Children's Therapy Centre

26/09/2025

We have a couple of places remaining on our upcoming QQI Level 6, 15 Credit, Therapeutic Play Skills Certificate Course. This is the penultimate course of 2025 so if you want to take one of the final spots please apply online today!

CTC’s Therapeutic Play Skills Certificate, a QQI Level 6 Minor Award, is a fantastic course for professionals working with children, or parents/carers, interested in developing new skills to make more therapeutic use of play within their current professional role. It is also ideal foundation level training for anyone considering applying for our MA course.

CTC’s Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills is offered on a part-time basis and equips participants with the relevant knowledge, skill and competencies to plan, deliver and evaluate both group and individual play-based interventions.

The October intake is being offered as a “remote” live online learning programmes with experiential learning opportunities built in throughout. Participants engage in creative activities that enhance personal development, develop insight and awareness, and contribute to understanding, and meeting, the needs of all children including those living in adverse circumstances.

Course content includes coverage of many therapeutic play interventions, including creative visualisation, interactive play, use of puppets and creative storytelling, skills to support self-directed play and running groups for personal and social development. Directive and non-directive therapeutic approaches are addressed.

October Intake Dates: Oct 4th, Oct 11th & Oct 18th, Nov 8th & Nov 22nd, Dec 6th & Dec 13th.Assignments due by January 13th. 10am – 5pm live online each day.

Full details and online application available at www.childrenstherapycentre.ie

We are looking forward to welcoming more new students to CTC!! Adventure, play and learning await! 🤩

23/09/2025

We have very limited places remaining on Edel Lawlor’s upcoming CPD training day this Saturday 27th September so if you are a Play Therapist, or trainee Play Therapist, and want to learn more about Medical Trauma in Play Therapy now is your time to book your place!!

Medical trauma can be experienced by many children who have undergone medical procedures or experienced chronic and acute conditions. This one day live online workshop will explore ways we can help children who have experienced medical trauma in the therapy room. The day will also explore how to support parents and carers by showing them ways to help at home or during hospital stays. This promises to be a very playful day with lots or experiential activities and rich stories from practice shared by the one and only Edel Lawlor.

This innovative live online workshop will introduce participants to medical trauma, and a wide variety of therapeutic approaches that can support children and families navigating medical trauma. During the day we will explore:

• Medical trauma & medical play – theory and practice
• Recommended Medical Play Kit and games
• Neuroscience and Dr. Bruce Perry’s deep wisdom
• The magical Ambulance technique
• Bandages and big hurts
• Working with children with cancer
• The use of therapeutic stories

Facilitator: Edel Lawlor Edel is a highly experienced therapist and trainer, feedback from her course is always phenomenal. Places are limited so if you do want to attend now is the time to book in!

Book online: www.childrenstherapycentre.ie

17/09/2025

Happy Wednesday!! I come sharing very exciting news! We are thrilled to launch our next intake on our Practitioner Certificate in Multi-Sensory Trauma Processing and EMDR Principles across the lifespan, which is starting this December. Read on for full details on this IACP CPD Approved course (48 CPD Points).

💫Multi-Sensory Trauma Processing (MTP ©) and EMDR Principles Across the Lifespan Practitioner Certificate

💫 Facilitator: Linda McGuire MA, MIACP, EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner and both an Adult and a Child and Adolescent Consultant, and Certified Trainer of MTP

💫 This exciting training programme, utilises two core models to address and resolve trauma. As this is a practitioner award, engagement in 20 clinical practice sessions, and 5 supervision sessions, are required. This supervision is included in the course. This course is designed to equip participants to utilise the MTP model and EMDR principles in their work with traumatized clients throughout the lifespan. The training will weave techniques from EMDR phase II into the MTP model as a necessary part of a client’s readiness to process traumatic experience.

Both modalities are designed to assist with the processing of unresolved issues and to activate the client’s internal healing processes. Treatment may be a single session or may span multiple sessions. It may also be incorporated as an ongoing or intermittent part of the treatment being provided. Clinical decisions are made in accordance with the complexity of issues that the client is struggling with. The course is designed for professions working with adults, adolescents and/or children over three years who have experienced traumatic events and are exhibiting PTSD symptoms.


