The Playing Cure: Individualized Play Therapy for Specific Childhood Problems

by Heidi Kaduson (Editor), Donna M. Cangelosi (Editor)

Overview

The Playing Cure focuses on the curative powers of play and the application of play therapy to a wide variety of psychological problems. The authors present a prescriptive approach built on years of research. With clear examples, they demonstrate how play therapy can be adapted to the treatment of many distinct clinical populations including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and adjustment reactions. This innovative approach challenges clinicians to implement a broad range of interventions that can be fine-tuned to the needs of each child.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461631675
Publisher:	Aronson, Jason Inc.
Publication date:	06/01/1997
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Heidi Gerard Kaduson, Ph.D., specializes in evaluation and intervention services for children with a variety of behavioral, emotional, and learning problems. Dr. Kaduson is President of the Association for Play Therapy as well as Co-Director of the Play Therapy Training Institute, Inc. She is co-editor of The Quotable Play Therapist and has lectured internationally on play therapy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and learning disabilities.

Donna Cangelosi, Psy.D., is a staff member of the Center for Psychological Services at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, New Jersey, and teaches child and adolescent psychotherapy at the New Jersey Institute for Psychoanalysis in Teaneck, New Jersey. She is a member of the Association for Play Therapy and the American Psychological Association. Dr. Cangelosi is co-editor of the book Play Therapy Techniques and the author of several chapters on psychodynamic play therapy. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice with children, adolescents, and adults in Teaneck, New Jersey.

Editorial Reviews

The Playing Cure represents a crucial transition in the development of the field of play therapy. In the past, authors have tended to vacillate between rigid commitment to a single theoretical model that sometimes overlooked addressing their clients' needs, and technical eclecticism that ignored the critical role of theory in effective practice. This text presents theoretical and technical variations in the practice of play therapy that respond to the needs of children commonly seen in the play therapist's office and still remain solidly grounded. It describes techniques for children who internalize versus externalize their emotional reactions and for those who have experienced more specific trauma. It sets the stage for both focused future research on the effectiveness of set treatments for particular disorders and the development of progressively broader theoretical models that better integrate concepts of pathology and cure with a variety of play therapy intervention techniques.

Kevin O'Connor

This book will be an ongoing reference for the challenges met daily by the play therapist. The book is divided into four broad categories—Internalizers, Stress, Externalizers, and Other—offering a thought-provoking look at the express need for a thorough assessment of each child whom we treat. This book demonstrates that one single method is not necessarily correct for each and every case. The Playing Cure goes far to further legitimize the whole field of play therapy through well-researched chapters by some of today's most respected practitioners.

Lois Carey