Play Therapy: A Comprehensive Guide to Theory and Practice

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 summarises 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.

This book will be useful to play, art, and other creative arts therapists; clinical psychologists, child psychiatrists, social workers, counsellors, and family therapists.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Stuart Brown

I. Play Therapy Theories and Approaches

1. Child-Centered Play Therapy, Dee C. Ray & Garry L. Landreth
2. Object Relations and Attachment-Based Play Therapy, Sarah C. Patton & Helen E. Benedict
3. Adlerian Play Therapy, Terry Kottman & Jeffrey S. Ashby
4. Jungian Analytical Play Therapy, J. P. Lilly
5. Psychodynamic Play Therapy, John B. Mordock
6. Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy, Angela M. Cavett
7. Integrative Approach to Play Therapy, Eliana Gil, Elizabeth Konrath, Jennifer Shaw, Myriam Goldin, & Heather McTaggart Bryan
8. Attachment Security as a Framework in Play Therapy, William Whelan & Anne L. Stewart
9. Child-Parent Relationship Therapy: A 10-Session Filial Therapy Model, Sue C. Bratton, Kristie Opiola, & Eric Dafoe
10. Theraplay: Repairing Relationships, Helping Families Heal, Phyllis B. Booth & Marlo L.-R. Winstead
11. Sandtray and Storytelling in Play Therapy, Theresa Kestly
12. StoryPlay: A Narrative Play Therapy Approach, Joyce C. Mills
13. Family Play Therapy: Practical Techniques, Greg Czyszczon, Scott Riviere, Dianne Lowman, & Anne L. Stewart
14. Animal-Assisted Play Therapy, Risë VanFleet & Tracie Faa-Thompson

II. Clinical Applications of Play Therapy

15. Play Therapy with “Children of Fury”: Treating the Myriad Forms of Betrayal, David A. Crenshaw
16. Play Therapy with the Spectrum of Bullying Behavior, Steven Baron
17. Child-Centered Play Therapy and School-Based Problems, Angela I. Sheely-Moore & Peggy L. Ceballos
18. Trauma Narratives with Children in Foster Care: Individual and Group Play Therapy, David A. Crenshaw & Kathleen S. Tillman
19. Play Therapy with Children Experiencing Homelessness, Deborah C. Sturm & Christopher Hill
20. Play Therapy with Children of Divorce: A Prescriptive Approach, Sueann Kenney-Noziska & Liana Lowenstein
21. Play Therapy for Children Experiencing Grief and Traumatic Loss: What Matters Most, William Steele
22. Jungian Analytical Play Therapy with a Sexually Abused Child, J. P. Lilly
23. Child Maltreatment: Safety-Based Clinical Strategies for Play Therapists, Janine Shelby & Lauren E. Maltby
24. Reunifying Families after Critical Separations: An Integrated Play Therapy Approach to Building and Strengthening Family Ties, Eliana Gil
25. Play-Based Disaster and Crisis Intervention: Roles of Play Therapists in Promoting Recovery, Anne L. Stewart, Lennis G. Echterling, & Claudio Mochi
26. Play Therapy with Military-Connected Children and Families, Jessica Anne Umhoefer, Mary Anne Peabody, & Anne L. Stewart
27. Play Therapy with Children on the Autism Spectrum, Kevin B. Hull
28. Play Therapy with Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Heidi Gerard Kaduson
29. Filial Therapy for Children with Anxiety Disorders, Louise F. Guerney
30. Play Therapy with Adolescents, Brijin Johnson Gardner
31. Play Therapy Interventions for Adults, Diane Frey

III. Research and Practice Guidelines in Play Therapy

32. Research in Play Therapy: Empirical Support for Practice, Dee C. Ray
33. Reflective Practice in Play Therapy and Supervision, John W. Seymour & David A. Crenshaw
34. Cultural Issues in Play Therapy, Phyllis Post & Kathleen S. Tillman
35. Ethics in Play Therapy, Jeffrey S. Ashby & Kathleen McKinney Clark
36. Exploring the Neuroscience of Healing Play at Every Age, Bonnie Badenoch & Theresa Kestly

"Crenshaw and Stewart have created the seminal anthology of play therapy. Covering theory and approaches, clinical applications, practice guidelines, and research, this volume is the ultimate resource for students, as well as experienced practitioners. Taken in its entirety, the book goes further than any other work I know of in defining the breadth and scope of play therapy and its contribution to growth, development, education, and healing in children. I offer my sincere thanks to the editors for providing this indispensable resource!"
- Richard L. Gaskill, EdD, LCP, RPT-S, Sumner Mental Health Center, Wellington, Kansas

"Everything you always wanted to know about play therapy can be found in this comprehensive 36-chapter volume. The wide scope makes the book ideal for graduate play therapy training programs and for clinicians who work with children in a variety of settings. The chapter authors present not only their theoretical bases but also rich clinical case examples that demonstrate the unique power of play therapy. This impressive book will prove invaluable for educating professionals for years to come."
- Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, LICSW, RPT-S, University Distinguished Professor of Social Work Emerita, Fordham University

" This book offers a unique, much-needed contribution to the field. Crenshaw and Stewart have brought together an outstanding group of contributors. The impressive breadth and depth of coverage ranges from theoretical underpinnings, to clinical applications across a wide range of client problems, to research and ethical bases for practice. I recommend the book heartily as a text for graduate training programs, and for the library of any professional who wishes to engage in the informed practice of play therapy."
- Ronald E. Reeve, PhD, NCSP, Director, Curry Program in Clinical and School Psychology, University of Virginia