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.

Reviews the 15 most commonly used play therapy modalities. Play therapy is the treatment of choice for children because it allows children to express their troubles through a natural healing process. This book explains why play therapy works and how to deliver it in the most direct and efficient manner. Each chapter covers a different play therapy modality, including a description of the therapeutic benefits, core techniques, empirical support, and a case study. Fifteen modalities are covered in all: sand play, doll play, block play, drawing, bibliotherapy, storytelling, puppet play, guided imagery, drama, sensory play, clay play, music and movement, board games, electronic games, and virtual reality. Edited by two acknowledged leaders in the field of play therapy, Heidi Gerard Kaduson and Charles E. Schaefer, this volume was written for front line child therapists, including psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other health professionals; it will be an asset to any beginning child and play therapists as well as to experienced child clinicians who wish to expand their therapeutic tool kit.

Touch in Child Counseling and Play Therapy explores the professional and legal boundaries around physical contact in therapy and offers best-practice guidelines from a variety of perspectives. Chapters address issues around appropriate and sensitive therapist-initiated touch, therapeutic approaches that use touch as an intervention in child treatment, and both positive and challenging forms of touch that are initiated by children. In these pages, professionals and students alike will find valuable information on ways to address potential ethical dilemmas, including defining boundaries, working with parents and guardians, documentation, consent forms, cultural considerations, countertransference, and much more.

A treasure trove of creative tools and strategies to engage children in therapy. Finding a therapy that “fits” kids--one that cuts through their continuous state of overstimulation and aversion to traditional language-based methods--is not easy. Now in paperback, this books offers clinicians an array of inventive, multifaceted therapy techniques, from brain-based tips to family-oriented exercises.

Interactive exercise provide a unique approach to understanding the needs of the child; highlighted learning points are illustrated by relevant case material; the practical issue of play therapy are examined within a theoretical framework using a case study approach.

The effects of trauma and abuse on children can be long-lasting, acute and damaging. Evidence suggests that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a highly effective form of psychotherapy to help children to overcome these effects. This book uses an evidence-based CBT treatment model to assist children and adolescents aged 9–15 years to resolve trauma symptoms and increase their coping skills. The approach is made up of 16 step-by-step sessions to carry out with the young person, and includes worksheets and fun activities using arts and crafts. The model uses four phases: strengthening the child's psychosocial context; enhancing their coping skills; processing their trauma through gradual exposure; and addressing special issues that the child may have and preventing relapse. The child keeps a scrapbook for the duration of the programme in which they keep worksheets, artwork and any other activities they carry out. The approach is designed for individual therapy but also includes sessions for parents and caregivers. With photocopiable worksheets and easy to follow sessions, this will be an invaluable resource for all practitioners working with traumatised and abused children, including therapists, psychologists, counsellors, health professionals and social workers.

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Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps clients to embrace their feelings and use their personal values to improve their lives. Its popularity has grown significantly in recent years, but the number of ACT resources designed to support children is still limited. The ACT strategies and activities in this guide have been designed specifically for use with children aged 5-12, with a particular focus on the uniquely delicate connection needed for a successful practitioner-client relationship. The approach is designed to fit children's stages of development and learning styles, allowing young clients to build skills in a way that suits their age and cognitive patterns. Built from the author's extensive experience in child psychology, this guide offers ways to tailor ACT for effective work with children. It includes specific and detailed guidance on tailoring ACT to specific presentations, including OCD and neurodivergent populations, as well as parenting.

A common question at the initial meeting of a family therapist and a new client(s) is often whether or not to include a child or children in the counseling sessions. The inclusion of a child in the family therapy process often changes the dynamic between client and therapist -- and between the clients themselves -- within the context of the counseling sessions. And yet, although this is such a common experience, many counselors and family therapists are not adequately equipped to advise parents on whether to include a child in therapy sessions. Once the child does make an appearance in the counseling session, the therapist is faced with the challenges inherent in caring for a child, in addition to many concerns due to the unique circumstance of the structured therapy. Counseling a child in the context of a family therapy session is a specific skill that has not received the attention that it deserves. This book is intended as a guide for both novice and experienced counselors and family therapists, covering a wide range of topics and offering a large body of information on how to effectively counsel children and their families. It includes recent research on a number of topics including working with children in a family context, the exclusion of children from counseling, and counselor training methods and approaches, the effectiveness of filial play therapy, the effects of divorce on children, and ADHD. Theoretical discussion is given to different family therapy approaches including family play therapy and filial play therapy. Central to the text are interviews with leaders in the field, including Salvador Minuchin, Eliana Gil, Rise VanFleet and Lee Shilts. A chapter devoted to ethical and legal issues in working with children in family counseling provides a much-needed overview of this often overlooked topic. Chapters include discussion of specific skills relevant to child counseling in the family context, case vignettes and examples, practical tips for the counselor, and handouts for parents.