Highly practical and user friendly, this book presents 58 play therapy techniques that belong in every child clinician's toolbox. The expert authors draw from multiple theoretical orientations to showcase powerful, well-established approaches applicable to a broad range of childhood problems. Activities, needed materials, and variations of each technique are succinctly described. Of critical importance for today's evidence-based practitioner, each chapter also includes a historical perspective on the technique at hand, a rationale explaining its therapeutic power, and a review of relevant empirical findings. The book enables readers to determine which strategies are appropriate for a particular child or group and rapidly incorporate them into practice.

Separated into seven categories for easy reference, the techniques within each chapter are applied to practice situations in a concise format for easy reference and use. The interventions illustrated include Storytelling, to enhance verbalizations in children; Expressive Art, to promote children's coping ability by using various art mediums; Game Play, to help children express themselves in a playful environment; Puppet Play, to facilitate the expression of conflicting emotions; Play Toys and Objects, to demonstrate the therapeutic use of various toys and objects in the playroom; Group Play, to offer methods and play techniques for use in group settings; and Other, to provide miscellaneous techniques that are useful in many settings. This book is a response to the evident need of clinicians for easy to use play therapy techniques. A welcome addition to the earlier collection, it is designed to help children enhance verbalization of feeling, manage anger, deal with loss and grief, and heal their wounds through the magic of play therapy. Clear and marvelously simple, this manual will be an invaluable addition to any professional's or student's library. A Jason Aronson Book

This book sets out a clear theoretical framework for Gestalt Play Therapy, giving examples of questions the therapists might ask the child at certain stages, and offering the whole gamut of play therapy and travelling through the therapeutic journey.' - Dramatherapy 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 applied during each phase of the therapy process. It also features case studies throughout which illustrate how the techniques work in practice.

In light of recent standards-based and testing movements, the issue of play in child development has taken on increased meaning for educational professionals and social scientists. This third edition of Play From Birth to Twelve offers comprehensive coverage of what we now know about play and its guiding principles, dynamics, and importance in early learning. These up-to-date essays, written by some of the most distinguished experts in the field, help educators, psychologists, anthropologists, parents, health service personnel, and students explore a variety of theoretical and practical ideas, such as: all aspects of play, including historical and diverse perspectives as well as new approaches not yet covered in the literature how teachers in various classroom situations set up and guide play to facilitate learning how play is affected by societal violence, media reportage, technological innovations, and other contemporary issues play and imagination within the current scope of educational policies, childrearing methods, educational variations, cultural differences, and intellectual diversity New chapters in the third edition of Play From Birth to Twelve cover current and projected future developments in the field of play, such as executive function, neuroscience, autism, play in museums, "small world" play, global issues, media, and technology. The book also suggests ways to support children’s play across different environments at home, in communities, and within various institutional settings.

From Simon & Schuster, Please Touch is a guide to how to stimulate your child's creative development through movement, music, art, and play. Please Touch offers parents constructive, age-appropriate ways of developing their child's natural curiosity, energy, and creativity in the formative years before age four. And doing so by leveraging all types of artistic endeavors.