Play Therapy

Part 1. Play - a mirror into the world of the child: making sense of the world through play; exploring the world of the awakening senses; embodied play; my space in the world - what is ''me'' and ''not me''; making symbolic worlds; playing the social world dramatic play - learning the rules/breaking the rules. Part 2 Play therapy - using the creative expressive play of the child to heal the hurt: playing the memories of the past; playing an imaginary past - starting again; re-making a world; mending and healing. Part 3 The roles of the therapist: the social role of the therapist; the therapist as transference figure; the therapist as a character in the play. Part 4 Structuring the play: structure of the therapy; settings and materials; contracts with the child. Part 5 Methods and processes in play therapy: creative free play; dramatic play; task-based play. Part 6 Work settings for play therapy: play therapy in social services; play therapy in the education service; play therapy in hospitals. Part 7 The adult playground: finding the roots of creativity; creative-expressive play.

This is a short and accessible work on a subject of considerable interest to many professionals. Cattanach uses the language of imagination and myth, rather than the more mundane style we have come to expect in works about therapy and teaching. However, she uses it with authority as an international expert.