The Therapeutic Powers of Play: 20 Core Agents of Change

As a Play Therapist, this volume is invaluable!It shows what are the core agents of change....in simple terms.New and old practitioners will benefit by reading.

Very fast shipping & the exact book I needed for school. Came in excellent condition, brand new at a discounted price. Awesome!

As a parent, my son has had great success with play therapy, specifically Direct Teaching (covered in this book). He has autism and play helped him learn how to interact with others, what to do, what not to do, etc. It was wonderful. So I was thrilled to get this book and learn more about Play.The Therapeutic Powers of Play opened my mind to some of the amazing changes that play therapy can produce. I especially loved that there were several contributors and got each of their experiences and perspectives. The editors, Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, RPT-S, and Athena A. Drewes, PsyD, RPT-S, are clear and thorough. Each contributor is introduced in the beginning with their bio.The book is set up like this:A specific subject per chapter (for example: stress management, attachment, self esteem)Empirical evidenceExamples in their practiceKinds of results that can be seenReferencesNot every section is exactly this format. Some go into more detail and provide examples, and other's skim over what exactly they use in practice. For example, in Enhances social relations the author talks about using a mirror, mirror approach and why it helps.The book is split into 4 sections:Part 1 - Facilitates Communication (self-expression, Access to unconscious, Direct Teaching, indirect teaching).Part 2 - Fosters Emotional Wellness ( Catharsis, Abreaction, Positive Emotions, Fears, Stress)Part 3 - Social Relationships (Therapeutic Relationships, Attachment, Social Competence, Empathy)Part 4 - Increases Personal Strengths (Creative problem solving, Resiliency, Moral Development, Accelerated Psychological Development, Self-Regulation, Self Esteem).While I found this book comprehensible as a parent, it is more suited to therapists. Either a professional in the field, or a professional merging into play therapy, or a student studying to become a therapist, or a student deciding which field to specialize in.What I can also say is I learned a ton. As a professional opening a special needs center, I have completely changed the play items I will be bringing to the center. Since reading this book I will seek out play therapists to work with the children too, because before I was focusing strictly on developmental and sensory. I learned that I don't need millions of toys everywhere, instead keeping consistent toys that the children can relate too and know that they will be there when they arrive. The toys need to be items that they relate too and can use to express their feelings and what they're learning and what is going on with them in their home. (and no, I don't play on doing play therapy - I'm not a therapist! But I will have therapist and teachers in the center).**The book is not a HOW TO do therapy. There are not any exact examples on what to do, or how to implement play into therapy, or scripts on how to do therapy.One last note. This book stays with you. The examples of how play therapy has helped specific clients is inspiring. I highly recommend this book and practice and appreciate the contributors and editors with the deepest respect. I will be reading more by Athena A. Drewes and Charles E. Schaefer for sure and keep this book on hand for my therapists.

Got this book to find out particular how to handle issues or to look out for signs on bullying as well as anxiety/fear issues for a child in preparation for child-care for my little one.While this book is written by trained professionals in the area of child psychology and play therapist, I find this book relatively easy to read as layperson.Each chapter of the book has an introduction to the subject that they (the authors Charles and Athena) are writing to address the concern about and is segmented into the empirical support, the role, strategies and/or techniques and clinical applications and vignettes, with the clinical vignettes describing the situation allowing the reader to understand the clinical work and application.I find this book especially useful should readers decide to adopt a child - especially of 'situations' i.e. such as abandoned child, abused child or child of different race etc, to get this book to decide if the child should go for play therapy. Otherwise this book provides interesting insights to the child's world and their behavior and solutions to 'correct' a child's behavior through play and situational encouragement for any concern parent.Highly recommended for couples who intend to adopt a foster child, recommended reading for any concerned parent.

Foremost, this text is borderline graduate-level. Therefore, professors should first peruse the work before ordering for undergraduate her/his class. And, the casual reader (or lay-person) should take this under STRONG advisement. Now, having read the text, I can report the following:Positives:-Clearly structured. The author provides strategies, empirical support, clinical applications, and case vignettes.-Trustworthy. Dr. Schaefer is a professor at the much respected Fairleigh Dickinson University.-Genuinely insightful.-Extraordinarily well-researched.-Written in a vibrant manner. (So many academic texts lack vivid, polished writing. In this cases, the authors' outstanding skills make understanding their assertions a pleasure).-Intensely edited. (I found nothing unclear or unsupported).-No filler. (There is a distinct absence of unnecessary charts, graphs, and figures that seem to clutter similarly themed texts).Negatives:-The "pop" cover is intensely misleading. It nearly looks like the contents will be a study of "superheroes." Perhaps it seems odd, but when I am considering a text for my own classes, I do weight the appearance of the text itself. I want students to understand the gravity of our explorations. And, a McDonald's colored cover, coupled with a giant lightening bolt does not convey an "academic" tone. However, let's be clear: this problem resides with the editors and the authors. (perhaps if there is a third edition, it can have a cover that reflects the dignity of the subject-matter.This is a well-written, informative text for both those in the field and those who will soon be in the field. Buy it without hesitation.

Great condition