Research has shown that a child's social and academic success can be greatly influenced by experiences from infancy and toddlerhood. Despite this knowledge, the importance of infant mental health has only recently been recognized. This book is one of the first to present the major models of play interventions with very young children and their families. In this collection of essays by child development experts, the editors provide a comprehensive guide of the most beneficial effects of play therapy and play for the very young. Regardless of the theoretical orientation of the play therapist, this book will help the clinician to conceptualize the worlds of infants and toddlers, and explain the specific play therapy interventions that can be effectively utilized. Contributors address specific therapies from cultures around the world, including caregiver-toddler play therapy, filial play therapy, mother-infant play, and play based interventions with young children with disabilities and autism. This book is essential for students and professionals who work with very young children.

"Play Therapy: Treatment Planning and Interventions: The Ecosystemic Model and Workbook, 2e," provides key information on one of the most rapidly developing and growing areas of therapy. Ecosystemic play therapy is a dynamic integrated therapeutic model for addressing the mental health needs of children and their families. The book is designed to help play therapists develop specific treatment goals and focused treatment plans as now required by many regulating agencies and third-party payers. Treatment planning is based on a comprehensive case conceptualization that is developmentally organized, strength-based, and grounded in an ecosystemic context of multiple interacting systems.

The text presents guidelines for interviewing clients and families as well as pretreatment assessments and data gathering for ecosystemic case conceptualization. The therapist's theoretical model, expertise, and context are considered. The book includes descriptions of actual play therapy activities organized by social-emotional developmental levels of the children. Any preparation the therapist may need to complete before the session is identified, as is the outcome the therapist may expect. Each activity description ends with a suggestion about how the therapist might follow up on the content and experience in future sessions. The activity descriptions are practical and geared to the child. Case examples and completed sections of the workbook are provided. It provides the therapist with an easy-to-use format for recording critical case information, specific treatment goals, and the overall treatment plan. Workbook templates can be downloaded and adapted for the therapist's professional practice.
Presents a comprehensive theory of play therapyClearly relates the theoretical model to interventionsProvides examples of the application of both the theory and the intervention model to specific casesDescribes actual play therapy activitiesWorkbook format provides a means of obtaining comprehensive intake and assessment dataCase examples provided throughout"

Research has shown that a child's social and academic success can be greatly influenced by experiences from infancy and toddlerhood. Despite this knowledge, the importance of infant mental health has only recently been recognized. This book is one of the first to present the major models of play interventions with very young children and their families. In this collection of essays by child development experts, the editors provide a comprehensive guide of the most beneficial effects of play therapy and play for the very young. Regardless of the theoretical orientation of the play therapist, this book will help the clinician to conceptualize the worlds of infants and toddlers, and explain the specific play therapy interventions that can be effectively utilized. Contributors address specific therapies from cultures around the world, including caregiver-toddler play therapy, filial play therapy, mother-infant play, and play based interventions with young children with disabilities and autism. This book is essential for students and professionals who work with very young children.