Best Practice Agreement
After completing Level 1 or Level 2 Theraplay® training, you should describe your work as ‘based on Theraplay® principles’ and you should describe your assessments as ‘based on the Marschak Interaction Method (MIM)’. You cannot say that you are ‘doing Theraplay’, or describe yourself as a ‘Level 1/Level 2 Theraplay practitioner/therapist’.
If you enroll on the Theraplay® practicum and complete Foundational Stage, you can describe your work as ‘Theraplay® Informed Practice’.
Only when you complete all three stages of the practicum, can you refer to yourself as a ‘Certified Theraplay® Practitioner’, describe your work as ‘Theraplay®’ and say that you are ‘carrying out a MIM assessment’.
By signing this document, I agree to the following statements:
I will describe my work correctly.
I will use Theraplay® Principles within the limits of my professional qualifications and with cases I am used to working with (eg a social worker already working with adoptive families, a play therapist already working with families in a school). If you are undertaking work with adopted children, you should look at the Ofsted regulations regarding Adoption Support Agencies and ensure that you are compliant. If you are not an accredited professional with a regular supervisor and a professional body, you should not use Theraplay® principles in an independent or self-employed basis (eg a teaching assistant cannot take on cases for an adoption agency).
I will use the Theraplay® service mark correctly at all times (please contact admin@theraplay.org.uk for up to date guidance).
I will ensure that I, or my workplace, have relevant and sufficient indemnity
and/or public liability insurance to cover my Theraplay® related work. If you intend to use Theraplay® principles in any setting, you need to establish and maintain good standing with The Theraplay® Institute. This is done by signing the online Attestation Form to confirm your current qualifications, insurance, DBS etc. The form can be found on the UK Theraplay® website and should be signed immediately after training and in January each year. There is no fee associated with this.
I will ensure that I receive appropriate supervision to support me with my Theraplay® related work and guide me in choosing
suitable cases. If you enroll on the practicum, your supervision has to be with a Certified Theraplay® Supervisor (or a supervisor in training). Theraplay® supervision can take place individually, or in a group, or consist of presenting a case at a regional support group. If you are not on the practicum, ideally your supervision would also be with a Certified Theraplay® Supervisor, but could also be with your regular clinical supervisor from your professional body (such as BAPT, PTUK, BACP, CPUK), or your regular workplace manager.
I will ensure that I refer to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as well as my professional body and my workplace to ensure that I gain relevant consents, keep and maintain appropriate records, inform families and agencies about my privacy practices, and erase records, including videos, in a compliant manner.