CE2) Art Therapy Diploma - Level 6: Creative Therapeutic Practice For Children & Young People

This course is open for registration now. 

This course is a level 6 diploma certification, delivered over 12 months, and is the first in the region, certified by the Counseling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB). It has been designed and created specifically to support the growing number of children and young people experiencing mental health and emotional issues, particularly since the pandemic. This theoretical and practice-led course will provide learners with the essential research-informed creative therapeutic skills required to work effectively and ethically with children and young people.

The course is suitable for applicants with an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification in the field of art and child-focused areas, for example, Nursing, Education, Psychology, and Youth work. Those with equitable professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The course is targeted to the existing Child and Young People workforce who wish to further enhance their creative therapeutic skills to support the mental health of children and young people.

 

Modules will cover the ethical, practical, systemic, cross-cultural, and creative theoretical components essential to delivering effective and creative therapeutic intervention to children and young people. 

Classroom lectures are delivered online, one full day per month, which makes it suitable for those from a wide geographical reach, in employment, or with other commitments.

The course will include the following:

· lectures

· clinical placements

· supervision

· experiential art-based practice

· case studies

Course Schedule: 

  • Class 1: September 23-2023
  • Class 2: October 21-2023 
  • Class 3: November 18-2023
  • Class 4: December 16-2023
  • Class 5: January 06-2024
  • Class 6: February 03-2024
  • Class 7: March 02-2024
  • Class 8: March 30-2024
  • Class 9: April 27-2024
  • Class 10: May 25-2024
  • Class 11; June 22-2024
  • Class 12; July 27-2024

1.       Description of the qualification, including the course aims and objectives

The course is a level 6 Diploma for professionals who are already working with children and young people or who wish to further specialize in working with this client group. International therapists who have successfully completed prior art therapy training are also invited to apply as this online training is accessible across the region.  This diploma is most similar to art therapy training but is designed to further enhance and advance creative therapeutic interventions for children and young people in the Gulf Region

The course is intensive practice-led and theoretically informed. It will equip learners with the work-ready skills required to operate effectively and ethically as a member of the contemporary Children and Young People (CYP) workforce. Twelve distinct modules will cover the ethical, practical, systemic, legislative, and theoretical components essential to delivering safe, effective, and evidence-based creative therapeutic interventions with children and young people in a range of settings.

Learners will be expected to find their own placement which could be their current place of work or a setting where they deliver honorary work. The suitability of placement settings should be discussed with supervisors to ensure that they will be able to offer a good enough setting for learners to apply and demonstrate their course learning. We plan to deliver taught modules online but practice placements will be conducted in person if COVID-linked restrictions allow this. We will include teaching online art therapy with CYPs to ensure that students develop these skills as the online practice is likely to continue to be a requested option post-COVID.

2.       Target candidate group

Applicants from a range of backgrounds will be eligible to apply. They may be qualified for degree, PG Dip, MA, MSC level or have equivalent professional qualification

       

Class Outline

FAQs

What is the mode of delivery for the course?

The 12-monthly seminars will be delivered online (Distance Learning). Placements will be a mix of in-person and online work. 

Will I be expected to find my own placement?

Yes. This can be your current place of work or a place where you are undertaking voluntary work. You will be expected to discuss the suitability of your potential placement setting with your allocated supervisor to ensure that it can provide a good enough environment to enable you to apply the course learning.

Will I be expected to find my own supervisor?

No. A supervisor will be allocated to you for the duration of the course. This supervisor will be a suitably qualified and experienced therapist who will be fully versed with the course curriculum to enable you to maximize the application of learning to your work setting. Supervision will be conducted monthly via zoom.

Will I have to pay for my supervisor?

No. The cost of supervision is included in the course fee.

Do I need to have a certain amount of experience of working with children?

Although it will be helpful to have had at least one year’s experience of working with children, there is no minimum experience required for learners.

On what age group of children will the course focus?

The course will be suitable for those working with children from 2.5 to 18 years old. Candidates working with children out of this age range will be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the course content is applicable to those outside the age range.

Will the course improve my chances of being employed in the field of psychotherapy?

Yes. Creative Therapeutic Practice with children and young people is a significant growth area with increasing opportunities for employment within schools, charities, nurseries and other childcare settings. In addition, the current pandemic has exacerbated the existing year on year increase in children and young people’s mental health issues which means that accessible child friendly intervention is needed now more than ever.

Will employers recognise this qualification?

This is a new qualification – tailor made to address a significant training and Delivery Gap in the region – The strategic vision is to embed this as a new professional qualification.

Will I be expected to have done voluntary work prior to the course?

