PLAY. We all do it: wordplay, love play, role-play; we play cards, play sport, play the fool, and play around. And that's just the grown-ups! It features in every aspect of our lives, whether we call it by that or another name. We all do it, but why do we do it? What does it mean to play and what, if any, difference does it make to our lives? Most crucially, and central to the theme of this book, is the question, 'Does play have a positive impact on our health and wellbeing, and consequently a role in modern healthcare delivery?' The contributors to this book provide a comprehensive overview of how play and play-based activities can be used throughout the adult lifespan to promote health and wellbeing within the context of healthcare service delivery for patients, their families and communities, and for the staff involved in their care. Responding to current global health concerns such as obesity, coronary heart disease, dementia and mental health, the book argues that play and playfulness offer a means of protection, promotion and recovery of positive health and wellbeing. The human tendency for play and playfulness as essential to personal growth and development lie at the heart of the discussion. This book will be of interest to all those working in health or social care settings, including nursing, social work and allied health students and professionals and those working within the therapeutic disciplines of art therapy, music therapy, and recreation alliances.

Music at the Edge invites the reader to experience a complete music therapy journey through the words and music of the client, and the therapist's reflections. Francis, a musician living with AIDS, challenged Colin Andrew Lee, the music therapist, to help clarify his feelings about living and dying. The relationship that developed between them enabled Francis the opportunity to reconsider the meaning of his life and subsequent physical decline, within a musical context. First published in 1996, Music at the Edge is a unique and compelling music therapy case study. In this new edition of the highly successful book, Colin retains the force of the original text through the lens of contemporary music therapy theory. This edition also includes more detailed narrative responses from the author and his role as a therapist and gay man. Central to the book are the audio examples from the sessions themselves. The improvisations Francis played and his insightful verbal explorations provide an extraordinary glimpse into the therapeutic process when working in palliative and end-of-life care. This illuminating book offers therapists, musicians, related professionals and those working with, or facing, illness and death a unique glimpse into the transcendent powers of music. It is also relevant to anyone interested in the creative account of a pianist's discovery of life and death through music.

Routledge International Handbook of Dramatherapy is the first book of its kind to bring together leading professionals and academics from around the world to discuss their practice from a truly international perspective. Dramatherapy has developed as a profession during the latter half of the twentieth century. Now, we are beginning to see its universal reach across the globe in a range of different and diverse approaches. From Australia, to Korea to the Middle East and Africa through Europe and into North & South America dramatherapists are developing a range of working practices using the curative power of drama within a therapeutic context to work with diverse and wide ranging populations. Using traditional texts in the Indian sub-continent, healing performances in the Cameroon, supporting conflict in Israel and Palestine, through traditional Comedic theatre in Italy, to adolescents in schools and adults with mental ill health, this handbook covers a range of topics that shows the breadth, depth and strength of dramatherapy as a developing and maturing profession. It is divided into four main sections that look at the current international: Developments in dramatherapy Theoretical approaches Specific practice New and innovative approaches Offering insights on embodiment, shamanism, anthropology and cognitive approaches coupled with a range of creative, theatrical and therapeutic methods, this ground breaking book is the first congruent analysis of the profession. It will appeal to a wide and diverse international community of educators, academics, practitioners, students, training schools and professionals within the arts, arts education and arts therapies communities. Additionally it will be of benefit to teachers and departments in charge of pastoral and social care within schools and colleges.

