ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the role of play and joy in the limited reparenting. Play is used to amplify positive affect (e.g., sharing wonder, delight and joy) for the Happy Child mode of the patient – an area of psychotherapy and childhood development that is often neglected in other models of psychotherapy. The role of play in balancing the pain and trauma experienced by the Vulnerable Child in complex cases is explored fully, with the use of illustrative clinical vignettes. Interventions using play and joy that target core early maladaptive schemas (e.g., emotional deprivation, defectiveness/shame, failure) are described, along with therapist tips for matching these interventions to patient need.
