Play Therapy For Very Young Children

Play Therapy for Very Young Children presents the major models of play interventions with very young children, primarily ages zero to three, and their families. The editors have compiled essays by child development experts to create a comprehensive guide of the most beneficial...

Play Therapy for Preschool Children is a comprehensive sourcebook of play interventions for preventing and resolving the most common disorders of children aged 3-5 years old.

The second edition of Play Therapy Techniques includes seven new chapters in addition to the original twenty-four. These lively chapters expand the comprehensive scope of the book by describing issues involved in beginning and ending therapy, using metaphors, playing music and ball, and applying the renowned "Color Your Life" technique. The extensive selection of play techniques described in this book will add to the clinical repertoire of students and practitioners of child therapy and counseling. When used in combination with formal education and clinical supervision, Play Therapy Techniques, Second Edition, can be especially useful for developing treatment plans to address the specific needs of various clinical populations. Students and practitioners of child therapy and counseling, including psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, nurses, and child life specialists will find this second of Play Therapy Techniques informative and clinically useful.

Research has shown that a child's social and academic success can be greatly influenced by experiences from infancy and toddlerhood. Despite this knowledge, the importance of infant mental health has only recently been recognized. This book is one of the first to present the major models of play interventions with very young children and their families. In this collection of essays by child development experts, the editors provide a comprehensive guide of the most beneficial effects of play therapy and play for the very young. Regardless of the theoretical orientation of the play therapist, this book will help the clinician to conceptualize the worlds of infants and toddlers, and explain the specific play therapy interventions that can be effectively utilized. Contributors address specific therapies from cultures around the world, including caregiver-toddler play therapy, filial play therapy, mother-infant play, and play based interventions with young children with disabilities and autism. This book is essential for students and professionals who work with very young children.

Separated into seven categories for easy reference, the techniques within each chapter are applied to practice situations in a concise format for easy reference and use. The interventions illustrated include Storytelling, to enhance verbalizations in children; Expressive Art, to promote children's coping ability by using various art mediums; Game Play, to help children express themselves in a playful environment; Puppet Play, to facilitate the expression of conflicting emotions; Play Toys and Objects, to demonstrate the therapeutic use of various toys and objects in the playroom; Group Play, to offer methods and play techniques for use in group settings; and Other, to provide miscellaneous techniques that are useful in many settings. This book is a response to the evident need of clinicians for easy to use play therapy techniques. A welcome addition to the earlier collection, it is designed to help children enhance verbalization of feeling, manage anger, deal with loss and grief, and heal their wounds through the magic of play therapy. Clear and marvelously simple, this manual will be an invaluable addition to any professional's or student's library. A Jason Aronson Book

In the counseling field, it is imperative that mental health professionals stay informed of current research findings. By staying abreast of the most recent trends and techniques in healthcare, professionals can modify their methods to better aid their patients. Emerging Research in Play Therapy, Child Counseling, and Consultation is a critical resource that examines the most current methodologies and treatments in child therapy. Featuring coverage on relevant topics such as behavioral concerns, childhood anxiety, and consultation services, this publication is an ideal reference source for all healthcare professionals, practitioners, academicians, graduate students, and researchers that are seeking the latest information on child counseling services.

Infant Play Therapy is a groundbreaking resource for practitioners interested in the varied play therapy theories, models, and programs available for the unique developmental needs of infants and children under the age of three. The impressive list of expert contributors in the fields of play therapy and infant mental health cover a wide range of early intervention play-based models and topics. Chapters explore areas including: neurobiology, developmental trauma, parent-infant attachment relationships, neurosensory play, affective touch, grief and loss, perinatal depression, adoption, autism, domestic violence, sociocultural factors, and more. Chapter case studies highlight leading approaches and offer techniques to provide a comprehensive understanding of both play therapy and the ways we understand and recognize the therapeutic role of play with infants. In these pages professionals and students alike will find valuable clinical resources to bring healing to family systems with young children.

Highly practical and user friendly, this book presents 58 play therapy techniques that belong in every child clinician's toolbox. The expert authors draw from multiple theoretical orientations to showcase powerful, well-established approaches applicable to a broad range of childhood problems. Activities, needed materials, and variations of each technique are succinctly described. Of critical importance for today's evidence-based practitioner, each chapter also includes a historical perspective on the technique at hand, a rationale explaining its therapeutic power, and a review of relevant empirical findings. The book enables readers to determine which strategies are appropriate for a particular child or group and rapidly incorporate them into practice.