As Others See Us, first published in 1994 by Gordon & Breach, is a book designed to introduce the reader to a new way of thinking about the movements, both conscious and unconscious, that we make every day and every second of our lives. Goldman describes the human experience as a continuous stream of body movements, though we are only aware of a small fraction of the more obvious and intrusive physical acts. The aim of this book is first to increase awareness of the subtleties and complexities of our body language, and then to encourage the reader to perceive these intricacies in their own movements and in those of others. Finally, with a more complete understanding and appreciation for the power of body language and non-verbal communication, one can achieve a deeper connection between physical and intellectual spheres, to allow for a fuller and more engaging experience of communication and expression. This new knowledge of the human body's movements not only permits one to more accurately perceive the emotions and thoughts of others, but can allow a glimpse into one's own mind, to see how we present ourselves to the world, and whether our thoughts are in sync with our actions. Central to the text is the author's treatment of the Integrated Movement, a term used to describe the merger of a posture and a gesture with a consistent quality, dynamic or shape. This approach to understanding and explaining human movement offers a unique way of thinking about conscious gesture, unconscious body language, and verbal speech as interconnected communication, a synthesis that allows for a more complete view of ourselves and others around us. The structure of the book follows a logical framework that mirrors the progress of the reader, from perception of movement, to the close inspection of gesture and body language, to the introduction and experience of Integrated Movement, to the application of one's new awareness to different aspects of life. Biographical sketches of leading figures in the field are included, as are suggestions for additional reading and resources. Perhaps the most unique feature of the book are the personal exercises (boxed-off text) that appear on almost every other page. These exercises are designed to allow the reader to experience the power of body language in real-life situations, while working towards the increased awareness and perception that is the goal of the book.

-Focuses on what actually works in development practice, in order to inform and inspire practitioners and students -Impressive global reach, with a wide range of case studies drawn from across Algeria, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, India, Kosovo, Taiwan, USA, South Africa, Malawi, and China -Highlights development projects at the small and large scale and across a range of visual and performing arts

Intended for school psychologists, counselors, and social workers, teachers, and therapists who work with school systems, this book presents a philosophy and numerous practical strategies for handling behavioral problems presented by students.

Presents a wide range of outdoor play therapy approaches for children and families presented by some of the most revered experts in the field of play therapy. This book provides a unique collection of practical and innovative ways to help clinicians know how to bring nature into play therapy sessions both in the playroom and outdoors. Child and family therapists will revel in the richness of resources and practical therapeutic applications of nature play that they can utilize with children and families. This book will also provide practical worksheet guidelines for practitioners to easily implement some of the interventions presented into practice. Presents diverse clinical approaches and applicable strategies from experienced play therapists. Chapters also give the theoretical basis for each practical intervention.

Clinicians are always in need of enticing techniques to engage clients on a daily basis, especially those who are nonverbal or initially opposed to feedback. Using Drawings in Clinical Practice provides a rich variety of drawing directives to enhance the diagnostic process. In this highly illustrated text, clinicians will discover the tools they need to interact effectively with their clients. The book places special emphasis on intake interviewing and psychological testing, where the potential for uncovering hidden conflicts and therapeutic direction is especially poignant. Case studies provide a comprehensive overview of how to introduce simple drawings and gain remarkable insights. Using Drawings in Clinical Practice is a crucial guidebook for professionals who seek new ways to facilitate meaningful communication and interactions in their practice settings.

Directly applicable to practice, Group Activities for Latino/a Youth allows helping professionals such as human service workers, social workers, and school and community mental health counselors to select and apply a series of group sessions with topics relevant to today's Latino/a youth. Each session contains detailed directions, suggested discussion questions, and additional readings on specific topics, with topic examples including grief, identity development, and conflict resolution. Sessions draw on Latino/a cultural norms and strengths to build culturally-informed communication and coping skills in an effort to improve educational, social, and career outcomes. A developmental perspective is used, and sessions are designed to be creative and interactive in order to appeal to the high energy and playfulness of youth at any age. Group Activities for Latino/a Youth helps professionals to better engage and retain Latino/a clients, a group that traditionally experiences one of the largest drop-out rates in therapy, often due to interventions largely informed by dominant Anglo norms and traditions.

Directly applicable to practice, Group Activities for Latino/a Youth allows helping professionals such as human service workers, social workers, and school and community mental health counselors to select and apply a series of group sessions with topics relevant to today's Latino/a youth. Each session contains detailed directions, suggested discussion questions, and additional readings on specific topics, with topic examples including grief, identity development, and conflict resolution. Sessions draw on Latino/a cultural norms and strengths to build culturally-informed communication and coping skills in an effort to improve educational, social, and career outcomes. A developmental perspective is used, and sessions are designed to be creative and interactive in order to appeal to the high energy and playfulness of youth at any age. Group Activities for Latino/a Youth helps professionals to better engage and retain Latino/a clients, a group that traditionally experiences one of the largest drop-out rates in therapy, often due to interventions largely informed by dominant Anglo norms and traditions.