Voluntary work is not a prerequisite for the course.

How much does the course cost?

The full course fee is QAR 40,000.

What can you do with this diploma in terms of career opportunities?

The course is a new offering in the region, it is tailor-made qualification, a unique qualification designed to meet the specific needs of our community, due to the shortage of professionals equipped to support the mental health needs of children and young people, especially since the onset of the pandemic. The course is practical and intended to upskill professionals wishing to further their careers and/or simply acquire necessary knowledge and skill set to support children and adolescents through the implementation of therapeutic art.  It is an accredited course by the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) UK. The course is predominantly practical, allowing students in the UK to work directly with children. As the course is the first of its kind in the region, there is no guarantee that the same privilege/authorization will be granted by other States. However, for professionals already working with children, there should be no issue or concern.

This course does not provide a stand-alone qualification with which candidates, upon successful completion of the course, can seek employment but provide a skill set that in combination with other qualifications, will enhance applicants in job market in settings dealing with children.

Is there a continuation of this certificate that can lead to a Diploma/Masters's program?

This course is a professional diploma (at a level 6 award, a boutique practical clinical course). Master’s degree is a follow on to this course which, barring any unforeseen circumstance, it will be offered in the near future.

For further understanding on level 6 award, follow the link below: 

https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels

What are the enrollment criteria? Do I need any special qualifications?

The course is primarily suitable, for teachers, learning support assistants, SENCOS/inclusion teams, school counselors, nursery workers, program developers, working in e.g. museum settings, NGO’s, government employees working in the capacity of supporting children, mental health and allied health practitioners, among others. Other suitably qualified or experienced practitioners (from a formal art background for example), and those who previously completed the foundation in art therapy course, are encouraged to apply and join the course. There will also be special considerations on a case-by-case basis if the applicant is assessed to have equitable experience through an interview process.

Who is the course suitable for?

This course is suitable for applicants qualified to graduate level or equivalent or postgraduate level in any child focussed area of practice, as outlined above. Those with equitable professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.  

Does taking this course mean I will be an art therapist?

The course has been designed and created in response to a significant gap in the training in the region which has meant that a potential workforce of ambitious, talented vocational practitioners is compelled to seek further study abroad, in the USA, Australia, Singapore, UK, etc. Candidates on this course will be able to apply their learning within 3 months of joining the course enabling them to support the children and young people in their existing place of work as part of their study. This course will not allow for participants to call themselves Art Therapists; however, upon satisfactory completion of the course, candidates are eligible to call themselves creative therapeutic practitioners for children and young people, recognised by CPCAB UK, Level 6 award.

Please note: VCUQatar reserves the right to cancel classes if there are not enough participants registered. Already paid fees will be refunded.

Please do not purchase materials until you receive final course confirmation from VCUQatar.

Items to buy for this class

Cardboard Boxes

  • For decorating  
  • For storage of  art works (A4 photocopy paper boxes)

Paper

  • Assorted A4 to A1 paper
  • Tissue paper
  • Coloured and white

Drawing and colouring

  • Pencils, rubbers, pencil sharpeners
  • Coloured pencils
  • Wax crayons
  • Charcoal
  • Pastils
  • Felt tipped pens (thick and thin)
  • Poster paint
  • Thick and thin bushes
  • Inks
  • Container for water
  • Palette for paint
  • Old t shirt or shirt to protect clothes 

Sculpture

  • Air hardening clay
  • Plasticine
  • Balsa wood
  • Recycling e.g. small containers and cardboard boxes

Cutting and sticking

  • Safe scissors
  • Masking tape
  • Glue sticks
  • Magazines for collage

Quick results

  • Stamps
  • Sticky shapes
  • Googly eyes
  • Wool
  • Felt shapes
  • Feathers
  • Glitter  
  • Glitter glue
  • Masks for decorating
  • Wool
  • String
  • Buttons
  • Shells

 

 

 

 

 

On occasion, there might be additional materials to purchase and bring in as advised by the instructor.

Where to buy your materials

Most of the materials are available from any art supply shop, for example:

  • Cass Art (Fire station): Community Classes students get a 15% discount upon presenting the registration ticket
  • Jarir Bookstore: Located on Rayyan Road or Salwa Road
  • Color Note: Situated on Al Nasser Street
  • Ibn Al Qayyim: Found at Markhiya Roundabout
  • Al Rawnaq

Register »

Terms & Conditions apply

Participants must buy their own materials

Start
Sat, 23 Sep, 2023
End
Sat, 27 Jul, 2024
Lessons
12
Days
Saturdays
Time
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Location
Online
Cost
QAR 40000

Instructor

Mary Rose Brady

Course Director 

Co- Founder of The Centre for Creative Therapeutic Practice, MARY ROSE BRADY is a Consultant Art Psychotherapist, Parenting Practitioner and Lecturer with over 30 years’ experience in working with the impact of trauma on child, adolescent and adult development. 

