Child-Centered Play Therapy

Nancy H. Cochran, MA, CAS, is an adjunct assistant professor of educational psychology and counseling at the University of Tennessee.William J. Nordling, PhD., is a professor at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences at Divine Mercy University.Jeff L. Cochran, PhD., is a professor of educational psychology and counseling at the University of Tennessee.

• Section 1:Background to Understanding the "What and Why" of CCPT 1. Introduction: What CCPT Is, Brief Notes of Who We Are, and How to Use this Book 2. CCPT and Key Concepts from Child Development and Principles of Human Change 3. Research and Literature Supporting CCPT: Effectiveness, Multicultural Applicability, and Neuroscience Connections 4. The Ideal Therapist Qualities: Deep Empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Genuineness 5. The Eight Principles in Child-Centered Play Therapy Section 2: The CCPT In-Session Skill Sets 6. Peparing Your Setting for Providing Child-Centered Play Therapy 7. The Two Core Therapist Skills: Tracking and Empathic Responding 8. Creating an Optimum Environment for Therapy Through Structuring and Limit-Setting 9. Responding to Questions, Requests for Help, and Commands 10. Role-Play: The Thereapeutic Value of Taking Part in Dramatic or Pretend Play During Child-Centered Play Therapy Sessions Section 3: The CCPT Out-of-Session Skill Sets 11. Recognizing Stages: Understanding the Therapy Process and Evaluating Children's Internal Progress 12. Helping Parents, Teachers, and Principals Support the Child's Work in Play Therapy 13. Goals, Treatment Planning, and Evaluating Progress 14. Filial Therapy: Involving Parents and Caregivers in Child-Centered Play Sessions With Their Children 15. Helping Children Capitalize on Gains 16. Reaching Diverse Clients with the Child-Centered Approach Section 4: Integrity in Practice 17. Legal and Ethical Issues from a Child-Centered Perspective 18. Your Ongoing Development

"This is a fully comprehensive manual on child-centered play therapy (CCPT ) for trainers, students, and practitioners! The authors provide not only a treasure of information on the CCPT approach but also myriad case examples, learning activities, and practical exercises within each chapter. For trainers, this expands and solidifies the essential CCPT skills for their students, ensuring this approach is practical and fully applicable. The structure of the book matches the developmental nature of training, enabling the pace of personal development and self-understanding to scaffold and consolidate learning. The second edition provides a new chapter covering updated research outcomes, cultural competence, and intersections with neuroscience. This timely addition makes this book a top choice for CCPT trainers, their students, and for practitioners both novice and experienced." Judi Jacobsen, MNZAC, founding director of ChildPlayWorks"Child-Centered Play Therapy is a theory- and research-based practical guide for learning fundamental play therapy skills such as tracking and responding to questions. It includes chapters that address alternative play therapy skills, such as filial therapy, and essential accountability skills for working in organizations, such as evaluating and reporting progress, goal setting, and treatment planning. Ethical issues in play therapy are woven throughout the text and in a dedicated chapter on the topic. The text is a well-balanced integration of theory, research and practice on play therapy." Joanne Cohen, PhD, professor of counseling education and student affairs, Kutztown University"I have used various textbooks over the years to teach students the core skills of child-centered play therapy. This has been in both face-to-face settings and online courses. While many texts do a fine job of presenting the basic skills of child-centered play therapy, Child-Centered Play Therapy meets every item on my checklist, reducing the supplemental readings that I used to provide. The clear, understandable writing, the firm foundation of the core skills and ideal qualities of the therapist, and the helpful advice from seasoned play therapists has made this book a delight to use in teaching students child-centered play therapy. From suggested reading material in the waiting room for parents, to toy selection, to clear examples of how to respond to the child, to getting at the heart of the matter, this book has it all." Harvey Payne, PsyD, associate professor, dean, and vice president for academic affairs for digital learning at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences, Divine Mercy University