Child-Centered Play Therapy : A Practical Guide to Developing Therapeutic Relationships with Children (eBook)

NANCY H. COCHRAN, MA, CAS, LMHC, has over twenty years ofexperience serving children, youth, and families in school andagency settings as a child-centered play therapist and schoolpsychologist. She is certified as a Child-Centered Play TherapySupervisor by the National Institute for Relationship Enhancementand teaches child-centered play therapy at the University ofTennessee. WILLIAM J. NORDLING, PhD, LP, RPT-S, is an AssociateProfessor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at theInstitute for the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, Virginia,where he teaches and supervises child-centered play therapy. He wasthe 2010 President of the Association for Play Therapy. JEFF L. COCHRAN, PhD, NCC, LMHC, is an AssociateProfessor at the University of Tennessee where he teaches,researches, and supervises child-centered play therapy, and servesas Coordinator of the Mental Health Counseling Program.

Foreword xi
Louise F. Guerney

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xix

Chapter 1 Introduction: The Child-Centered Approach, Student and Practitioner Approaches to Learning, and Our Approach to Teaching 1

Chapter 2 CCPT in Context: Key Concepts From Child Development and Principles of Human Change 23

Chapter 3 The Ideal Therapist Qualities: Deep Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Genuineness 49

Chapter 4 The Eight Principles in Child-Centered Play Therapy 71

Chapter 5 Preparing Your Setting for Providing Child-Centered Play Therapy 89

Chapter 6 The Two Core Therapist Skills: Tracking and Empathic Responding 107

Chapter 7 Creating an Optimum Environment for Therapy Through Structuring and Limit Setting 131

Chapter 8 Responding to Questions, Requests for Help, and Commands 167

Chapter 9 Role-Play: The Therapeutic Value of Taking Part in Dramatic or Pretend Play During Child-Centered Play Therapy Sessions 195

Chapter 10 Recognizing Stages: Understanding the Therapy Process and Evaluating Children's Internal Progress 225

Chapter 11 Helping Parents, Teachers, and Principals Understand and Support the Child's Work in Play Therapy 255

Chapter 12 Goals, Treatment Planning, Reporting, and Evaluating Progress 293

Chapter 13 Filial Therapy: Involving Parents and Caregivers in Child-Centered Play Sessions With Their Children 315

Chapter 14 Helping Children Capitalize on Gains Made in CCPT 335

Chapter 15 Reaching Diverse Clients with the Child-Centered Approach 347

Chapter 16 Legal and Ethical Issues From a Child-Centered Perspective 367

Chapter 17 Your Ongoing Development 383

Skills Support Resources 395

Special Reference List for Chapter Opening Quotes 409

References 413

Name Index 423

Subject Index 427

This is a landmark book...It is refreshing, bold in itsapproach, instructional and informative. The authors have taken aproven therapy model for children ages 3-12 and explained how toexpand it into new territory to include educational settings andmultiple treatment needs. Child therapist/counselors and educatorsalike will be pleased with this new tool to help them navigate thecomplexities of dealing with families and their children intoday's changing social structures. This is a book thatshould be read by all CCPT therapists whether fully experienced orjust beginning to consider CCPT training. (AFREM News(Association for Filial and Relationship Enhancement Methods)

This reference would be useful in master's- and doctoral-levelgraduate courses on counseling children or CCPT specifically. Itwould also be an excellent reference for professional counselorswho are new to CCPT and seeking supervision to build CCPT skills.The book is clearly written and inspires the reader throughout tobe passionate about this modality. (Counseling Today)

[Child-Centered Play Therapy] teachers theory, methods,and practice of CCPT in a highly accessible way with skilldevelopment as a primary focus. One of the text book's majorstrengths is the variety of methods provided for reinforcinglearning. Child-Centered Play Therapy is a text that will providepractical and comprehensive instruction for beginners as well as auseful reference for experienced practitioners. (Play TherapyMagazine)