adults stay clear without shaming, children learn that strong feelings can be held safely.

In play therapy, boundaries protect the child, the therapist and the therapeutic space while preserving as much freedom as possible within it.

09/09/2026

What does child-led play really mean?

Child-led play does not mean the adult disappears or that anything goes. It means the adult follows the child’s focus, pace and meaning while continuing to hold safety and boundaries.

In everyday play, this can look like:
· observing before directing
· describing rather than testing with questions
· resisting the urge to correct or improve the child‘s idea
· offering choices without taking control
· allowing the child to decide when the story is finished

Following the child’s lead communicates: your ideas matter, and I am here with you.

In play therapy, this stance is used intentionally by a trained therapist within a consistent, confidential and professionally held relationship. It is not passive. The therapist is closely attuned, responsive and responsible for the frame.

Sometimes meaningful support begins when adults make a little more space for the child‘s own way of showing us the world.

07/09/2026

When a child says ‘I don’t know‘

’I don‘t know’ may mean many things: I do not have the words yet. I am worried about getting it wrong. This feels too big. I need more time. Or simply, I really do not know.
Repeating the question rarely creates safety. Instead, adults can:

· pause and reduce the pressure to answer
· reflect what they notice without insisting they are right
· offer choices, drawing, play or movement as other ways to communicate
· return to the conversation later
· accept that not knowing can be an honest response
Children are more likely to share when they feel listened to, not examined.

A child‘s silence is not an absence of communication; it may be a sign that we need to slow down and make more room.

04/09/2026

After school: when the day catches up

Some children appear to manage through the school day, then become tearful, irritable, silent, clingy or overwhelmed when they get home. This can reflect the effort of coping with noise, transitions, learning demands or social expectations - not simply ’bad behaviour‘.

It may help to treat the first part of home time as a period of decompression:

· lower demands for a while
· offer a drink, snack and familiar routine
· allow quiet, movement or repetitive play
· reconnect before asking many questions
· share patterns between home and school if distress continues

Not every difficult afternoon signals a wider problem. Look at the pattern, intensity and impact over time. If a child is regularly overwhelmed or daily life is becoming harder, seek appropriate support early.

Sometimes the behaviour we see at home is the day finally catching up.

02/09/2026

With the new term just around the corner, many children may be feeling a mixture of excitement and uncertainty. For most, back-to-school nerves will ease as routines become familiar. For some, however, the transition may feel much harder.

Persistent distress, significant changes in behaviour, or a child becoming noticeably quieter or more withdrawn are all signs worth paying attention to—not simply as behaviours to manage, but as possible expressions of an unmet need.

For schools, a trauma-informed approach means looking beyond the behaviour and considering what may be happening underneath. Predictable routines, attuned relationships and early, play-based support can help children feel safer and prevent difficulties from escalating.

Trauma-informed schools may not identify every struggling child immediately, but they create the conditions in which children are more likely to feel seen, understood and supported from the very beginning.

31/08/2026

Statement Regarding the Resignation of the Play Therapy Ireland Board

Play Therapy UK (PTUK) acknowledges the resignation of the Board of Play Therapy Ireland. We were surprised to receive this news, as there had been no prior discussion with PTUK about the Board’s decision or the concerns that led to it.

PTUK remains committed to supporting its members in Ireland. We welcome the opportunity to meet with members, listen to their questions and provide clear information wherever we are able to do so.

We will continue to:

- communicate openly with members;
- uphold professional, ethical and registration standards;
- fulfil our professional membership and register responsibilities;
- support continuity for members and the wider professional community; and
- work collaboratively to establish an appropriate and sustainable management structure for Ireland going forward.

We recognise that recent events involving the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC) may also have raised separate concerns for some members. APAC was a separate training organisation and is now subject to a formal liquidation process. Questions or claims relating specifically to APAC, its training arrangements or its finances should therefore be directed to APAC’s appointed liquidators.

Our priority is to maintain professional standards, provide stability and ensure that members in Ireland continue to feel supported, informed and represented. Further updates and opportunities for members to meet with us will be communicated directly.

31/08/2026

Address

Uckfield

Website

http://www.playtherapy.org.uk/

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