First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book offers a timely, detailed, and comprehensive synopsis of dance/movement therapy (DMT) in the treatment of psychological trauma. Along with the foundational concepts of DMT, tied to traditional trauma theory and a neurobiological framework, contributions contain rich clinical examples that illustrate the use of dance, creative movement, and body awareness with a wide variety of populations including survivors of sex trafficking, military veterans, refugees, those with multigenerational trauma, and others. Chapters emphasize the underlying influences of power, privilege, and oppression on trauma, prompting practitioners to consider and understand the dynamics of sociocultural contexts and engage in continuous self-reflection. Featuring multiple perspectives, as well as cultural and contextual considerations, this book provides direct takeaways for clinicians and professionals and concludes with a roadmap for the trajectory of trauma-informed, healing-centered DMT.

Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy provides an advanced and in-depth exploration of the issues and challenges relating to the training, theory and practice of Child-Centred Play Therapy. The ethos of the book is process orientated, and it discusses the particular therapeutic challenges that are encountered on a day-to- day basis. Drawing upon clinical material and cutting-edge theory, David Le Vay and Elise Cuschieri bring together experienced practitioners from the field to explore key topics such as: The therapeutic use of self within play therapy Gender issues in play therapy The play therapist's experience of self-doubt Working with acquired brain injury Working with developmental trauma The role of research within play therapy The role of experiential training groups in a play therapy training programme Original and stimulating, Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy will be of interest and value to all those working within the area of child mental health, both in practice and in training, and particularly those in the wider Arts and Play Therapy community who are working therapeutically with troubled children.

This book is unique in exploring the process of conducting short-term intensive group play therapy and the subsequent results. It focuses on play therapy with special populations of aggressive acting-out children, autistic children, chronically ill children, traumatized children, selective mute children, disassociative identity disorder adults with child alters, and the elderly. The book addresses such vital issues as: * How play therapy helps children * Confidentiality in working with children * How to work with parents * What the play therapist needs to know about medications for children The difficult dimension of diagnosis is clarified through specific descriptions of how the play therapist can use play behaviors to diagnose physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional maladjustment in children.

At the heart of this volume is the recognition that children's engagement with play and story are intrinsically and intricately linked. The contributing authors share a passionate interest in the development and well-being of children, in particular through their use of imagination and adaptation of the everyday into play and stories. Following these principles, the volume explores the connections between play, story, and pretense with regard to many cultural and contextual factors that influence the way these elements vary in children's lives. In a departure from earlier collections on play and story, the authors take a particular focus on normative as compared with atypical development. This collection begins with an approach to understanding the developmental relationship between play and story, which recognizes their similarities while acknowledging their differences. Much of the collection addresses pretend play and story in children with autism spectrum disorder, an understudied but important group for consideration, as these dimensions of their lives and development have often been considered problematic. The volume also includes sections on play and story in classroom settings and play and story across cultures, including non-English-speaking environments such as Israel, Romania, China, and Mexico. It concludes with a discussion of how play differs across sociocultural and economic contexts, making a unifying claim for the importance of play in children's lives but also calling for an understanding of what play means to very different groups of children.

Art and other expressive therapies are increasingly used in grief counseling, not only among children and adolescents, but throughout the developmental spectrum. Creative activities are commonly used in group and individual psychotherapy programs, but it is only relatively recently that these expressive modalities have been employed within the context of clinical grief work in structured settings. These forms of nonverbal communication are often more natural ways to express thoughts and feelings that are difficult to discuss, particularly when it comes to issues surrounding grief and loss. Packed with pictures and instructional detail, this book includes an eight-session curriculum for use with grief support groups as well as alternative modalities of grief art therapy.

