Nature-Based Play and Expressive Therapies

Janet A. Courtney, PhD, RPT-S is founder of FirstPlay® Therapy and author of Healing Child and Family Trauma Through Expressive and Play Therapies, Infant Play Therapy, and Touch in Child Counseling and Play Therapy. Jamie Lynn Langley, LCSW, RPT-S maintains a private practice and is teaching faculty at Middle Tennessee State University. She is president of the Tennessee Association for Play Therapy and provides play therapy training and supervision. Lynn Louise Wonders, LPC, RPT-S is a child and family counselor, professional trainer, consultant, and author of When Parents Are at War: A Child Therapist's Guide to Navigating High Conflict Divorce and the Miss Piper's Playroom series of therapeutic children’s books. Rosalind Heiko, PhD, ISST, RPT-S is a sandplay therapist, founding board member of the World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals and author of A Therapist’s Guide to Mapping the Girl Heroine’s Journey in Sandplay. Rose LaPiere, LPC, RPT-S, ACS is a trauma therapist and is past president of NJCA-Creativity Division and currently serving on the board for the World Association of Sand Therapy Professionals.

Part I: Essential Nature Foundations

1. An Introduction to the Emerging Practice of Nature-Based Play and Expressive Therapies

Janet A. Courtney and Jamie Lynn Langley

2. "Not Just A Walk in the Park: Complex Layers of Integrating Nature into Play Therapy Practice"

Judi A. Parson and Megan Ellard

3. Creation of Safe Space for Transformation and Healing: The Chrysalis Model of Intentional Design for Healing Gardens

Angela M. Cavett

Part II: Cultural Considerations

4. Let's Go Outside: Nature-Based Play Therapy through the Lens of Cultural Humility

Meyleen Velasquez

5. Sacred Ground: The Cultural Implication of Nature-Based Therapy with Young Children and the Intersection of Culture

Harleen Hutchinson

Part III: Healing Nature-based Trauma Therapies

6. The Nature of TraumaPlay®: Incorporating Nature into the Seven Key Components

Paris Goodyear-Brown

7. Using Nature to Create Safety for Medical Trauma Integration

Rose Lapiere and Lisa Dion

8. The Integration of Nature-Based Play and EMDR Therapies in the Aftermath of Trauma

Jackie Flynn

Part IV: Nature Play Therapy Models and Other Individual Therapeutic Applications

9. Cultivating Mindfulness Through Use of Nature in Play Therapy

Lynn Louise Wonders

10. Nature-Based Child-Centered Play Therapy: Taking the Playroom Outside

Jacqueline M. Swank and Sang Min Shin

11. Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Learning for Children: Why Horses?

Susan Jung

Part V: Nature-Based Family Interventions

12. Tiny Hearts and Hands: Nature Sensory Play Promotes Infant Mental Health

Janet A. Courtney and Ashley S. Lingerfelt

13. Nature Play Therapy as a Healing Way for Children, Teens, and Families: Incorporating Nature with Play and Expressive Therapies

Jamie Lynn Langley

14. Using Nature-based Interventions in Family Play Therapy

Jennifer Taylor and Bree Conklin

Part VI: Nature-based Storytelling Interventions

15. Into the Great Forest: Fairy-Tale Themes of the Wild Take Shape in Sandplay

Rosalind Heiko

16. The Wisdom of Nature: StoryPlay®, Connecting Nature’s Gifts of Thriving and Resiliency to Play

Danielle Woods and Joyce C. Mills

17. Story Stone Play: Embodied Imagination in Virtual Therapy and Beyond

Cyndera Quackenbush and Janet Courtney

Part VII: Closing Activities

Closing Considerations: Nature Appreciation and Gratitude

Jamie Lynn Langley and Janet A. Courtney

Index