Pretend Play in Childhood: Foundation of Adult Creativity

Credits: None available.

Sandra W. Russ reviews the theory and research on pretend play and creativity, arguing that pretend play in childhood provides a foundation for adult creativity. She describes cognitive and affective processes involved in play and creativity, as well as the possible evolutionary purposes of play and its cultural variations.

In particular, she highlights the importance of pretend play in helping children to access emotional memories and fantasies and presents interventions designed to encourage children’s creativity.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  • Skills and Methods
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify stage theories relative to pretend play and the development of adult creativity.
  • Discuss theoretical models relative to pretend play and the development of adult creativity.
  • Explain the foundations and application of the Affect in Play Scale.
  • Analyze research supporting the cognitive and affective underpinnings of pretend play.
  • Identify the importance of pretend play in the development of adult creativity.

Profiles of Play: Assessing and Observing Structure and Process in Play Therapy

Credits: None available.

Written by a leading child psychologist, this clearly written and practical book provides a template for interpreting change and meaning in children's lives through their play activity. It shows how each child's pattern of play has a distinct profile of measurable features. These can be identified - and can be used to assess the child's development.

The processes of change that a child goes through and the different kinds of play profiles are clearly illustrated with examples from real life. This will be a useful resource for all professionals who work with children and are looking to support their development through a deeper understanding of their inner experiences, including family therapists, educational psychologists, special needs teachers, play therapists and child care social workers.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify the importance of children's play activity and its role in child treatment.
  • Describe terms defining the components of play activity.
  • Explain a working model of play activity giving therapists a way to organize their observations and thinking about the components contributing to a child's play activity.
  • Select play components that can be applied to understanding specific clinical cases.
  • Describe Conflictual strategies in play activity.

Puppet Play Therapy: A Practical Guidebook

Credits: None available.

Puppet Play Therapy is a comprehensive guidebook that describes the basic skills, techniques, and applications for selecting and working with puppets in specific types of settings and populations. Written by preeminent voices in the field, chapters offer invaluable guidance on selecting, using, and assessing puppet-based therapeutic interventions. Both beginning and experienced clinicians will also appreciate the inclusion of practical, step-by-step approaches and reproducible handouts that will aid them in their puppet play therapy sessions.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  • Skills and Methods
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Describe at least 5 therapeutic powers of puppet play therapy.
  • Summarize at least 2 benefits of the Berkeley Puppet Interview (BPI).
  • Name 3 components of what makes up a basic puppet collection in play therapy.
  • List at least 5 basic puppetry skills to utilize in play therapy.
  • Describe at least 2 theoretical approaches underlying puppet play therapy.

Sandplay: Therapy with Children and Families

Credits: None available.

Family therapy that doesn't actively and intentionally engage children is not family therapy, notes Daniel Sweeney's extended introduction in support of Lois Carey's creative synthesis of sandplay therapy with a family systems orientation. Reminding us that we can only take clients as far as we ourselves have been able to go, Carey reveals her own very personal involvement with the process.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • History
  • Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  • Skills and Methods
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify basic differences between sandtray and Jungian based sandplay therapy.
  • List the major milestones in the development of sandtray therapy.
  • Describe appropriate uses of sandplay therapy with children.
  • Describe appropriate uses of sandplay therapy with families.
  • Explain the differences in the major theoretical models that influence sandtray therapy with children and families.

School-Based Play Therapy, Second Edition

Credits: None available.

Fully updated and revised, School-Based Play Therapy, Second Edition presents an A-to-Z guide for using play therapy in preschool and elementary school settings. Coedited by noted experts in the field, Athena Drewes and Charles Schaefer, the Second Edition offers school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and teachers the latest techniques in developing creative approaches to utilize the therapeutic powers of play in schools.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Skills and Methods
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Analyze the barriers of play therapy in school systems.
  • Discuss how to address barriers proactively in school systems.
  • Explain the process of assessing children in school systems with play-based tools.
  • Describe how prevention projects are effective.
  • Apply the application of play therapy to specific populations.
  • Critique the inclusion of parents in play therapy.
  • Discuss consideration of parental rights when using play therapy in the school setting.

Short-Term Play Therapy for Children, Third Edition

Credits: None available.

