Play Therapy with Traumatized Children

<b>Introducing a practical model of play therapy for traumatized children</b> <p>Some of the most rewarding work a therapist can do is help a child recover from a traumatic event. But where to begin? A growing body of play therapy literature offers many specific techniques and a variety of theoretical models; however, many therapists are still searching for a comprehensive model of treatment that incorporates solid theoretical constructs with effective play therapy interventions.</p> <p>Clinicians have long recognized that trauma therapy is not just a matter of techniques but a journey with a beginning, middle, and end. In a pioneering contribution to the field, Play <i>Therapy with Traumatized Children: A Prescriptive Approach</i>, the author codifies the process in her model, Flexibly Sequential Play Therapy (FSPT). Integrating non-directive and directive approaches, this components-based model allows for the uniqueness of each child to be valued while providing a safe, systematic journey towards trauma resolution. The FSPT model demystifies play-based trauma treatment by outlining the scope and sequence of posttraumatic play therapy and providing detailed guidance for clinicians at each step of the process.</p> <p>Dramatically demonstrating the process of healing in case histories drawn from fifteen years of clinical practice with traumatized children, <i>Play Therapy with Traumatized Children</i> addresses:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Creating a safe place for trauma processing</p> </li> <li> <p>Augmenting the child’s adaptive coping strategies and soothing his or her physiology</p> </li> <li> <p>Correcting the child’s cognitive distortions</p> </li> <li> <p>Ensuring that caregivers are facilitative partners in treatment</p> </li> <li> <p>Inviting gradual exposure to trauma content through play</p> </li> <li> <p>Creating developmentally sensitive trauma narratives</p> </li> <li> <p>Using termination to make positive meaning of the post-trauma self</p> </li> </ul>