top of page
Writing an application

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?

Green Leaf Close Up

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:

Green Leaf

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

Do you have a minimum of a B.A.?
Yes
No
Are you a "self-starter" able to begin and complete what you set out to do?
Yes
No
Do you have at least 8-10 hours per month to devote to poetry therapy?
Yes
No
Have you read the IFBPT Training Guide (available here: https://ifbpt.org/training-guide/)?
Yes
No

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

Am I a candidate for certification?

bottom of page