NICHED Professional Practitioner

in Creative Play Therapy

Welcome to The National Institute of Childcare and Education. The NICHED Professional Practitioner Programme is a structured academic programme of ongoing professional development, leading to the professional status of Creative Play Therapist.

NICHED is committed to supporting each child's emotional development and learning, as outlined within the current legislative framework: EVERY CHILD MATTERS. Each child needs to be supported by effective practitioners, so they can achieve the best in life. In order to help make certain each child gets the best support, there is a Bursary Award available of £1750 for new NICHED Professional Practitioner students, to encourage professional development within all domestic and professional childcare settings. Click here for details.

Creative Play Therapy engages children and their families in cycles of positive behavioural changes, supporting self-esteem, emotional intelligence and positive learning dispositions.

Our professional development programme is designed to create a safe and supportive environment for students to develop the professional and personal skills to practice Creative Play Therapy effectively and sensitively with individual clients. The NICHED Professional Practitioner programme consists of 2000 hours of training, tutorials and clinical supervision. Students are supported by their Personal Tutor in the integration of theory with practice. Students undertake specialist research projects and case studies including: attachment disorder, autistic spectrum, anxiety and post traumatic stress, sensory integration, family systems treatments.

All NEW students begin their Structured Professional Development (SPD) with us in the Foundation Certificate Programme. On successful completion of each SPD, students can advance to the next level.

Click here for how to enrol, and for further enrolment details.

NICHED uses a range of interactive educational methods to support your studies, including Professional Development Workshops, distance-learning modules, case studies and clinical supervision. A large part of your studies are undertaken whilst you are working with children. We call this Active Learning.

Our Resources Page

We have created an extensive on-line library of articles, links and research documents to support your study with us. You have the most up to date, in depth analysis and research supporting your professional development. Look at our Resources page which has a small selection from our extensive on-line library.

Professional Development in Child Care and Education