Mary Rose’s interest in the unique role that making art plays in trauma intervention began early in her career when co establishing the Post Graduate Art Psychotherapy course in the Netherlands and was involved in research projects in Asylum Seeker Centres assessing the impact of war on children’s drawing development.

During “the fall of the iron curtain” she was invited to present at a Governmental Conference in St Petersburg on the therapeutic use of art with traumatised populations.

Mary Rose is a guest lecturer on trauma, attachment and child development- and its impact across the lifecycle, at a number of Universities and Institutes including the University of Hertfordshire, the Institute of Arts in Education, the Anna Freud Centre and the British Association of Art Therapists.

Mary Rose was previously Director of Operations and Lead advisor for Children and Young People’s Mental Health at the British Association of Art Therapists and Head of Parenting and Creative Therapies one of the UK’s leading Children’s Charities. She has currently been commissioned to write the Handbook for Working with Children and young People in Art Therapy.

Instructor

Dr Patricia Watts

Lecturer

DR PATRICIA WATTS is an independent art therapist, practice supervisor, and consultant who specializes in working with children and young people through her own private practice.  Patricia is also a Founding Director of the Centre for Creative Therapeutic Practice which is a training service to support the children’s workforce. Patricia also works as a Lecturer for Arts Therapies at Queen Margaret University and is a Lecturer on the Introduction to Art Therapy course at the University of Glasgow. 

 

Patricia is also a CPCAB-approved supervisor and has been a regular supervisor on the BAAT level 6 Children’s Diploma Course since 2017.  Patricia previously worked in the voluntary sector within children and family services as a Practitioner and Team Leader and was previously elected as a Council Member for the British Association of Art Therapists representing Scottish members. Patricia has completed a Professional Doctorate in Health and Social Science and her research examined what practitioners notice about the impact of poverty within therapeutic sessions. 

Instructor

Sarah Kendrick

Lecturer

SARAH KENDRICK is a Psychotherapist with over 25 years of post-qualification experience. She has worked with vulnerable children and families therapeutically in school, social care, and community settings throughout her career and has held senior positions in some of the UK’s leading charities. 

Sarah is currently the Clinical Director at Shout, a pioneering text-only mental health service for people in need of urgent support. Sarah has an abiding interest in early intervention in mental health and in the development of strategies for improving connections in communities and across organisations.

Sarah is a guest lecturer at the British Association of Art Therapists and a Multidisciplinary Clinical Supervisor in private practice.

Instructor

Natalia Gomez Carlier, MAAT, ATR-BC

Lecturer

NATALIA GOMEZ CARLIER earned her degree in psychology from Universidad de Los Andes, a master's in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is currently a Ph.D. student of Transpersonal Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies. She is also a Registered Board-Certified Art Therapist with the American Art Therapy Association. Natalia was a founder and President of the Colombian Art Therapy Association, taught at universities, and frequently presented at International Mental Health Conferences. She has practiced as a psychotherapist for more than 20 years in Bogota, Chicago, New York, Muscat, and Dubai. In psychotherapy, Natalia incorporates Psychodynamic, CBT, Gestalt, Brief Therapy, Jungian Therapy, Transpersonal, Mindfulness, and other modalities, and the uniqueness of each individual orients therapy. She speaks English and Spanish fluently and is a 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher. 

Instructor

Sara Powell HCPC, UK reg.

Lecturer

SARA POWELL is the founder of ATIC Psychological Counseling Center. She is from the UK, a Third Culture Kid, growing up in the Gulf. She is an Art Psychotherapist and is registered with the Health Care Profession Council (HCPC) UK and a member of the British Association of Art Therapists (BAAT). Sara has over 11 years of clinical experience and has provided psychotherapy to children, adolescents, adults, and families, and facilitated a variety of groups and programs. Sara is passionate about supporting women, specializing in child and adolescent-related disorders, and has worked extensively with people of determination and those who are non-verbal. Sara is a mother to a toddler and during her pregnancy observed a need for perinatal and postnatal mental health as well as an overall lack of early intervention services available for children 6 years and below, which led Sara to the introduction of ATIC’s Early Intervention and Child Development services. Sara has overseen numerous projects consulting Government agencies in Singapore and UAE (in forensic settings, with addiction as well as in medical settings, and with vulnerable children and young people). Sara is a published author and has presented at many national, regional, and international conferences.