This book provides a thought-provoking guide to conducting collaborative arts-based research. Focusing on ways that social inquiry might be conducted with marginalised groups to promote social justice, the text offers chapters on: Telling 'alternative' stories through a variety of methods from crafts to digital film Visual and metaphorical approaches to social research including photography, art and poetry Performative methods that include drama, dance, music and performance art Foster introduces relevant methodological debates, giving a context for understanding when arts-based research can be a fruitful approach to take and outlining a convincing rationale for using the arts as a way of understanding and representing the social world. The book also suggests a range of alternative criteria for evaluating the quality of arts-based research. Illustrative examples from around the world are used throughout the book and an extended case study is included that focuses on Foster's own collaborative arts-based research. With their emphasis on the value of participative research and social justice, arts-based methodologies are becoming increasingly popular in health and social research. This is the ideal text for anyone looking to introduce arts-based methods into their research practice.

Art can be an invaluable means of communication. It can bypass language and impairment and allow for the expression of thoughts or feelings too difficult to communicate with words. In The Silver Drawing Test and Draw a Story, Rawley Silver draws on her years of experience using therapeutic art with hearing-impaired children, stroke patients, and others with learning disabilities or emotional disturbances. The book's original art assessments use stimulus drawings to elicit responses that provide access to a patient's emotions and attitudes toward themselves and others, while also testing for the ability to solve problems and convey ideas. Offering tools to assess cognitive skills that often escape detection on verbal tests of intelligence or achievement, the book helps in identifying those at risk for violent behavior or masked depression. Thoroughly updated from Silver's earlier works, this new book includes techniques to assess aggression and depression that may lead to violence in schools and suicide among children and adolescents. It also addresses important gender and age differences, incorporating new information and updated studies, and it offers an in-depth look at the developmental procedures involved in these art assessments. As education for mental health professionals now includes art therapy more regularly, Silver has provided an invaluable resource for assessing emotional and cognitive content.

A growing body of research demonstrates how the arts - including literary, performing and visual arts as well as architecture and design - can greatly enhance the experience of healthcare, contributing to improved health outcomes, a better patient experience and lower healthcare costs. This unique book provides an overview of what the arts in healthcare can achieve and how to implement the arts in the most effective manner. Exploring possibilities for innovative program design and implementation - from healing gardens through public performances to bedside activities - the text draws on examples from a wide range of arts. The book then goes on to look at how programs can be aimed at specific populations and fields, such as children, palliative care and caregivers. This comprehensive book is an invaluable reference for all those studying or engaged in creating, designing, managing and evaluating arts in healthcare programs and initiatives.

Techniques of Grief Therapy: Assessment and Intervention continues where the acclaimed Techniques of Grief Therapy: Creative Practices for Counseling the Bereaved left off, offering a whole new set of innovative approaches to grief therapy to address the needs of the bereaved. This new volume includes a variety of specific and practical therapeutic techniques, each conveyed in concrete detail and anchored in an illustrative case study. Techniques of Grief Therapy: Assessment and Intervention also features an entire new section on assessment of various challenges in coping with loss, with inclusion of the actual scales and scoring keys to facilitate their use by practitioners and researchers. Providing both an orientation to bereavement work and an indispensable toolkit for counseling survivors of losses of many kinds, this book belongs on the shelf of both experienced clinicians and those just beginning to delve into the field of grief therapy.

Much more than an archive, these are the vivid, still pertinent voices and messages of the pioneers worldwide. The nineteen articles chosen by the editors of Applied Theatre Research represent key themes and elements from the early days of applied theatre that are still - and indeed now more than ever - relevant. They are all high-quality articles, some of which were highly influential in their own time. All of them still have plenty to say to today's applied theatre, both in their own terms and sometimes in terms of how their publication influenced the development at the time of this still-expanding field, or refracted it in ways that give us new insights with hindsight. They have been arranged in sections according to some of the key themes - and problematic issues - that were discovered, thought out and sometimes stumbled across by the pioneer writers in the collection. Each section is preceded by a critical editorial commentary on those themes, besides thorough introductions to all the articles and in some cases re-evaluations. The editors have added substantial additional new material to the collection and in doing so, bring their own applied theatre experience to bear on these themes, as they raise general questions that are wide-ranging, contemporary and urgent: from the vital and contested issues of power, partnerships and the giving of voice through theatre to applied theatre's proactive response to COVID-19, to the need to identify, take account of and address the needs of all stakeholders in any applied theatre project. The articles are grouped in six sections, covering areas such as diversity of geography, community contexts, forms of applied theatre and organizational factors that characterize applied theatre; the definition and nature of applied theatre; how the best intentioned projects could be compromised by any of the many opportunities for applied theatre to go wrong; opportunities for change it can offer and the incorporation of new media technologies, and ethnographic performance, two factors that have now become major preoccupations for our field, particularly in the years since the articles were written. The final section recognizes that applied theatre has been around not for 30 years, but for thousands, and in countless cultures. The editorial chapters have strong connections with the rest of the book, but are written with the editors' deep insights into the field, and are sharp in their focus and context. The book offers useful insights into the start of applied theatre and its development as an area of practice and research. The chapter collection is relevant and includes influential names in the field who have contributed significantly to the development of applied theatre over time. The primary market will be academics and advanced practitioners in applied theatre, drama education and theatre studies - including the expanding fields of drama therapy, theatre and health etc. It will also be useful for educators exploring creative pedagogy and drama in education strategies across the curriculum. It will be valuable introductory background reading for advanced undergraduate and post-graduate students in drama, theatre studies and theatre arts, performance studies and community theatre.

