ABSTRACT
This book is aimed at therapists who wish to introduce a creative focus into their practice or expand it, so as to work in a more attuned and informed manner with child, adolescent and adult clients. In recent years, it has become widely rec ognized that professionals can make beneficial use of neurobiological evidence when planning developmentally appropriate and sequential interventions for their clients (Perry, 2006; Perry and Szalavitz, 2006; Perry and Hambrick, 2008; Jennings, 2011; Gil, 2013; Chapman, 2014; Gaskill and Perry, 2014). However, many psychotherapists are searching for clear guidance on how to choose clinically appropriate play-and arts-based interventions to suit the needs of particular clients at various stages of their therapy process. Challenges also exist in terms of timing such interventions within a specific therapy session to ensure that the client is appropriately regulated throughout. An integrated understanding of play (Brown and Vaughan, 2009), the neural system, interpersonal neurobiology and creative therapies (Carey, 2006; Green and Drewes, 2014; Kestly, 2014; Malchiodi, 2014; Malchiodi and Crenshaw, 2014; Badenoch and Kestly, 2015) can inform such decision-making.
