Play in Family Therapy

by Eliana Gil, Matthew D. Selekman (Foreword)

This classic volume, now completely revised, has helped tens of thousands of therapists integrate play therapy and family therapy techniques in clinical practice. Eliana Gil demonstrates a broad range of verbal and nonverbal strategies for engaging all family members--including those who are ambivalent toward therapy--and tailoring interventions for different types of presenting problems. Numerous case examples illustrate ways to effectively use puppets, storytelling, art making, the family play genogram, drama, and other expressive techniques with children, adolescents, and their parents. Gil offers specific guidance for becoming a more flexible, creative practitioner and shows how recent advances in neuroscience support her approach. Photographs of client artwork are included.

New to This Edition
*Incorporates 20 years of clinical experience and the ongoing development of Gil's influential integrative approach.
*All-new case material.
*Discusses how current brain research can inform creative interventions.
*Heightened focus on personal metaphors, complete with detailed suggestions for exploring and processing them.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Counselling, Grad School

202 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 1994

Reviews

[Elise Reding · Rating 3 out of 5]

The case reviews are fantastic and filled with great therapeutic ideas to utilize.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good stuff for working with tough families. nice basic goals that i still refer to in my work.

[Evelyn Bostany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offered a good introduction into play therapy and provided some good case studies to learn from. This book felt dry and was not super captivating to me, but maybe that’s because it was assigned reading for class. I feel like this book is best utilize paired with a group discussion to go over what stood out for you and what techniques you could envision yourself implementing.

[Judi Denney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Play and Family Therapists

I can’t do this right now as I do not counsel in my own office, but when I do get my own office, I am definitely going to look into a number of things that I will invest in.

[Georgia Bryce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple but profoundly effective

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent ideas for working with kids and families.

[En Yi WEI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review can be found in Amazon.com

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

MFT 557 Action Methods/Play Therapy

[Sarah Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to use handbook for play therapy with kids.

[micah ellalasingham · Rating 4 out of 5]

fastest read of my life… gives a great introduction into integrated play therapy with family therapy

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in 1994, I'm sure that Elian has evolved some in her therapy techniques, none the less, this book is a valuable tool for family interventions. Case study examples are valuable, as are the resources. This book will stay on my shelf for easy reference.

[Kimberly Winters · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very practical, insightful guide for developing your repertoire of play therapy techniques - includes some art therapy suggestions as well. Although the theory/history of play therapy (in the beginning of this book) was interesting and informative, it felt a bit slow for me. Picked up for me in the more practical chapters which described in detail the application and interpretation of several suggested activities. This book will make a good reference tool for future use - especially in child and family therapy.

[Chava · Rating 3 out of 5]

play can be great to work on relatiosnhips within the family. I read this book to get more ideas for my practice. I enjoyed reading it and it had some nice examples.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on the use of play therapy, with concrete examples and case studies.