Synopsis

Play Therapy: The Art of the Relationship is a text for graduate-level counseling students in play therapy courses. It provides comprehensive and detailed information for creating therapeutic relationships with children and facilitating the play therapy process. Landreth stresses the importance of understanding the child’s world and perspective, allowing play therapists to fully connect with them. Although there is this emphasis on the experiential aspect, the relevant research and theory are still considered. The author presents descriptions of play and the history of play therapy, child and therapist characteristics, play room set-up and materials, working with parents. Guidelines, transcripts, and case examples are provided for governing sensitive issues at every stage of the therapeutic process, from the first meeting to the end of the relationship. This new edition will incorporate the relevant research that has taken place since the publication of the previous, and includes new sections on supervision of play therapists, legal and ethical issues, and multicultural considerations in play therapy.

APTA Newsletter

If you have a question or a dilemma regarding your interactions with children, it is no doubt addressed in this practical guide of how to "be" with children. The table of contents is wonderfully detailed, making it an easy reference book. He presents very readable descriptions of play and the history of play therapy, child and therapist characteristics, play room and materials, working with parents ... His mastery in connecting with children in a non judgmental, relaxed, yet powerful way is proof that he is indeed an artist in this field. All in all, a worthwhile text that will provide ideas and inspiration for years to come.