This book helps practitioners choose from the broad range of play therapy approaches to create a comprehensive treatment plan that meets the individual needs of each child. From leaders in the field, the volume provides a flexible roadmap for assessment, case formulation, and intervention for frequently encountered psychological disorders and adversities. The focus is creating a unique therapy "prescription" that is tailored to the child's presenting problems as well as his or her strengths, challenges, and developmental level. Contributors present up-to-date knowledge on each clinical problem, describe practices that have been shown to be effective, and share vivid illustrations of work with 3- to 16-year-olds and their parents.

Curriculum-based assessment that professionals can use in their center or home to assess children birth-six through observation of their play complete with tables that compare their children to typically developing children.

This classic volume, now completely revised, has helped tens of thousands of therapists integrate play therapy and family therapy techniques in clinical practice. Eliana Gil demonstrates a broad range of verbal and nonverbal strategies for engaging all family members--including those who are ambivalent toward therapy--and tailoring interventions for different types of presenting problems. Numerous case examples illustrate ways to effectively use puppets, storytelling, art making, the family play genogram, drama, and other expressive techniques with children, adolescents, and their parents. Gil offers specific guidance for becoming a more flexible, creative practitioner and shows how recent advances in neuroscience support her approach. Photographs of client artwork are included. New to This Edition *Incorporates 20 years of clinical experience and the ongoing development of Gil's influential integrative approach. *All-new case material. *Discusses how current brain research can inform creative interventions. *Heightened focus on personal metaphors, complete with detailed suggestions for exploring and processing them.

This book explores the multitude of thoughts, theories, opinions, methods, and approaches to play therapy in order to highlight the unity and diversity of theory and perspective in the field. Each chapter is a common question related to play therapy to which ten established and experienced play therapists share their thoughts, theoretical perspectives, and opinions. The key characteristics of a well-trained play therapist, the role of technology in play therapy, the importance of speaking the client’s language, and many more frequently asked play therapy questions and topics are explored. The reader will learn about the umbrella of play therapy thought and practice and connect with perspectives that might align with their own theoretical preferences. This book will be of interest to a wide range of mental health professionals working with children and adolescents. Those new to play therapy and those who are seasoned veterans will appreciate, value, and hopefully be challenged by the differing viewpoints surrounding many play therapy topics.

Play Therapy Treatment Planning with Children and Families is a comprehensive guide that provides an integrative and prescriptive approach to creating customized treatment plans. It’s an excellent textbook for graduate programs in social work, counseling, and family therapy and an invaluable guide for practicing clinicians in all settings. After exploring and explaining the many modalities for treating children and adolescents, this book provides sample treatment plans using a variety of case vignettes. Chapters also take readers through a road map for case conceptualization, meeting with caregivers, problem identification, goal development, diagnosis determination, determination of interventions and termination, and much more.

In The Therapist's Notebook for Children and Adolescents, 2nd ed, you'll find the most powerful tools available for aiding children with their feelings, incorporating play techniques into therapy, encouraging appropriate parental involvement in family sessions, and providing group therapy to children. This ready reference is divided into ten thoughtfully planned sections to make it easy to find the right activity, handout, or intervention for the problem at hand, whether you’re looking for creative ideas, running a children’s group, putting interventions into practice in the classroom, or looking for ways to increase parental and familial involvement. Instructions for the activities are clearly explained and highlighted with case examples and many illustrations. Chapters are by leading experts, including Eliana Gil, Risë VanFleet, Liana Lowenstein, Howard Rosenthal, and Volker Thomas, and explore strategies for treating children both individually and in a family context. With more than 60% new material, this expanded version delves into the latest research and thinking on family play therapy and addresses many pertinent issues of our time, including bullying, suicidal ideation, ADHD, autism, adolescents and sex, and cultural issues. It’s a must-have arsenal for both novice and experienced professionals in family therapy, play therapy, psychology, psychiatry, counseling, education, nursing, and related fields.