Play Therapy Theory and Practice: A Comparative Presentation

Theory and Practice

Jason is seven years old and in the second grade. He does well in school and interacts well with other children, although he prefers playing with children who are slightly younger than he is. Jason's parents have been divorced for two years, but he is close to both of them. Lately he has been given to fits of explosive anger. He is unresponsive to attempts at discipline by either his mother or his teacher. He often seems to withdraw into himself. Recently, he and another boy were arrested for starting a trash fire. Jason was referred to treatment by Child Protective Services following a report to CPS from Jason's teacher that there was reason to believe that his mother was physically abusing him. Based on these and other details provided in "The Case of Jason L."—including objective and projective test results—how would you characterize Jason's problem, and how would you apply your particular brand of play therapy in a clinical intervention with Jason? This, in essence, was the question Kevin O'Connor and Lisa Mages Braverman posed to notable play therapists from across North America. The chapters in this book record their detailed responses. In each chapter, an author (or authors) describes a particular theoretical model of play therapy and explains how he or she would apply it to Jason's case. Among the schools of thought represented are client-centered, psychoanalytic, cognitive-behavioral, Jungian, filial, developmental, Gestalt, family therapy, ecosystemic, Ericksonian, Adlerian, dynamic, and strategic family.

In orchestrating Play Therapy Theory and Practice, Dr. O'Connor's and Dr. Braverman's goal was to provide readers with an opportunity to gain a practical, hands-on understanding of how current approaches to play therapy work, as well as the underlying principles upon which they are based. Considering the dramatic proliferation of new approaches to play therapy and the corresponding increase in the volume of published material, this book comes not a moment too soon.

Play Therapy Theory and Practice is required reading for clinical child psychologists, child psychiatrists, counselors, school psychologists, and all mental health practitioners who work with children.

Of related interest . . .

THE PLAY THERAPY PRIMER

An Integration of Theories and Techniques

Kevin J. O'Connor

The Play Therapy Primer covers the impact of personal values and beliefs on therapeutic work, and it provides a detailed description of the process preceding the beginning of therapy. It then offers guidelines and strategies for developing treatment plans respective of the various phases of therapy, including specific in-session techniques, modifications for different ages, transference considerations, and the termination and follow-up of clinical cases. 1991 (0-471-52543-X) 384 pp.

HANDBOOK OF PLAY THERAPY

Volume 2: Advances and Innovations

Edited by Kevin J. O'Connor and Charles E. Schaefer

In this companion volume, editors O'Connor and Schaefer continue the important work they began in their 1983 classic, Handbook of Play Therapy. Offering readers an in-depth look at state-of-the-art play therapy practices and principles, they cover important adaptations of play therapy to client populations, such as the elderly, and new specialized applications of play therapeutic methods, such as in the assessment of sexually abused children. The edited contributions from 20 leading practitioners are divided into four main sections for easy reference: Theoretical Approaches, Developmental Adaptations, Methods and Techniques, and Applications. 1994 (0-471-58463-0) 447 pp.

HANDBOOK OF PLAY THERAPY

Charles E. Schaefer and Kevin J. O'Connor

"An excellent primary text for upper level students, and a valuable resource for practitioners in the field of child psychotherapy." —American Journal of Mental Deficiency

"A thorough, thoughtful, and theoretically sound compilation of much of the accumulated knowledge. . . . Like a well-executed stained-glass window that yields beauty and many shades of light through an integrated whole, so too this book synthesizes and reveals creative facets of this important area of practice." —Social Work in Education 1983 (0-471-09462-5) 512 pp.

PLAY DIAGNOSIS AND ASSESSMENT

Edited by Charles E. Schaefer, Karen Gitlin, and Alice Sandgrund

The first and only book to fully explore the assessment potential of play evaluation, this book offers an impressive array of papers by nearly 50 authorities in the field. Following a logical progression, it is divided into six parts covering the full range of practical and theoretical concerns, including developmental play scales for normal children from preschool to adolescence; diagnostic play scales including those for the evaluation of children with a variety of cognitive, behavioral, and/or emotional disorders; parent/child interaction play scales; projective play techniques; and scales for assessing a child's behavior during play therapy. 1991 (0-471-62166-8) 736 pp.

KEVIN J. O'CONNOR, PhD, is Professor and Director of the Ecosystemic Clinical Child Psychology Program at the California School of Psychology and an Instructor at the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology. He is Executive Director of the Association for Play Therapy and Editor of Play Therapy Newsletter. Dr. O'Connor maintains a private practice treating children and their families and is coeditor of the renowned Handbook of Play Therapy and the author of The Play Therapy Primer, both published by Wiley.

LISA MAGES BRAVERMAN, PhD, is a pediatric psychologist at Children's Health Care, Minneapolis, where she specializes in the treatment of children with cancer. She also maintains a private practice treating children, adolescents, and their families.