Childhood with Therapeutic Play

Childhood with therapeutic play combines the academic study of childhood as a developmental and social phenomenon with specialist training in therapeutic play, a set of approaches that use play as a medium for supporting children's emotional wellbeing, processing difficult experiences, and developing resilience. Play is not simply recreation for children: it is the primary way in which young people make sense of their world, build relationships, and work through anxiety, grief, trauma, or confusion. Practitioners who understand both the broader landscape of childhood and the specific techniques of therapeutic intervention are increasingly valued across education, health, and social care settings.

At the University of Chichester, this three-year full-time programme includes a foundation year, which provides an additional period of preparation before the main degree begins. This is particularly useful for students who are coming from non-traditional educational routes or who want to build their confidence and knowledge before entering a professionally demanding programme. Throughout the degree, you will study child development, the sociology of childhood, safeguarding, inclusion, and policy, while also developing practical skills in therapeutic play approaches used in schools, play therapy settings, hospitals, and social care contexts.

Graduates of this programme go on to work in schools, children's centres, NHS child and adolescent services, play therapy practices, foster care and adoption support, and a range of voluntary and community settings. The combination of academic grounding and therapeutic training is distinctive, and many graduates continue into further professional qualification in play therapy, counselling, social work, or education. Postgraduate study in child psychology, therapeutic approaches, or educational psychology is also accessible from this foundation.