University masters
the art of child’s
play
A
NEW COURSE WILL help to educate
the Play Therapists of the future ensur-
ing that children, who have experienced
trauma, can benefit from a high quality profes-
sional support service.
New scholarship
to address LGBT
issues in tourism
& events sector
The MSc Play Therapy, which aims to develop
therapists who can work safely and therapeutically
with children and families with complex needs, is a
collaboration between QMU’s Art Psychotherapy team
and the charity With Kids.
Play is a really important part of child development
and Play Therapy taps into ways in which children
communicate. Children, who have been through
trauma or had really awful experiences in their lives,
can really benefit from Play Therapy as it offers a way
of communicating and healing the distress they have
been through without relying on verbal communication.
Play Therapy is a recognised profession and currently
Play Therapists practice in a range of environments
from the NHS to social services and from primary
and secondary schools to charities. Play Therapy
is successfully used to help people of all ages, not
just children, deal with a wide range of emotional
and physical conditions. In the UK, the majority of
Play Therapists work in health and the voluntary care
sectors with a sizable number working in schools
and nurseries.
Gwen Galbraith is programme leader for the new
Masters programme and also works with With Kids
which has bases in Glasgow and Edinburgh. She
explained: “There has been a lack of specialised
training in this sector in Scotland for a number of
years. We have consulted widely and interest has
been high.”
“Play Therapy is a really rewarding career. We have
the privilege of working with children, young people
and their families at really difficult points in their lives
and are witness to the changes and developments
that Play Therapy can bring about.”
It is thought that the new course, which will take
its first intake in September 2016, will appeal to
professionals who are already working with children
or young people, possibly people from a social work,
health and education background. Gwen Galbraith
said: “It will ideally suit people involved in education,
social care, health and voluntary sectors. A first
degree, such as occupational therapy, would be
helpful but is not essential.”
More details about the MSc Play Therapy can be
found at: http://goo.gl/QlmkKP ❒
T
HE UNIVERSITY IS TO launch a new scholarship geared towards
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) studies in the
tourism and events industry.
With its specialisms in tourism and events, QMU has teamed-up wi th US-
based TravelAdvocates to offer the scholarship to up to two students a year
over the next three years.
The TravelAdvocates LGBT Studies Travel and Research Scholarship will
help selected QMU students carry out their own independent research into
the current LGBT issues affecting the tourism and events sector.
QMU’s Professor Joe Goldblatt, said: “We’re extremely grateful for the
generous support that TravelAdvocates is providing our students. This is the
first time in the 140 year history of QMU that a research scholarship in this
important area of study has been established.
“This generous and pioneering support is initially committed for up to three
years and will provide much needed financial support and other resources for
current and future generations of QMU students.”
TravelAdvocates is a global hotel site selection company founded in 2005 by
Robert Miller in Hoboken, New Jersey. The company’s team has more than
75 years of combined experience providing personalised hotel site selection
and booking thousands of hotel room nights for groups each year. They are a
trusted advocate for their clients, who come from the corporate, government,
association, tour and travel, athletic and social markets.
Robert Miller, CMP, Esq, President of TravelAdvocates, said: "As an openly
gay member of the global tourism industry, I think it is important to explore
and identify the specific needs and interests of the LGBT segment as it
relates to travel and events. It is a unique market that continues to grow, and
TravelAdvocates is proud to support research in this important field."
Any undergraduate or postgraduate student at QMU can apply for the
scholarship. A call for applications will be announced in September 2016
and the award will be made in November 2016. A committee chaired by the
Queen Margaret Students’ Union President with members from the teaching
staff and other students will select the recipient(s).
Commenting on the new scholarship, Heidi Vistisen, President of the Queen
Margaret Students’ Union, said “I’m incredibly pleased and excited to see such
a fantastic scholarship made available to QMU students, especially when we
still in 2016 see discrimination against LGBT people to a very high extent.
“I’m honoured to be chairing the selection committee and I know that students
at QMU will use this opportunity to influence the community and society they
live and study in.” ❒
QMYOU / New Courses
QMYOU / Sustainable Business
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