Child-Centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Relationships with Children

"The authors . . . make child-centered play therapy readilyunderstandable to those who wish to take advantage of its longhistory of helping children overcome problems and grow emotionallyto a level of maturity difficult to achieve by any otherapproach."
—From the Foreword, by Louise F. Guerney, PhD, RPT-S

A comprehensive resource that thoroughly teaches the theory,methods, and practice of child-centered play therapy

Child-Centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to DevelopingTherapeutic Relationships with Children offers how-to directionand practical advice for conducting child-centered play therapy.Filled with case studies, learning activities, and classroomexercises, this book presents extensive coverage of play therapyapplications such as setting goals and treatment planning, as wellas recommendations for family and systemic services that can beprovided along with play therapy.

This rich resource provides:

• A thorough introduction to the theory and guiding principlesunderlying child-centered play therapy

• Skill guidance including structuring sessions, tracking,empathy, responding to children's questions, and role-play

• Effective ways of determining what limits to set in the playroomand how to set them in a therapeutically effective manner

• Clear methods for monitoring children's progress through stagesas well as external measures of progress

• Practical guidance in adjunct therapist tasks such as playroomset-up, documentation, ending therapy, and working with parents,teachers, and principals

Endorsed by Louise Guerney—a founding child-centered playtherapy figure who developed the skills-based methods covered inthis book—Child-Centered Play Therapy comprehensivelyand realistically introduces practitioners to the child-centeredapproach to play therapy and addresses how to incorporate theapproach into schools, agencies, or private practice.