Advanced Play Therapy: Essential Conditions, Knowledge, and Skills for Child Practice - Hardcover

"Ray has contributed something to the field of play therapy that fills a void: a quality text with a focus on advanced skills and understanding. I found the chapter on themes in play therapy and parent consultation particularly helpful to me as a play therapy instructor and supervisor. Practitioners, supervisors, instructors, and scholars will find this book to be valuable, informative, and enlightening." - Stephen A. Armstrong, Texas A&M University, USA

"Ray has captured the essence of the child-centered approach to play therapy and has made it real, for both experienced practitioners and therapists who are new to the field. This extremely well-written book provides a much-needed depth of understanding of all aspects of child-centered play therapy (and it’s even fun to read!)." - Terry Kottman, The Encouragement Zone, Iowa

"Advanced Play Therapy is a significant contribution to the play therapy literature, a rich resource with contents pertinent to a wide audience. It will make an exceptional text for advanced course work in university-based play therapy programs both nationally and internationally.... a comprehensive, well-edited and well-articulated resource for child practitioners in schools, private practice, community agencies and higher education." - Alyson L. Hatten, Counseling Today

Current play therapy resources offer details on how to conduct play therapy, but are limited in addressing the challenges that develop when therapists conduct play therapy with real-life clients. Using the Child-Centered Play Therapy Approach, Ray has written the first book to address these complex play therapy subjects. Topics covered include: integrating field knowledge of play, development, and theory into the advanced play therapist’s knowledge base; working with difficult situations, such as limit-setting, aggression, and parents; addressing modern work concerns like measuring progress, data accountability, and treatment planning; differentiating play therapy practice in school and community settings; and addressing complicated skills, such as theme work, group play therapy, and supervision. Ray also includes her Child Centered Play Therapy Treatment Manual, an invaluable tool for any play therapist accountable for evidence-based practice. This manual can also be found on the accompanying CD, along with treatment plan, session summary, and progress-tracking worksheets.