Illustrated with rich case examples, this widely used practitioner resource and text presents a range of play approaches that facilitate healing in a shorter time frame. Leading play therapists from diverse theoretical orientations show how to tailor brief interventions to each child's needs. Individual, family, and group treatment models are described and clinical guidelines are provided. Chapters demonstrate ways to rapidly build alliances with children, adolescents, and their caregivers; plan treatment for frequently encountered clinical problems; and get the most out of play materials and techniques.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  • Skills and Methods
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Identify at least one key theoretical component of each of the therapy models described in the text.
  • Identify at least 5 intervention strategies detailed in the text.
  • Identify at least two models that are evidenced based.
  • Name at least 5 specific intervention techniques described in the text.

Solution-Focused Play Therapy: A Strengths-Based Clinical Approach to Play Therapy

Credits: None available.

Solution-Focused Play Therapy is an essential text that blends the process of play therapy with solution-focused therapy.

With a focus on child strengths and resources, this book identifies key concepts and principles in solution-focused play therapy (SFPT). The author provides neurobiological and developmental support for SFPT and guidance on how practitioners can transition from using a non-directive approach to a more directive and activity-based approach based on the developmental needs of the child. Chapters describe the 12 basic skills needed for employing this approach with children of all ages and their families. Harnessing a strengths-oriented approach, the author presents expressive ways to use key SFPT techniques, including the miracle question, scaling, finding exceptions, and end-of-session feedback.

Clinicians will come away from the book with a suite of interventions, strategies, handouts, and forms that can be employed with children of all ages and their families, from strength-based assessment and treatment planning to the final celebration session.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • History
  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Review foundations of play therapy
  • Recognize the theoretical roots of strengths-based, solution-focused therapy
  • Read tangible case examples that link the intervention to the theory
  • Identify specific activities used in solution-focused play therapy
  • Identify how neurobiology fits with healing and development in young clients
  • Discuss how to include families in treatment planning via solution-focused methods

Supervision Can Be Playful: Techniques for Child and Play Therapist Supervisors

Credits: None available.

*Supervisor Training

Supervision Can Be Playful offers clinical supervisors of mental health professionals a comprehensive and thoughtful resource. The text focuses on the clinical supervision of child and play therapists, with supervision interventions that can be augmented for use with mental health professionals who provide supervision to adolescent and adult therapists. The perspectives discussed regarding the role of the clinical supervisor are universal and readers will find them relevant regardless of the age group they are working with. The text addresses the roles and processes of clinical supervision from a unique playful perspective, and from an eclectic theoretical orientation. Each chapter author offers a piece of the supervision puzzle and offers the reader clear guidelines for implementing techniques and the rationale behind them.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Discuss specific models of supervision that can be used with play therapist and child therapists.
  • Assess the distinct culture of childhood.
  • Supervise counselors who are working with children with special needs.
  • Explain the unique dynamics of the supervisor/supervisee relationship.
  • Utilize 3 new and creative ways of supervising play therapists and child therapists.
  • Integrate playful approaches to supervising counselors who work with children.
  • Recognize transference and counter transference in supervision.
  • Use supervision strategies that addresses the unique challenges of play and child therapists.

Techniques-Techniques-Techniques: Play-Based Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families

Credits: None available.

Techniques-Techniques-Techniques is a collection of creative, play-based activities for clinical practice with children, adolescents, and families. This must-have manual provides practical interventions that can be readily incorporated into clinical work.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • Special Topics
Learning Objectives:
  • Define play therapy from a prescriptive approach.
  • Describe how to incorporate play-based activities into treatment with children, adolescents, and families.
  • Utilize specific play-based activities for assessment and engagement.
  • Demonstrate play-based activities for different clinical areas to utilize during the middle or working stage of treatment.
  • Use play-based activities for the termination stage of treatment.

The Handbook of Gestalt Play Therapy: Practical Guidelines for Child Therapists

Credits: None available.

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 applied during each phase of the therapy process. It also features case studies throughout which illustrate how the techniques work in practice.

Play Therapy Primary Areas:

  • History
  • Seminal / Historically Significant Theories
  • Skills and Methods
Learning Objectives:
  • Discuss the theoretical basis of gestalt play therapy.
  • Analyze the gestalt play therapy process, in order to apply this during play therapy to children.
  • Demonstrate how to obtain knowledge and skills and different play techniques that can be implemented during the phases of gestalt play therapy.
  • Demonstrate how to obtain knowledge and skills on how to apply gestalt play therapy with children who are experiencing loss and trauma.
  • How are projective techniques used during gestalt play therapy.