Creative Play in Family Therapy

This practical resource integrates family therapy theory with playful interventions and techniques to allow family therapists to successfully engage and include children in the session. Many therapists who are trained in family therapy lack training in child-centered play techniques. This book effectively bridges the gap between popular theories and models in family therapy and the practice of working with children in a family context. Showcasing playful therapy techniques across and within each of the most common models of a family therapy such as Experiential, Structural, and Narrative Therapy, and Psychodynamic and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), this book is accessible to a wide range of clinicians. Additionally, the author offers clear tangible interventions adaptable for both in-person and teletherapy sessions. This book is essential reading for practicing therapists, students in training, clinical supervisors, and anyone who works with children in a therapeutic capacity.

Lisa René Reynolds, Ph.D., is Faculty at The Family Institute at Northwestern University and is a licensed therapist in Connecticut and New York.

Introduction 1. Structural Therapy 2. Strategic Therapy 3. Bowen Therapy 4. Contextual Therapy 5. Experential Therapy 6. Narrative Therapy 7. Solution Focused Brief Therapy 8. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 9. IST Framework 10. Gestalt Therapy 11. Strengths-Based Perspective 12. Psychodynamic Therapy 13. Best Practices 14. General Interventions 15. Master List