The first book of its kind to provide exhaustive, in-depth coverage of play therapy research Child-Centered Play Therapy Research: The Evidence Base for Effective Practice offers mental health professionals, school district administrators, community agency administrators, judges, lawyers, child protection caseworkers, and medical professionals a comprehensive discussion of play therapy research studies. Guidance is provided on evidence-based methods, as well as on how¿future play therapy research should be conducted. Edited by renowned experts in the field of play therapy, this rich compilation features contributions by child-centered play therapy researchers, with relevant discussion of: The history of play therapy research A synopsis of current empirical support Play therapy research on chronically ill children, child witnesses of domestic violence, and victims of natural disasters, among many other topics With coverage of important practice guidelines, Child-Centered Play Therapy Research identifies the most prominent and current play therapy research studies, as well as research directions for clinicians to design evidence-based research studies of their own.

In the decade since its publication, Handbook of Play Therapy has attained the status of a classic in the field. Writing in the most glowing terms, enthusiastic reviewers in North America and abroad hailed that book as "an excellent resource for workers in all disciplines concerned with children's mental health" (Contemporary Psychology). Now, in this companion volume, editors Kevin O'Connor and Charles Schaefer continue the important work they began in their 1984 classic, bringing readers an in-depth look at state-of-the-art play therapy practices and principles. While it updates readers on significant advances in sand play diagnosis, theraplay, group play, and other well-known approaches, Volume Two also covers important adaptations of play therapy to client populations such as the elderly, and new applications of play therapeutic methods such as in the assessment of sexually abused children. Featuring contributions by twenty leading authorities from psychology, social work, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, and other related disciplines, Handbook of Play Therapy, Volume two draws on clinical and research material previously scattered throughout the professional literature and organizes it into four main sections for easy reference: Theoretical approaches— including Adlerian, cognitive, behavioral, gestalt, and control theory approaches as well as family, ecosystem, and others Developmental adaptations— covers ground-breaking new adaptations for adolescents, adults, and the elderly Methods and techniques— explores advances in traditional techniques such as sand play, Jungian play therapy, and art therapy, and examines other new, high-tech play therapies Applications— reports on therapeutic applications for psychic trauma, sex abuse, cancer patients, psychotics, and many others The companion volume to the celebrated classic in the field, Handbook of Play Therapy, Volume Two is an indispensable resource for play therapists, child psychologists and psychiatrists, school counselors and psychologists, and all mental health professionals. HANDBOOK OF PLAY THERAPY Edited by Charles E. Schaefer and Kevin J. O'Connor ". . . an excellent primary text for upper level students, and a valuable resource for practitioners in the field of child psychotherapy."— American Journal of Mental Deficiency ". . . a thorough, thoughtful, and theoretically sound compilation of much of the accumulated knowledge. . . . Like a well-executed stained-glass window that yields beauty and many shades of light through an integrated whole, so too this book synthesizes and reveals many creative facets of this important area of practice."— Social Work in Education 1983 (0-471-09462-5) 489 pp. THE PLAY THERAPY PRIMER Kevin J. O'Connor The Play Therapy Primer covers the impact of personal values and beliefs on therapeutic work, and provides a detailed description of the process preceding the beginning of therapy. It then offers guidelines and strategies for developing treatment plans respective of the various phases of therapy, including specific in-session techniques, modifications for different ages, transference considerations, and the termination and follow-up of clinical cases. 1991 (0-471-52543-X) 371 pp. PLAY DIAGNOSIS AND ASSESSMENT Edited by Charles E. Schaefer, Karen Gitlin, and Alice Sandgrund The first and only book to fully explore the assessment potential of play evaluation, this book offers an impressive array of papers by nearly fifty authorities in the field. Following a logical progression, it is divided into six parts covering the full range of practical and theoretical concerns, including developmental play scales for normal children from preschool to adolescence; diagnostic play scales including those for the evaluation of children with a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and/or emotional disorders; parent/child interaction play scales; projective play techniques; and scales for assessing a child's behavior during play therapy. 1991 (0-471-62166-8) 718 pp. GAME PLAY Edited by Charles E. Schaefer and Steven E. Reid This important work highlights the psychological significance of using games to assess and treat various childhood disorders. In chapters written by leading authorities, it examines the content of various types of games and provides theoretical approaches, techniques, and practical guidelines for applying games to play therapy with children. Case histories demonstrate the use of game play with childhood problems ranging from hyperactivity to divorce counseling and juvenile delinquency. 1986 (0-471-81972-7) 349 pp.