A Handbook Of Play Therapy With Aggressive Children

This book is the most comprehensive and detailed compilation of specific and practical techniques available for child and play therapists to draw on in the treatment of aggressive children. Written by two authors with a combined experience of over 50 years in the residential t...

Offers play therapists practical ways of handling a pervasive issue with intense and aggressive play by their clients. With an understanding of aggressive play based on brain function and neuroscience, this book provides therapists with a framework to work authentically with aggressive play, while making it an integrative and therapeutic experience for the child. Through the lens of neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology, therapists are taught how to integrate the intensity experienced by both the child and the therapist during aggressive play in a way that leads towards greater healing and integration. The book explains the neurological processes that lead kids to dysregulation and provides therapists with tools to help their clients facilitate deep emotional healing, without causing their own nervous system to shut down. Topics covered include: embracing aggression; understanding the nervous system; understanding regulation; developing yourself as an external regulator; authentic expression; setting boundaries; working with emotional flooding; supporting parents during aggressive play.

This authoritative work brings together leading play therapists to describe state-of-the-art clinical approaches and applications. The book explains major theoretical frameworks and summarizes the contemporary play therapy research base, including compelling findings from neuroscience. Contributors present effective strategies for treating children struggling with such problems as trauma, maltreatment, attachment difficulties, bullying, rage, grief, and autism spectrum disorder. Practice principles are brought to life in vivid case illustrations throughout the volume. Special topics include treatment of military families and play therapy interventions for adolescents and adults.

A complete, comprehensive play therapy resource for mentalhealth professionals Handbook of Play Therapy is the one-stop resource forplay therapists with coverage of all major aspects written byexperts in the field. This edition consolidates the coverage ofboth previous volumes into one book, updated to reflect the newestfindings and practices of the field. Useful for new and experienced practitioners alike, this guideprovides a comprehensive introduction and overview of play therapyincluding, theory and technique, special populations,nontraditional settings, professional and contemporary issues.Edited by the founders of the field, each chapter is written bywell-known and respected academics and practitioners in each topicarea and includes research, assessment, strategies, and clinicalapplication. This guide covers all areas required for credentialingfrom the Association for Play Therapy, making it uniquely qualifiedas the one resource for certification preparation. Learn the core theories and techniques of play therapy Apply play therapy to special populations and in nontraditionalsettings Understand the history and emerging issues in the field Explore the research and evidence base, clinical applications,and more Psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists,social workers, and psychiatric nurses regularly utilize playtherapy techniques to facilitate more productive sessions andpromote better outcomes for patients. Handbook of PlayTherapy provides the deep, practical understanding needed toincorporate these techniques into practice.

This completely revised and updated second edition provides a comprehensive introduction to using play to communicate with troubled or traumatized children and their families, and to heal emotional damage. The book gives examples of good practice in different settings and situations. Drawing on psychodynamic, systemic and attachment theory, the book provides an integrated theory base for using play in therapeutic work with children. It emphasizes non-directive approaches to therapeutic play and play therapy, based on supporting the child’s developing self within the safe boundaries provided by the setting and the worker’s emotional holding and containment. Areas explored include: children with disabilities and illnesses daily living with abused and traumatized children helping troubled families difficulties in early years children experiencing separation, loss and bereavement children moving to new families. The Handbook of Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play is an invaluable resource for all of those using play therapy with children and will appeal not only to play therapists but also to professionals working in the broader field of therapeutic play. It will be useful whether the readers are at the beginning of their training or are well-established and experienced practitioners and managers.

This book is an introduction to gestalt play therapy a technique which combines the principles of gestalt theory with play techniques, so that children are able to use play to address their needs and problems. Research has shown that this approach can be applied successfully in children with different types of emotional problems in order to improve their self-support and self-esteem. The Handbook of Gestalt Play Therapy provides the reader with an explanation of gestalt theory, a practical explanation of the gestalt play therapy model and also a wide range of play techniques that can be applie.

An integrative approach to play therapy blending various therapeutic treatment models and techniques Reflecting the transition in the field of play therapy from a “one size fits all” approach to a more eclectic framework that integrates more than one perspective, Integrative Play Therapy explores methods for blending the best theories and treatment techniques to resolve the most common psychological disorders of childhood. Edited by internationally renowned leaders in the field, this book is the first of its kind to look at the use of a multi-theoretical framework as a foundation for practice. With discussion of integrative play treatment of children presenting a wide variety of problems and disorders—including aggression issues, the effects of trauma, ADHD, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders, social skills deficits, medical issues such as HIV/AIDS, and more—the book provides guidance on: Play and group therapy approaches Child-directed play therapy with behavior management training for parents Therapist-led and child-led play therapies Cognitive-behavioral therapy with therapeutic storytelling and play therapy Family therapy and play therapy Bibliotherapy within play therapy An essential resource for all mental health professionals looking to incorporate play therapy into treatment, Integrative Play Therapy reveals unique flexibility in integrating theory and techniques, allowing practitioners to offer their clients the best treatment for specific presenting problems.

The purpose of this text is to present a resource to students and practitioners of play therapy that addresses topics beyond the training level. It provides advanced knowledge on the three main areas of play, child development, and play therapy and integrates them to help the play therapist gain a holistic understanding of how play therapy works.