💫 This training is suitable for trainee and qualified play therapists, counsellors, psychotherapists, expressive arts therapists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals working with clients of all ages.

💫 The course fee is €1200, we have a special launch offer of €200 discount for first 10 participants to enrol 🎉

Full details, including online application form, are available on our website www.childrenstherapycentre.ie

07/09/2025

A powerful weekend at CTC Ballymore. Thank you so much Michelle Fahy Dynamic Wellbeing for facilitating on our Diploma in Creative Supervision course and thank you to all our student supervisors for engaging so fully. Congratulations one and all!

Selfies are not really my thing, but it felt important to capture this moment before leaving CTC Ballymore. 💛

I have just finished facilitating an incredible weekend with inspiring trainee clinical supervisors.

My heart is full. I am tired, but it is the kind of tired that comes from showing up fully and being in a space where honesty, courage, passion and deep reflection were alive in every conversation.

There was vulnerability. There was debate. There were differences and there was growth. There were butterflies and feathers, reminders of the lightness and depth we can carry together. But most of all, there was heart.❤️

I feel deeply grateful to each person who stepped into this space with openness and courage. To witness you step forward into your truth with accountability, authenticity, strength and integrity, ready to hold others with compassion and heart, is an incredible feeling. 🌿✨

Thank you all. You showed up with such presence and passion, and I cannot wait to see the impact you will bring as supervisors. 💛 Children's Therapy Centre

07/09/2025

Gorgeous catch ups with my Mam and Majella last night! Wine tasting, cheese board, chats and giggles galore. It was absolutely wonderful.

I have learned so much from both of these incredible ladies over the years, and they continue to inspire me, and support me, as I move forward in my work at CTC. I am so grateful for them both, they truly are phenomenal women. How lucky I am to have them in my life. 💖💫

05/09/2025

My excitement levels are high tonight after a glorious day with our 2nd Year MA students. Each one of these incredible souls had a dream and they are making it happen!! What a privilege it is to spend time with them, to witness the transformative journeys they are on, and to get to laugh and connect with them too!! The future of child and adolescent psychotherapy and play therapy in Ireland is looking very bright indeed. Welcome back Y2G1, you got this 👏🥳🥰💫💖

04/09/2025

Our new website is LIVE!!! We have been working on this with David and Aneta .ie for quite some time and we are thrilled with how it has turned out. I hope you like it too!

Our new website is very user friendly, and CTC friendly too! We are loving the new online applications system, among many other new features. Thank you so much David and Aneta. Looking forward to continuing our working relationship with you as we move forward.

To celebrate the launch of our new website we are running a 10% discount on all short course bookings. Just apply the code CTC10 to your cart and you will get the discount. Happy days! Please do pop on over to www.childrenstherapycentre.ie to check out our new website and see all the wonderful courses we have coming up. Happy days at CTC 🥳🥰💫

03/09/2025

We are very excited here about our upcoming live online course “Play Therapy in Schools” facilitated by UK based Sonia Murray. Sonia has vast experience facilitating play therapy services and trainings in schools so we are thrilled to have her on board for this exciting training opportunity.

Play Therapy in Schools

Live Online Training with Sonia Murray

Date: Tuesday 9th September 2025
Time: 6pm-9pm
Fee: €65

In many ways a school is an ideal setting for Play Therapy to occur, however there are some challenges. This workshop will aim to explore how children can be appropriately identified to receive Play Therapy and how Play Therapy can be undertaken effectively in the school setting. It will look at factors that may impact on the Play Therapy and the Play Therapist. It will explore the different aspects of being employed in the school and of being a freelance Play Therapist commissioned for specific time periods. This workshop will look at the relationship between the Play Therapist and school staff, explore perceptions that school staff may have in regards to the process of Play Therapy and how the Play Therapy will impact back in the classroom. It aims to provide a theoretical basis whilst providing practical strategies that will equip trainee and experienced Play Therapists to provide a Play Therapy service within schools.

Objectives:

• To develop and enhanced awareness of the benefits of undertaking Play Therapy in schools.

