Play Therapy with Traumatized Children

Play Therapy with Traumatized Children

<b>Introducing a practical model of play therapy for traumatizedchildren</b> <p>Some of the most rewarding work a therapist can do is help achild recover from a traumatic event. But where to begin? A growingbody of play therapy literature offers many specific techniques anda variety of theoretical models; however, many therapists are stillsearching for a comprehensive model of treatment that incorporatessolid theoretical constructs with effective play therapyinterventions.</p><p>Clinicians have long recognized that trauma therapy is not justa matter of techniques but a journey with a beginning, middle, andend. In a pioneering contribution to the field, Play <i>Therapywith Traumatized Children: A Prescriptive Approach</i>, the authorcodifies the process in her model, Flexibly Sequential Play Therapy(FSPT). Integrating non-directive and directive approaches, thiscomponents-based model allows for the uniqueness of each child tobe valued while providing a safe, systematic journey towards traumaresolution. The FSPT model demystifies play-based trauma treatmentby outlining the scope and sequence of posttraumatic play therapyand providing detailed guidance for clinicians at each step of theprocess.</p><p>Dramatically demonstrating the process of healing in casehistories drawn from fifteen years of clinical practice withtraumatized 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 soothinghis or her physiology</p></li><li><p>Correcting the child's cognitive distortions</p></li><li><p>Ensuring that caregivers are facilitative partners intreatment</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-traumaself</p></li></ul>