Play in Family Therapy, First Edition - Softcover

Eliana Gil

4.12

164 ratings by Goodreads

9780898627572: Play in Family Therapy, First Edition

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0898627575 ISBN 13: 9780898627572

Publisher: The Guilford Press, 1994

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

"At a national conference, I presented a workshop entitled "Do Children Hate Family Therapy?" The attendance was good. Too good. Clearly, the title struck a chord, because children often seem to dislike family therapy. And who could fault them for it? The fact is that many family therapists either exclude young children or do not know how to involve them actively in family sessions....

"This is where Dr. Gil's new book succeeds so wonderfully. By drawing on her extensive training and experience as both a child therapist and a family therapist, she shows us how to use all family members' capacities for expressive play simultaneously. Never before have we been treated to such a variety of family play techniques that are presented in such vivid clinical detail....Her methods are captivating to read about and described with sufficient depth so that the reader can visualize their application in everyday clinical situations." --From the Foreword by Robert-Jay Green, Ph.D.

In Play in Family Therapy, Dr. Eliana Gil provides a hands-on guide to a wealth of play therapy techniques for working with children ages 3 to 12, and shows how to adapt these techniques to conjoint family therapy. Illustrating the inexhaustible potential that play techniques hold for enhancing relatedness, communication, and understanding among families, this essential new volume represents a major step toward merging child and family therapy.

Chapters in Part One cover the history of play therapy and the integration of play into family therapy. In Part Two, clinical vignettes illustrate in user-friendly detail the application of such techniques as puppet interviews, art therapy, and story-telling. Dr. Gil covers the presenting problems and family configurations clinicians are likely to encounter when working with children. Throughout, the text describes the problems that may arise--such as family members' reluctance to use play--and shows how to overcome them by setting a positive tone and conveying the expectation that families will find play enjoyable and rewarding.

Providing clinicians with useful play techniques with which to expand their repertoire of family interventions, this work will be invaluable to all therapists and students who work with children and their families.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author:

Eliana Gil, PhD, is senior partner in a private group practice in Fairfax, Virginia, the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, which provides therapy, consulting, and training services. She is also Director of Starbright Training Institute for Child and Family Play Therapy in northern Virginia. Dr. Gil has worked in the field of child abuse prevention and treatment for nearly 40 years. A licensed marriage, family, and child counselor; approved marriage and family therapy supervisor; registered play therapist; and registered play therapy supervisor, Dr. Gil has served on the Board of Directors of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children and the National Resource Center on Child Sexual Abuse, and is a former President of the Association for Play Therapy. She is the author of The Healing Power of Play: Working with Abused Children; Play in Family Therapy; Treating Abused Adolescents; Helping Abused and Traumatized Children: Integrating Directive and Nondirective Approaches, and other acclaimed books and video programs on child abuse and related topics. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Dr. Gil is bilingual and bicultural.

Review:

"The Family Therapy and Play Therapy fields have had to wait a long time for a comprehensive, clinically sound, and integrated handbook. Dr. Eliana Gil's work is well worth the wait. The book fills a gap that has been present far too long. We have needed a comprehensive work that acknowledges that families have the resources to grow and heal together. Therapy does not have to be something done to people, but rather done with people. Dr. Gil not only acknowledges this, but teaches us how to do it. It might be frequently said, but in this case absolutely true, Play in Family Therapy is a 'must' for all clinicians who care for and work with families and their children. This work is a gift for any clinician and the families with which they work. I am thrilled with the clarity of presentation and all the wonderful techniques Dr. Gil presents." --Mary Jo Barrett, MSW, The Center for Contextual Change

"If you have ever struggled with the question of what can be done to facilitate family relatedness or wished for help in understanding what children have experienced in their lives, this book is for you. Play in Family Therapy is the single most comprehensive collection of play procedures for families in therapy. Eliana Gil's easy going writing style captures the reader's attention and imagination with lively, dramatic case examples of play procedures that open the door and allow the reader to view the inner dynamics of family interactions. Drawing freely on her own creative insights into family interactions, Gil shows therapists how to have fun through play with families and in her skillful hands, the richness of family play comes alive. She writes like she speaks with enthusiasm, conviction, authority, encouragement, and a heartfelt understanding of children and their families." --Dr. Gary Landreth, EdD, Director, Center for Play Therapy, University of North Texas

"Provides clinicians with information that will effectively help them when working with children and their families. It is certainly a book worth reading and utilizing." (Journal of Family Psychotherapy 1994-04-11)

"This text provides important tools for overcoming barriers that may have made family therapy seem difficult or unworkable at times." (AFTA Newsletter 1994-04-11)

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.