• To develop a tool kit to assist in the planning, preparation and practice of Play Therapy in the school setting.

• To explore and develop an understanding of factors that may impact the facilitation of Play Therapy in schools.

• To explore strategies to support the effectiveness of Play Therapy in schools.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance for CPD purposes. You can book in on our website: www.childrenstherapycentre.ie

31/08/2025

My heart is so very happy right now! On Thursday, I had the absolute pleasure of welcoming 20 new MA students to CTC. We have spent the past few days settling in, making connections, building relationships, learning, laughing, playing, and having fun!! I can wholeheartedly say it has been an incredibly joyful and heartwarming experience. It is impossible to describe in words what this first module at CTC is truly like, but this song is definitely apt for Y1G2 2025!!! Welcome aboard one and all, I am so happy you are here.

❤️💛💖💚🧡💙

The hearts are very apt too!
Siobhán 🫶🥰💫

27/08/2025

Happy Wednesday!! CTC is back in full swing after summer break, and we have some fabulous training opportunities coming up this September. Have a look at what is coming up and please do share with anyone you think may be interested.

💫Play Therapy in Schools

Live Online Training with Sonia Murray
Date: Tuesday 9th September 2025 Time: 6pm-9pm
Fee: €65

💫Soothing Transitions & Separations: Helping the child who finds it hard to leave caregivers

Live Online Course with Emer McDonagh
Course Fee: €35
Date: Wednesday 10th Sept
Time: 7:30-9pm

💫A Playful Attachment: Bonding Playfully with Your Baby

Live Online Course with Carol Duffy
Course Fee: €35
Date: Monday, September 15th
Time: 7pm-8:30pm


💫Embracing and Supporting Unique Minds:
Enhancing a Neurodivergent Affirming Practice Across the Lifespan.

Live Online Workshop with Michelle Fahy
Date: Saturday 13th September 2025​
Time: 10am-5pm
Fee: €120

💫An Introduction to Play Therapy

Live Online Course with Emer McDonagh
Date: Wednesday 24th September Time: 7:30pm -9pm
Fee: €35

September really is shaping up to be a wonderful training month! We would love to have you join us online very soon. Full details and online booking for all our short courses is available at www.childrenstherapycentre.ie

Siobhán 🥰

14/08/2025

All of us here at CTC were very sad to hear of the recent passing of Alison Morrow. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Alison’s dear family and many friends. May memories of happier times with Alison help to sustain you all as you navigate this difficult time.

Eileen knew Alison for many years and would like to share the words below about beautiful Alison.

“I first met Alison when she came to CTC in 2008 for her Child Psychotherapy training course. Immediately, I was impressed and knew she would be a wonderful child therapist as well as a friend. Since then we have been involved in many projects and committees in the psychotherapy field and my admiration for her never faltered. Alison was a beautiful person in every way. Her manner, compassion, kindness, integrity and intellect knew no bounds! How she addressed issues sensitively when needed, and did not hold back when faced with injustice or corruption never failed to impress me. She faced her illness bravely while living life to the fullest! I know I will miss her greatly, as will CTC staff and the lucky CTC graduates who were supervised by her. I am so glad I had the opportunity to know Alison. She will be greatly missed.”

Rest in peace, Alison. May the road rise to meet you. 💫

13/08/2025

Yesterday, I turned 41! I had the most gorgeous day with my “birthday twin” , and of course my other loves too.

We visited Valentia Island, the Kerry Cliffs and St.Finian’s Bay - all favourite places of mine. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, bubbly on the beach, and a delicious dinner out. We even made it back to Killorglin on time for the end of Puck. We were treated to some birthday surprises thanks to our wonderful cousin Ciara, some final fun at Birds with my little loves, and fabulous fireworks to end the day. It really was a perfect day. 41, I welcome you with open arms, a wide smile and a very happy and grateful heart.

My gorgeous brother Oisín is on the road again, gearing up to get back on his bike and continue his cycle around the world. It was an extra bonus having him here with me for our birthday celebrations this year. Stay safe as you continue your epic journey, Oisín - I am already looking forward to when we meet again. I am excited to see how this next year unfolds for us both. Siobhán 🫶🌍 💫 ❤️