Play in Clinical Practice: Evidence-based Approaches

Play is a natural mode of communication and interaction for children, and a key tool for child clinicians. What are the most effective ways to integrate play into assessment and intervention? How does play contribute to the treatment of particular problems? And what aspects of play actually help bring about therapeutic change? This innovative volume assembles leading experts on child development and child therapy to present the latest knowledge and clinical practices in this area. Exemplary approaches to working with children and their families are illustrated with rich case material.

The volume begins by exploring the role of play in children's cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal development. Chapters on clinical assessment cover empirically supported ways to evaluate pretend play and parent-child play in order to gain a better sense of the areas in which children are struggling, and to plan effective treatment. The book then describes how a variety of therapeutic models---including cognitive-behavioral therapies---incorporate play to promote healthy development and teach children needed skills. Approaches are demonstrated for treating such diverse clinical concerns as disruptive behavior, anxiety disorders, maltreatment and trauma, and autism spectrum disorders. The book also discusses school-based prevention programs that utilize play to support learning and socioemotional functioning.

Going beyond traditional play therapy, this authoritative book belongs on the desks of child psychologists, play and art therapists, social workers, counselors, family therapists, psychiatrists, and school psychologists, and will also be of interest to early childhood professionals and developmental psychologists. It may serve as a text in graduate-level courses.

Sandra W. Russ, PhD, a child clinical psychologist, is Professor of Psychology at Case Western Reserve University. Her research and publications focus on pretend play, creativity, and adaptive functioning in children. Dr. Russ has served as President of the Society for Personality Assessment; the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (APA Division 53); and the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts (APA Division 10). She is the developer of the Affect in Play Scale.
Larissa N. Niec, PhD, is Professor of Psychology in the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Central Michigan University (CMU) and Director of the CMU Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Clinic. Dr. Niec conducts basic and applied research on play, child maltreatment, and parent-child interaction therapy. The overarching goal of her research program is to reduce barriers to evidence-based treatment for children and families. She is involved in national efforts to increase the effectiveness of treatment dissemination to community therapists.