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Diploma in Therapeutic Wellbeing Practice with Children and Young People Course Details

Multi-Disciplinary

course 2

IATE Diploma in Wellbeing Practice for Children and Young People

(Undergraduate Associate Certificate UEL)

LEVEL 5

This educates students in fundamental multi-disciplinary perspectives, creativity, human potential and wellbeing with placement options in child therapeutic counselling, therapeutic creative group work, mentoring and keyworking.  

Children and young people need tailored interventions and our therapeutic practitioners can promote child mental health and emotional wellbeing through innovative and creative approaches in accordance with each child's individual needs and capabilities.  This course is delivered on nine weekends over three terms in a period of one year. 

Supervision with an appropriately qualified and registered therapeutic professional is a key component throughout the duration of training.

Course Content

Safeguarding, Child Development and Wellbeing

Safeguarding, Child Development and Wellbeing explores links between child development, adverse childhood experiences, child mental health and emotional wellbeing.  This underlines the significance of relational-developmental perspectives, child protection and safeguarding, evaluating risk factors and protective factors in children's lives.  Emphasising rights-informed approaches and trauma- informed care, recognising children's vulnerability and dependency as well as agency, autonomy and participatory voices, children's lived experience and subjective wellbeing is fundamental to the approach.  Creativity inspires individual motivation, meaning, purpose, resilience and recovery.  

Creativity, Human Potential and Wellbeing

Creativity, Human Potential and Wellbeing develops the necessary core competencies for creative and relational approaches to wellbeing using the arts, sports, leisure, communication technology, nature and complementary health.  Mentalization-informed practice can be adapted and applied to any meaningful activities which inspire children.  Students are supported to select from three options including: key working, mentoring and creative group work in accordance with their practice in placements, identifying children's needs, assessment and formulation, risk assessment, evaluation of outcomes, case presentation and, where necessary, making appropriate referrals.  

Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives

Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives investigates 'what is wellbeing?' including the exploration of multi-factorial and multi-dimensional influences on children's physical, cognitive, social and emotional development, mental health and wellbeing.  The emphasis on multi-disciplinary approaches to wellbeing shares influence from youth work, social work, mental health, therapy and education.  Informed by legal, ethical and policy frameworks as well as therapeutic principles and values this underlines the value of psycho-education and support for parents, carers and professionals as well as the participatory voice of the child in decision making processes.  

Mentoring

Mentoring makes intentional use of a therapeutic relationship to enable growth, development and change through a consistent and supportive presence over time. The aim is to provide a ‘secure base’ which can offer opportunities for the development of wellbeing capacities, reparation and change. Therapeutic approaches to mentoring recognise that children and young people who may have experienced trauma or complex relationships in the past may need to develop a trusting and stable emotional bond with a safe and effective role model towards strengthening their sense of self. The quality of emotional attunement, mentalization and regulation can enhance interpersonal relationships in the present and future with parents, families, carers, peers, teachers, professionals or others. The mentoring relationship can enable youth engagement, healing and transformation towards positive outcomes in all areas of life.  This can include success in academic achievements, health and wellbeing, career development, personal relationships, economic and creative contributions to community.

Key Working

Key working provides the intentional use of a therapeutic relationship to foster personal, social and emotional development in a multi-disciplinary context. Key working embraces a multiplicity of roles and responsibilities depending on the child’s presenting issues, life circumstances, needs and capabilities in the context and setting of the work. As a relationally-based, mentalization-informed methodology, the key relationship is with the child who remains central and paramount. However, there are also other relationships which can be initiated and developed including consultative contact with parents, carers, teachers, social workers, therapists, volunteers or other allied health professionals in the Team Around the Child (TAC). This is a bio-psychosocial approach attending to the child’s hierarchy of needs and lived experience, including awareness of adverse childhood experiences and trauma-informed care.  This integrative systemic approach understands the impact of the child’s unconscious process on the matrix of care and network of inter-dependent personal and professional relationships.

Creative Group Work

Creative group work makes intentional use of the group to explore a wide range of creative and relational possibilities. The group itself is a vehicle through which growth, change and development can be facilitated. Participants have the opportunity to individuate within the safety and containment of the group including support from peer relationships, themes explored within the creative structures provided and including the influence and presence of the skilled facilitator. The challenge for creative leadership is to balance the development of safety, risk, freedom and direction within meaningful and satisfying activities in a person-centred, process orientated approach. The facilitator’s role is to develop a working alliance, including bonds, tasks and goals, working collaboratively with the group members to co-produce aims and evaluate outcomes with awareness of diversity, equal opportunities, and inclusive practice. 

