This multidisciplinary book shows how to foster meaningful relationships between therapists and vulnerable children, through exploring the concept of communicative musicality and creating rhythms of connection. It includes broad and in-depth contributions from leading therapists from diverse backgrounds - including Peter A. Levine, Daniel Hughes, Stephen Porges, Dennis McCarthy and many more. Contributors reflect on their own experiences, providing insights from the fields of music therapy, trauma, dance and movement therapy, psychobiology, dramatherapy, counselling, play therapy, and education. Contemporary theory is woven in with case stories to highlight the emotional realities of working with highly vulnerable children, and to present proven examples of how therapists can improve the quality of connectedness. Full of original and innovative ideas for working with attachment issues, trauma, communication difficulties, autism, learning disabilities, aggression and anxiety, this is inspiring reading for professionals who work with vulnerable children in creative therapies. Royalty proceeds from the book will be donated to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), UK.

The use of music therapy is long established with people with Autistic Spectrum Conditions. The combination of using music and relationship work in person-centred approaches supports the three main areas of difficulty people with autism often experience; social interaction, communication and imagination. Current research supports the positive psychological benefits of music therapy when people with autism spectrum conditions engage with music therapy. This book celebrates the richness of music therapy approaches and brings together the voices of practitioners in the UK. With a strong focus on practice-based evidence it showcases clinicians, researchers and educators working in a variety of settings across the lifespan.

Narrative and Dramatic Approaches to Children’s Life Story with Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Families outlines narrative and dramatic approaches to improve vulnerable family relationships. It provides a model which offers new ways for parents to practise communicating with their children and develop positive relationships. The book focuses on the Theatre of Attachment model - a highly innovative approach which draws from a strong theoretical base to demonstrate the importance of narrative and dramatic play for sharing the children’s life history in the family home with their adoptive, foster or kinship parents. An emphasis is on having fun ways to work through complex feelings and divided loyalties, so as to secure attachment. This practice model aims to raise children’s self-esteem and communication skills and to combat the profound effects of abuse, neglect on trauma on children’s development. This book will be of great interest for academics, post-graduate students, universities and Training bodies, service providers and practitioners involved in social work and creative therapies, child psychologists, child psychotherapists and public and private adoption and foster care agencies.

This book presents dance/movement therapy as a window into the emotional and internal experience of a baby with a medical illness, within the context of treating the whole family system and using the DC 0-5 as the basis for formulating the clinical situation. This book fills a gap in the literature, bringing a variety of fields together including infant mental health, infant and child psychiatry, nonverbal-movement analysis, and the creative arts therapies. Grounded in a biopsychosocial perspective, dance/movement therapy is introduced as the main treatment modality, using nonverbal expression as a means of communication, and dance and music activities as intervention tools, to support the child and family. Vignettes from both during and years after the medical experience are presented throughout the book, taking into consideration the subtle and more obvious effects of illness on the child’s later emotional, social, and behavioral development. They illustrate the expertise of the authors as infant mental health professionals, drawing upon their work in hospitals and private practices, and highlight their unique perspectives and years of collaboration. This exciting new book is essential reading for clinicians and mental health professionals working with infants and their families.

Music therapy as an intervention in medical, educational and many other environments has a rich and diverse history of methods, approaches and models. Consolidating the many components of music therapy, this completely updated edition of A Comprehensive Guide to Music Therapy covers everything students, teachers and practitioners of music therapy need to know. Building upon the work of Tony Wigram and developments within the field of music therapy over the last 15 years, this second edition looks at the theoretical foundation of music therapy, selected models and interventions, how it can be applied in clinical practice, and the recent progress made in research and evidence-based practice. Giving a complete picture of the multifaceted world of music therapy, it is a must-have for music therapy students, teachers and practitioners.

Becoming and Being a Play Therapist: Play Therapy in Practice presents a rich and illuminating account of current play therapy practice, with an emphasis on becoming and being a play therapist and on some of the varied clinical contexts in which play therapists work. Written by members of British Association of Play Therapists, this book highlights the current complexity of play therapy practice in the UK and reflects the expertise of the collected authors in working with emotional, behavioural and mental health challenges in children and young people. Divided into three parts, the book is designed to build on and consolidate the principles and professional/personal competences of play therapy practice. Key topics include: Training and establishing oneself as a play therapist in the UK, a comprehensive guide. The improvisational practitioner; therapist responses to resistance and aggressive play. Systemic considerations in play therapy with birth families and adopters; advantages and challenges. Case-study based explorations of play therapy across a range of service user groups, including childhood trauma, bereavement and sexual abuse, and agency contexts, including school and CAMHS settings. Becoming and Being a Play Therapist will be relevant both for play therapy trainees and for qualified play therapists as well as for related professionals.

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.