Child-centered play therapy: a practical guide to developing therapeutic relationships with children

"Child-Centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Relationships with Children offers how-to direction and practical advice for conducting child-centered play therapy. Filled with case studies, learning activities, and classroom exercises, this book presents extensive coverage of play therapy applications such as setting goals and treatment planning, as well as recommendations for family and systemic services that can be provided along with play therapy ... Endorsed by Loiuse Guerney--a founding child-centered play therapy figure who developed the skills-based methods covered in this book--Child-Centered Play Therapy comprehensively and realistically introduces practitioners to the child-centered approach to play therapy and addresses how to incorporate the approach into schools, agencies, or private practice."--Provided by publisher

Foreword / Louise F. Guerney -- Introduction : the child-centered approach, student and practitioner approaches to learning, and our approach to teaching -- CCPT in context : key concepts from child development and principles of human change -- The ideal therapist qualities : deep empathy, unconditional positive regard, and genuineness -- The eight principles in child-centered play therapy -- Preparing your setting for providing child-centered play therapy -- The two core therapist skills: tracking and empathic responding -- Creating an optimum environment for therapy through structuring and limit setting -- Responding to questions, requests for help and commands -- Role play: the therapeutic value of taking part in dramatic or pretend play during child centered play therapy sessions -- Recognizing stages: understanding the therapy process and evaluating children's internal progress -- Helping parents, teachers, and principals understand and support the child's work in play therapy -- Goals, treatment planning, reporting, and evaluating progress -- Filial therapy: involving parents and caregivers in child-centered play sessions with their children -- Helping children capitalize on…