ABSTRACT

Trauma and Play Therapy synthesizes new developments in the study of children’s trauma recovery to assist clinicians in combining play therapy with other powerful ways of addressing the needs of hurt children. The TraumaPlayTM model, formerly known as Flexibly Sequential Play Therapy, equips practitioners to manage and adapt aspects of the play therapy place and process in order to help children tell their stories while draining the emotional toxicity from traumatic experiences. Chapters explore the neurobiological and developmental foundations of play therapy as well as strategies for navigating children’s trauma in relation to specific aspects of play therapy such as sensory integration, metaphor, and humor. Enriched by a tapestry of illustrative case examples and tools for therapists, this is a vital new book for clinicians working at the intersection of play and children’s trauma.

chapter 1|21 pages

Titration in Trauma Work

Using the Play Therapist’s Palette

chapter 2|21 pages

The Neurobiology of Trauma and Play

Understanding the Playroom as a Neurochemical Boxing Ring

chapter 3|28 pages

Need Meeting to Enhance Regulation

Feeding, Touch, and Sensory Integration

chapter 4|30 pages

Bigness, Smallness, and Containment

The Use of Space and Presence in Play Therapy

chapter 5|18 pages

Metaphor and Medium

chapter 6|25 pages

Playing the Affective Accordion

Titration in Aspects of Emotional Literacy

chapter 7|35 pages

The Nature of Play

chapter 8|17 pages

Humor, Novelty, and Shared Delight

chapter 9|36 pages

Holding the Hard Story

Narrative Nuance