Directive Play Therapy

Structured, therapist-led approaches to play therapy are becoming increasingly popular due to their time-limited nature and efficacy for such specific disorders as trauma and attachment issues. This is the first book to provide comprehensive coverage of numerous directive play therapy techniques and interventions that are empirically validated and can be adapted for use in clinical, school, group, and family settings. Designed for both students and practitioners, the text addresses the theoretical bases for these approaches and provides in-depth, practical guidance for their use. The book describes how directive play therapies differ from nondirective therapies and illustrates best practices in using directive techniques. It examines such diverse approaches as cognitive behavioral, solution focused, sensorimotor, and the use of creative arts in play therapy. Each approach is covered in terms of its theoretical foundation, research basis, specific techniques for practice, and a case example. The text describes how to adapt directive play therapy techniques for use in various contexts, such as with families, in groups, and in schools. Helpful templates for treatment planning and case documentation are also included, making the book a valuable resource for both training courses and practicing professionals in play therapy, clinical mental health counseling, child counseling, school counseling, child and family social work, marriage and family therapy, and clinical child psychology. Key Features: Delivers step-by-step guidance for using directive play therapy techniques--the first book to do so Addresses theoretical basis, research support, and practical techniques for a diverse range of therapies Covers varied settings and contexts including school, clinical, group, and family settings Includes case studies Provides templates for treatment planning and case documentation

This highly readable book provides a comprehensive theoretical and practical guide to non-directive play therapy, which is an effective and ethically sound method of helping troubled children and adolescents with their emotional difficulties. It draws extensively on case material to guide practitioners through the intricacies of establishing and practising this therapeutic approach. Principles and background to the development of non-directive play therapy as a therapeutic method An updated theoretical framework for this approach, including symbolic play and its role in therapy Essential assessment, planning and practice issues and skills Working with children and their families systematically Play therapy in statutory settings Presenting therapeutic material in court proceedings This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to incorporate recent theory, research and practice developments. New issues addressed include: additional considerations when working with children in statutory settings, the integration of attachment theory within the book's Piagetian framework, using drawing, structured exercises and role play within a non-directive approach, and working with a wide variety of children's and adolescents' concerns.

Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) incorporates cognitive and behavioral interventions within a play therapy paradigm. It provides a theoretical framework based on cognitive-behavioral principles and integrates these in a developmentally sensitive way. Thus, play as well as verbal and nonverbal approaches are used in resolving problems. CBPT differs from nondirective play therapy, which avoids any direct discussion of the child's difficulties. A specific problem-solving approach is utilized, which helps the child develop more adaptive thoughts and behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral therapies are based on the premise that cognitions determine how people feel and act, and that faulty cognitions can contribute to psychological disturbance. Cognitive-behavioral therapies focus on identifying maladaptive thoughts, understanding the assumptions behind the thoughts, and learning to correct or counter the irrational ideas that interfere with healthy functioning. Since their development approximately twenty-five years ago, such therapies have traditionally been used with adults and only more recently with adolescents and children. It has commonly been thought that preschool-age and school-age children are too young to understand or correct distortions in their thinking. However, the recent development of CBPT reveals that cognitive strategies can be used effectively with young children if treatments are adapted in order to be developmentally sensitive and attuned to the child's needs. For example, while the methods of cognitive therapy can be communicated to adults directly, these may need to be conveyed to children indirectly, through play activities. In particular, puppets and stuffed animals can be very helpful in modeling the use of cognitive strategies such as countering irrational beliefs and making positive self-statements. CBPT is structured and goal oriented and intervention is directive in nature.

"The most brilliant and intuitive, as well as the clearest written, work in this field. It is unpretentious yet clearly the most authoritative work that has been published." NORMAN CAMERON, Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry Yale University School of Medicine Here is an intensely practical book that gives specific illustrations of how therapy can be implemented in play contacts, and tells how the toys of the playroom can be vivid performers and aids in growth. As she did with DIBS IN SEARCH OF SELF, Dr. Axline has taken true case histories from the rich mine of verbatim case material of children referred for play therapy, choosing children ranging in age, problem, and personality. It's all here in an important and rewarding book for parents, teachers, and anyone who comes in contact with children.

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.

Highly practical, instructive, and authoritative, this book vividly describes how to conduct child-centered play therapy. The authors are master clinicians who explain core therapeutic principles and techniques, using rich case material to illustrate treatment of a wide range of difficulties. The focus is on nondirective interventions that allow children to freely express their feelings and take the lead in solving their own problems. Flexible yet systematic guidelines are provided for setting up a playroom; structuring sessions; understanding and responding empathically to children's play themes, including how to handle challenging behaviors; and collaborating effectively with parents.

This volume presents seven case-studies of non-directive play therapy with children and adolescents. The chapters focus on particular aspects of the process of play therapy, with scope also for discussing complex theoretical issues.

This DVD is a perfect complement to Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship, giving students, instructors, supervisors and practitioners visual reinforcement of the materials presented in the text. It shows a complete unrehearsed play therapy session, featuring Gary Landreth as he works with a young girl in a fully equipped play therapy room-- Container.