PAT Professional Development

The PAT and the primary trainer should meet and develop a plan of continuing education for professional development as a trainer and educator. Professional development refers to those activities and training events which will enhance the PAT’s effectiveness as a trainer and educator. Professional development is more than just extending knowledge in psychodrama, sociometry, and group psychotherapy. Professional development generally includes workshops, classes, seminars, and training in which the PAT is the student.

Routine examples of professional development include training to broaden one’s practice as a trainer (e.g., chemical dependency, hypnotherapy, etc.), enhance effectiveness as a trainer (e.g., ethics, marketing, curriculum development, etc.), and keep abreast of new developments in the field (e.g., Playback Theater, Archetypal Psychodrama, Advances in Sociometry, etc.). Training hours received from participation in regional and national conferences of the ASGPP count towards professional development. Taking a test preparation course for a licensure exam could be considered professional development.

Personal therapy may be included as professional development if so determined by the PAT and the Primary Trainer. However, the PAT may only count 25 hours of personal therapy towards the required 100 hours. Published articles and books can be counted towards a maximum of 15 hours of the 100 required hours.

Consultation with credentialed practitioners in your Related Field may be considered Professional Development hours.

Professional development does not ordinarily include presentations and papers delivered at conferences and meetings (these may be considered training). Professional development does not include the incidental development of one’s career or practice. Taking a licensing exam is not professional development, nor is general education associated with obtaining a graduate degree.