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IPP: Integrative Play Psychotherapy

Introduction

The Integrative Play Psychotherapy program offers a holistic perspective in working with children, adolescents, caregivers, and the wider community. The main focus of the program is to impart knowledge and skills for the application of expressive methods of work (such as symbols, metaphors, art, puppets, sand, and others), utilizing a broad range of theories aimed at understanding the individual, family, and contextual dynamics, as well as further conceptualizing each case. Specifically, the program is based on theories from transactional analysis, play therapy, developmental psychology, neuroscience, attachment, change, psychopathology, developmental assessment, diagnosis and intervention, life script, transference and countertransference, and systems theory.

The program includes fundamental guidelines for good clinical practice when working with children, adolescents, parents, and other professionals involved in the process (e.g., how to set goals, plan treatment, understand play and themes in play, and how to work interdisciplinarily). It provides specific knowledge and skills for addressing various mental health issues in children and adolescents, such as aggressive behavior, anxiety, trauma, and specific developmental needs. Additionally, the program encompasses the application of therapeutic competencies in individual work, dyadic work, and group settings.

Active participation in personal therapy and supervision is required during participation in this program when starting to work with clients. It is founded on adherence to highly ethical practices.

The Integrative Play Psychotherapy education program is in line with the Law on Psychotherapeutic Activity and the Regulations on Special Additional Education for Working with Children, the standards of the European Interdisciplinary Organization for Therapeutic Services for Children and Youth (EIATSCYP), and accordingly the standards of the European Association for Psychotherapy (EAP).

The Integrative Play Psychotherapy program is approved by the Croatian Chamber of Psychotherapists. The program will be in Croatian and English.

Workshop topics within the Integrative Play Psychotherapy program

  • Introduction and Group Formation
  • An introductory session focused on group dynamics, expectations, and creating a safe learning environment.
  • Data Collection, Risk Assessment & Diagnostics
    Learn how to structure the initial phase of therapy, including working with parents and assessing clinical needs.
  • Experiential Evaluation of the Parent–Child Relationship
    Explore a clinical and hands-on approach to observing and interpreting parent–child dynamics.
  • Family Dynamics and Working Alliance
    Understand how family roles contribute to a child’s difficulties and how to form strong therapeutic alliances with child/adolescent and families.
  • Integrative Play Therapy Model
    A foundational framework combining directive and non-directive approaches using play, symbols, and creativity.
  • Working with Parents
    Skills and strategies for building therapeutic relationships with caregivers and supporting systemic change

Therapeutic Phases

  • Phase of Testing Safety and Dependency Patterns
    Recognising how children test relational safety and exploring responses through play.
  • Phase of Dependency and Decontamination – Drawing
    Use drawing as a medium for accessing and reshaping limiting beliefs.
  • Phase of Growth and Deconfusion – Puppets
    Work with puppets to support emotional processing and the development of new internal narratives.
  • Ending Therapy & Premature Termination – Associative Cards
    Navigating the final phase of treatment, including closure and working through unexpected endings.

Special Topics

  • Working with Adolescents
    Approaches tailored for teenagers, including creative techniques for supporting emotional expression and autonomy.
  • Working with Anxious Children – Therapeutic Stories & Mindfulness
    Using structured storytelling and mindfulness tools to help children manage anxiety.
  • Aggression and Aggressive Behavior – Clay
  • Explore aggression through a sensory and symbolic lens using clay in therapeutic settings.
  • Sand, Sand Tray, Transference & Countertransference – Sand Tray
  • Discover the depth of symbolic play and the therapist’s internal responses in the therapeutic process.
  • Parent–Child Dyads – Filial Therapy
  • Empower parents as healing agents in their children’s emotional development through structured play sessions.
  • Group Work with Children and Adolescents
    Design and facilitate therapeutic groups that foster connection, communication, and resilience.
  • Contact and Ruptures in Relationship – Music & Movement
    Use music and movement to explore how children initiate, maintain, and break contact — and how to repair it.

Final Module: Integration and Reflection
A closing workshop for reviewing core learning, personal and professional growth, and future          directions in therapeutic work.

An overview of your training course

 

No of school hours
Theory and skills
Workshops 216
Webinars 40
Supervision
Supervision in a training group 54
Total hours included in the program  311

Additional requirements: 

  Peer/Intervision 36

Additional Supervision 

 Individual or in a group up to 3 members 30
Personal psychotherapy experience   35

Client hours 

 200
Total 611

Important:

The requirements for the application and selection procedure

  • Completed education as a psychotherapist or counseling therapist, or for participants in the final year of education for a psychotherapist/counseling therapist, the education must be completed no later than the end of this program
  • Attendance at an introductory workshop on Integrative Play Therapy
  • Ability to work with children and adolescents and apply the knowledge acquired during the program
  • Knowledge of the English language to follow workshops led by foreign educators and to study the literature
  • A completed and emailed application form (along with the application, it is necessary to attach a copy/scan of the certificate/permit from HKPT or a log of hours of previous education)
  • Participation in the selection interview (a 15-minute online conversation with the program’s lead educator)

Length: 310 school hours (including: 17 workshops, 10 webinar, 9 supervision sessions)

Times: Fri 16:30 – 20:00 & Sat 9.30 – 17:00; ending workshop Friday-Sunday 9.30 – 17.00

Mode: Face-to-Face in Zagreb and online (webinars and supervision)

Costs: 4290 €  

More Information? Contact us.

