101 Favorite Play Therapy Techniques

A resource for play therapy techniques. The contributors come from a diverse group including child-centred, cognitive-behavioural, gestalt, Jungian, psychodynamic, and prescriptive play therapy.

The criteria for selecting techniques for the text was the same as in the previous two volumes.

Therapists were asked to contribute techniques that were specific, practical, relatively inexpensive, and original.

The techniques are grouped in seven sections: expressive arts; puppet play; storytelling; group play; play toys and objects; game play; and other techniques.

Each contributor has included an introduction to the technique, a rationale for using it, and a detailed description and application to illustrate how the technique is performed with children.

The expressive arts techniques include various media used in expression through art, such as paint, sculpture, clay, markers and drawing.

These media have successfully aided children in expressing issues where communication was difficult.

The group play techniques illustrate different methods of play for children's social skills, anger management, and other support groups. In game play techniques, the child feels safe to express his or her own thoughts and feelings as if involved in a real issue.

With the play toys and objects techniques, the therapist is using a specific toy or object to facilitate expression in therapeutic play.

Storytelling techniques help children express issues of grief, anger, abandonment and attachment through the metaphor of the story.

Puppet play techniques can help children express conflict and role play issues regarding family and friends in a safe environment.