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"My learning has not only vastly benefited individuals, families, communities and organisations within the context of my work; it has also had a significant and positive impact on members within my own family relationships during challenging episodes such as dealing with bereavement and loss, dire mental health and social issues eg. bullying and gang grooming"

Student

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The Diploma Course

The Diploma course in Therapeutic Wellbeing Practice for Children and Young People includes:

  • Providing education, training and research into therapeutic, creative and multi-disciplinary approaches to professional practice with children and young people

  • Examining a range of influences that inform child development, wellbeing capacities and multi-agency practice

  • Developing knowledge, skills and understanding for working safely and effectively with children and young people with awareness of diversity, adversity and complexity in their lives

  • Providing knowledge, skills and understanding of personal, social and emotional development in working with groups, families and organisations

  • Equipping participants with a range of core competencies and creative strategies for creative and relational approaches to wellbeing for individual children and young people

  • Developing the capacity to provide consultation and psycho-education for parents, carers, families, groups and organisations

  • Considering practice-based implications for individual children and young people as well as the carers, families, groups and organisations that seek to support them

  • Providing supervised professional placements in a range of settings to develop inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and multi-agency skills for child-centred practice

  • Offering participants opportunities for supervised creative and relational projects within families, communities and organisations promoting wellbeing

  • Equipping students with knowledge, skills and experience for child protection, advocacy and safeguarding

  • Educating students in early intervention, care planning and the Team Around the Child

  • Promoting mindfulness, compassion and research-informed, practice-based evidence  

  • Ensuring safe and effective professional ethical conduct and fitness to practice as a Child Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioner

Graduates of the three-year professional development programme are welcomed into a lively professional community of associates and independent Child Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioners regulatory framework.

Criteria for Entry to the Diploma Course

This Level 5 Diploma course normally requires successful completion of the Level 4 Foundation Certificate or equivalent. In some circumstances students may be invited to interview and accepted on to the course on the basis of previous professional training and experience through Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

 

Each course is distinct in itself and can also be accumulated as a portfolio of trainings towards the title of Child Therapeutic Wellbeing Practitioner.

There are training options in key-working, mentoring and creative group work. 

 

All applicants are required to fill in an application form, provide two references, have an up to date DBS and attend an practical workshop, interview and induction.

  • A commitment to seeking to make a difference to the lives of children and young people.

  • Willingness to be informed by  the course’s  holistic, child-centred philosophy and approach, including principles of professional practice with reference to safeguarding, the team around the child and child-protection.

  • The commitment to professional codes of ethics, conduct and practice, as a representative of the organisation.

  • Understanding of the importance of working within inter-disciplinary and multi-agency frameworks and to value professional exchange, collaboration and practice.

  • The ability to work flexibly in complex situations and in changing environments with awareness of adversity

  • The capacity to undertake assessments, engage with clients in planning their own care, identify, consult and refer high risk situations, as well as accessing resources and services for the child, young person and their family.

  • Willingness to develop professional standards for safe and effective inter-personal communications.

  • The ability to follow professional procedures, to produce accurate client records and to participate in auditing, evaluation, report writing and research.

  • The ability to be a safe and effective role model for children,young people and their families, with respect for diversity of perspective and experience. The capacity for self-awareness, as well as reflective, analytic and evaluative skills.

  • The potential to be emotionally literate, sensitive, robust and resilient, with an understanding of the importance of remaining empathic in the context of challenge.

  • The commitment to equal opportunities, anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice, including being able to recognise, challenge and support the use and misuse of power.

  • Willingness to enter into the child’s world through verbal and non-verbal, unconscious and symbolic forms of communication.

  • The ability to use resources, support, reflective practice and supervision to ensure that these are used to benefit both clients and the professional development of the student

  • The commitment to abide by relevant health and safety procedures

If you are interested in one of our courses, you can attend a Taster Day (9am to 5.15pm) at IATE including presentations, workshops and interviews.  To access this you will be required to book by completing an online application form via the IATE website.  Please also ensure you register your interest here so that we can follow your application process.

Join the next Taster Day at IATE

Explore the other 2 courses

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course 1

IATE / UEL Certificate in Therapeutic Communication Skills
(Undergraduate Associate Certificate UEL)

LEVEL 4

Community Orientated

course 3

IATE Diploma in Community Wellbeing Practice for Children, Young People, Families and Organisations
(Undergraduate Associate Certificate UEL)

LEVEL 6

"I am currently applying well-being practice strategies within several schools where children are displaying challenging behaviour and not engaging, using attachment theories to support teachers assessment and care plans"

Karihzma

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Course Costs

Course fees for three distinct levels of training

Fees: £4,500 for each course

This includes a non-refundable deposit of £960

Payment installment options are available 

 

Additional Costs Include: 

£695 registration fee for the University of East London

£250 per term Reflective Practice.

Please note, IATE courses do not qualify for government education funding

How to Apply

Attend a Taster Day at IATE

Applicants can access the IATE Taster Day which includes presentations and information about the courses, workshops and an interview.  All students are required to complete an application form in advance of attending the Taster Day.

 

Following the Taster Day at IATE and the successful offer of a place on the Child Therapeutic Wellbeing Practice Training, applicants will have an opportunity to obtain further consultation via Zoom with the Wellbeing Faculty to talk more about working with children and young people, personal and professional development needs as well as placement requirements and opportunities.  Each student will be linked directly through referral to a supervisor / reflective practice facilitator to accompany them on the training.

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