Next dates

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Meet your course leaders

Tatjana Gjurković

Croatia

Psychologist, registered play therapist-supervisor (RPT-S), certified transactional analyst-psychotherapist (CTA-P), and teaching and supervising transactional analyst (TSTA-P) with the EATA and ITAA. She gained her initial work experience in a kindergarten, where she recognized the importance and necessity of working with children and parents. This led her to specialize further in play therapy in addition to her education in transactional analysis.

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Tea Knežević

Croatia

Psychologist, play therapist (RPT), and transactional analysis trainee. She is the co-founder and director of Centar Proventus d.o.o., where she conducts psychotherapy with children and adults and leads numerous educational programs for professionals.

She is the author of more then 20 picture books containing therapeutic stories for children.

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Maja Sedmak Cvelbar

Slovenia

Psychologist, psychotherapist, and provisional teaching and supervising transactional analyst (PTSTA-P). She studied psychotherapy at Institute IPSA (Institute for Integrative Psychotherapy), where she now collaborates as a teacher and supervisor. She previously worked in a school providing advisory and psychological support to students. For nearly ten years, Maja has been working in private practice with adults and children, with a passion for working with adolescents. She has extensive experience in dealing with anxiety disorders and trauma. Maja is also the president of the Slovenian TA Association (Slovenia).

Website: www.osebna-terapija.com

Fabiola Santicchio

Italy

Clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, and provisional teacher and supervisor of transactional analysis (PTSTA-P). She works in Southern Italy (Potenza) in her private practice, employing individual and group settings. She leads supervisory groups (online and in-person) with psychotherapists from other approaches and transactional analysts from different countries. She is particularly interested in the psychodynamic approach of TA, psychoanalysis, ethics-related themes, and learning processes through supervision. She is pursuing an additional academic degree in philosophy and ethics. She enjoys communicating with colleagues from other countries and cultures and organizes international TA training and supervision.

Alessandra Pierini

Italy

Psychologist, psychotherapist, teacher, and supervising transactional analyst (TSTA-P, O) with the EATA and ITAA. For over twenty years, she has worked with children in clinical and educational contexts. Alessandra is the founder and co-director of Physis (a center providing psychotherapy, counseling, and education in TA in Rome), where she practices privately with children, adults, and groups and leads a Master – TA psychotherapy course for working with children.

Website: www.physis.org

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Alina Comendant

Netherlands

Psychotherapist, provisional teacher, supervisor of transactional analysis (PTSTA-P), and a Gestalt play therapist. She works with children, adolescents, and adults in private practice in Hilversum, Netherlands. With her experience in pedagogy, Alina enjoys developing and implementing international education of this type.

Andreea Neagu

Romania

A child and family psychotherapist specializing in clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions for children, adolescents, families, and adults. Her professional titles include clinical psychologist, integrative psychotherapist, play therapist, drama therapist, trainer, and supervisor in all the abovementioned specializations. She works in her private practice but has worked in school and kindergarten environments, collaborated with non-governmental organizations, and worked with abandoned children. She is actively involved in introducing internationally evidenced-based therapy models in Romania, in her clinical work, and in various training and supervision programs she offers to mental health professionals at the beginning of their journey. She is also an author of books and psychoeducational materials with themes related to child development and psychotherapy.

Website: psihologandreeaneagu.com

What makes our courses unique

For us, each participant is distinct, and we strive to understand and embrace this individuality. Our goal is to support and foster the growth of your innate potential. When we interact during our educational sessions, we recognize that every participant comes with their own life experiences, accumulated knowledge, and skills from diverse educational backgrounds. We deeply respect and value this, which is why, when imparting knowledge and skills, we always consider the unique experiences and insights of each individual. We view this as their foundation and seamlessly integrate it into the collective needs of the group and the overarching goals of education. Simply put, our ethos in all our endeavors is a person-centered approach.

This philosophy underpins our educational sessions, making them both experiential and transformative. We aim to inspire each participant to uncover facets of themselves they may still need to be aware of or capabilities they have yet to realize. We urge you to merge your prior knowledge and experiences with our insights, allowing holistic integration into your professional practice. Time and again, our methods have proven effective in ensuring that new knowledge and skills are learned and deeply ingrained.

Our diverse programs, from lectures and exercises to discussions and demonstrations, are crafted with your needs in mind. We endeavor to address prevalent needs we've identified, either through our experiences or from interactions with professionals like yourself. Our content is tailored to satisfy various requirements, be it acquiring fresh knowledge, seeking emotional support, mastering new skills, or other pertinent demands.

Feedback from countless evaluations has consistently highlighted how participants feel seen, acknowledged, and cherished in our programs, a testament to why so many choose to return.