Dramatherapy is being increasingly practised in a range of therapeutic settings and is of growing interest to theatre practitioners and teachers. The Handbook of Dramatherapy brings together five authors who have considerable experience of clinical, artistic and educational work to provide an easy-to-read introduction to the major models of dramatherapy. The authors explain the differences between dramatherapy and psychodrama, discuss its relationship with theatre art, look at assessment and evaluation techniques, and argue the need for more appropriate methods of research for this increasingly popular form of therapeutic treatment. The Handbook of Dramatherapy provides a comprehensive basis for theory and practice and will be an invaluable resource for all students of dramatherapy and theatre.

- The books in this set centre around the mindfulness practice of being with emotions and experiences - allowing them to be - as opposed to teaching strategies to manage or fix them. - Beginning 2020, all pupils in primary school will be taught about the importance of mental wellbeing. This resource provides the perfect starting place for these conversations. - No training or understanding of psychology is needed to use the books. They are uncomplicated, relying on the simplicity of listening and open-ended creativity.

Expressive Arts Therapy for Traumatized Children and Adolescents is the book so many expressive arts and trauma therapists have been waiting for. Not only does it lay out an organized, thorough framework for applying varied expressive arts modalities, it provides clear directions for the application of these modalities at different phases of treatment. Both beginning and experienced clinicians and students will appreciate the thoughtful analyses of ways for introducing expressive arts to clients, engaging clients with their art, being present to the art that is created, and working within a particular session structure that guides the treatment process. Readers will also receive more specific learning regarding the process of using body-focused and sensory-based language and skills in the process of trauma treatment over time. They'll pick up more than 60 priceless expressive-arts assessment and treatment interventions that are sure to serve them well for years to come. The appendices features these interventions as photocopiable handouts that will guide the therapist working with youth through each phase of treatment.

In recent decades, both medical humanities and medical history have emerged as rich and varied sub-disciplines. Medicine, Health and the Arts is a collection of specially commissioned essays designed to bring together different approaches to these complex fields. Written by a selection of established and emerging scholars, this volume embraces a breadth and range of methodological approaches to highlight not only developments in well-established areas of debate, but also newly emerging areas of investigation, new methodological approaches to the medical humanities and the value of the humanities in medical education. Divided into five sections, this text begins by offering an overview and analysis of the British and North American context. It then addresses in-depth the historical and contemporary relationship between visual art, literature and writing, performance and music. There are three chapters on each art form, which consider how history can illuminate current challenges and potential future directions. Each section contains an introductory overview, addressing broad themes and methodological concerns; a case study of the impact of medicine, health and well-being on an art form; and a case study of the impact of that art form on medicine, health and wellbeing. The underlining theme of the book is that the relationship between medicine, health and the arts can only be understood by examining the reciprocal relationship and processes of exchange between them. This volume promises to be a welcome and refreshing addition to the developing field of medical humanities. Both informative and thought provoking, it will be important reading for students, academics and practitioners in the medical humanities and arts in health, as well as health professionals, and all scholars and practitioners interested in the questions and debates surrounding medicine, health and the arts.