Poetry Therapy Certification
CRC Certification Programs for international learners
The Creative Righting Center (CRC) offers a complete training program that adheres to the guidelines designated by the International Federation of Biblio/Poetry Therapy (ifbpt.com). However, the program that you and Dr. Reiter create will be individualized to meet your professional needs and preferences.
Persons who are licensed mental health professionals will achieve certification (CPT) as a poetry therapist with a minimum of 440 hours.
Persons who are licensed mental health professionals who choose the highest level of training will achieve registration as a poetry therapist (PTR) with a minimum of 970 hours. One-to-one supervision is conducted in person or by phone, mail and e-mail.
Persons interested in certification who are not mental health professionals will achieve certification as a Certified Applied Poetry Facilitator (CAPF) with a minimum of 440 hours of work with developmental populations.
Who can train for a credential?
Sherry Reiter, PhD, Registered Poetry Therapist and Registered Drama Therapist/BCT is an
approved IFBPT Certified Mentor for poetry therapists-in-training.
1. Didactic Study
Trainees do extensive reading in poetry therapy, literature, and counseling, keeping an annotated bibliography as documentation
3. Facilitating Groups
Trainees are required to facilitate poetry therapy groups in different facilities of their choice (schools, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, etc.)
2. Peer Groups
Trainees need to experience poetry therapy with a trained facilitator before working in the field. Each trainee will also have the opportunity to experience being a facilitator for the peer group.
Peer groups may be attained through a combination of in person attendance and webinar or teleseminar participation.
4. Supervision
The planning and review of your facilitating groups in the field as well as review of reading assignments is done in-person, or by phone, mail, or e-mail.
Peer groups and group supervision may be offered via skype or free conference call throughout the year, as permitted by the IFBPT, as well as in-person seminars.
What’s in the training?
Training will encompass four components of study:
If you are seriously contemplating poetry therapy training, you will want to
study The Guide To Training Requirements for Certification and Registration,
available as a free download at the website of the standard of the standard setting body, the International Federation for Biblio/Poetry https://ifbpt.org
All trainees are required to take these foundational courses:
• Five Poems to Change Your Life
• Bibliotherapy to Treat Depression, Anxiety, Trauma, Addiction and Bereavement
• What’s Your Story?: The Power of Narrative in Therapy
Training Requirements
If you answered "No" to any of these questions, you are not a candidate for certification at this time. If you answered "Yes" to all questions, please submit your form