Monika Jephcott

Monika has over 17 years successful experience of managing professional organisations, as Chief Executive and Clinical Director of Play Therapy UK (PTUK). of which she was a founding member in 1998. This has grown to become the largest Play Therapy professional organization in the UK and the first to have a Register of Play and Creative Arts Therapists accredited by the Professional Standards Authority in April 2013. Since its formation, PTUK has led the way in innovations in the field of play therapy.

This includes the development of the Integrative Holistic model of play therapy which is the only one, worldwide, to be validated by a substantial number of clinical outcome measures.

She was elected President of Play Therapy International (PTI) in December 2002, which is responsible for promoting Play Therapy and administering the standards required for safe and effective practice outside the UK.

She is also Chief Executive and founder, of the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC). This has grown to become the largest UK and international provider of post graduate training for Play Therapists and Practitioners in Therapeutic Play Skills, in partnership with several Universities. The design of the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy programme was the first to emphasise the essential need for experiential training methods for play therapy and blend it with on-line learning methods.

Elected member (2010-2015) of the BACP CYP Division Executive to represent the interests of children.

Programme design, organization, presentation and management of 325 post graduate play therapy training courses, over 3000 trainees and many shorter workshops including a variety of cultural settings.

Achieved validation of the MA in Practice Based Play Therapy programme by Leeds Beckett, Canterbury Christ Church, Chichester Universities and the National University of Ireland (Galway).

Developed specialist training courses for clinical supervision of play and creative arts therapists, filial play coaching and sand play therapy skills.

Adapted the filial play coaching course to improve the recovery of severely malnourished Ethiopian children resulting in greatly improved height and weight increases and a reduction in mortality.

Designed and implemented a training programme for Play Therapy Course Directors and Facilitators. This has resulted in a faculty of 16 that trains world wide.

Place 2 B Project Manager 1997/8 – delivering therapeutic play services in a primary school.

Set up and ran two innovative managed counselling services for over 300 000 adults in two NHS Primary Care Group/Trusts for 40 GP practices improving the efficiency of service delivery. Recruitment and selection of Counsellors and Trainees. Supervised the Management of Trainee Counsellors. Consultations with and management, professional staff and therapists including wage negotiations. Financial management of counselling services keeping within strict budgets for the NHS.

Introduced and managed the use of clinical governance systems and specification of enhancements for adult counselling and therapeutic play.

Liaison with voluntary associations and help groups.

Developed an Integrated Counselling Service Delivery Model – used to achieve dramatic improvements in counsellor/therapist performance, quality of treatment, volume of referrals, equity of provision and implementation of national guidelines. Results published at BACP Research Conference (2001). Two papers written.

Co-author ‘A National Strategy for the Psychological Support of Ethiopian Children’, a study for UNICEF.

Jointly developed the “Therapeutic Play Continuum” – published in various forms in a number of journals including “The World of Children” and “Play Words”. Presented to the International Conference of Play Therapy (Wroxton – 2002)

Co-author of PTUK’s Ethical Framework. (2002)

Joint developer of the Profession Structure Model including the Play Therapy Competence Framework(for practitioners of therapeutic play. (2002)

Convenor and Clinical Adviser for the 2004 and 2010 World Congresses for Play Therapy.

20 years experience as a counsellor and psychotherapist, gained with a wide variety of clients and presenting conditions. Specialist skills working with couples, families and children, individually and in groups.

Using and refining patient assessment techniques.

Over 6000 hours direct counselling and play therapy experience with clients.

Provided 2500+ hours clinical supervision.