Group Play Therapy

Daniel S. Sweeney, PhD, is a professor of counseling and director of the Northwest Center for Play Therapy Studies at George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. He is a past board member and president of the Association for Play Therapy. Dr. Sweeney maintains a small private practice and is an international presenter. He has authored or co-authored several books, including Play Therapy Interventions with Children's Problems, Counseling Children Through the World of Play, Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual, and The Handbook of Group Play Therapy. His books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, and Russian. Jennifer N. Baggerly, PhD, is a professor and the chair of the division of counseling and human services at the University of North Texas at Dallas and has served as chair of the board of directors of the Association for Play Therapy (APT). She has taught and provided group play therapy for over ten years in schools and community agencies. Dr. Baggerly’s multiple research projects and over fifty publications have led to her being recognized as a prominent play therapy expert. Dee C. Ray, PhD, is a professor in the counseling program and director of the Child and Family Resource Clinic at the University of North Texas. Dr. Ray has published over seventy-five articles, chapters, and books in the field of play therapy, and over twenty research publications specifically examining the effects of child-centered play therapy. Dr. Ray is the author of Advanced Play Therapy, co-editor of Child Centered Play Therapy Research, and former editor of the International Journal of Play Therapy.

"Wow! I love this book! It includes sufficiently detailed information for students yet has the depth practitioners need, with extensive sample dialogues and case examples providing insight into processes. Chapters on the integration of expressive arts, sandtray therapy, and puppet play offer much-needed information on disaster response, bereavement and loss, and groups in schools. This is a must have as either a textbook or for best practices."—Linda E. Homeyer, PhD, professor at Texas State University and coauthor of Sandtray Therapy: A Practical Manual"Group Play Therapy is an excellent introduction to the different theories, techniques, and applications of group play therapy. A very valuable resource for all who work with children. Highly recommended."—Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University"Sweeney, Baggerly, and Ray enrich the field of play therapy immeasurably with this comprehensive volume. Group play therapy is an underutilized but essential approach in today's world of diminished treatment resources. This book is solidly grounded in theory and research and details diverse theoretical approaches and offers a range of specific techniques, compelling case studies, and coverage of multicultural issues, and ethics. Every play therapist will be amply rewarded for reading this book."—David A. Crenshaw, PhD, clinical director of the Children's Home of Poughkeepsie and faculty associate at Johns Hopkins University

• Foreword Garry L. Landreth Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction to Group Play Therapy 2. Theoretical Approaches to Group Play Therapy 3. Multicultural Issues 4. Ethical Considerations 5. Group Play Therapy Procedures and Stages 6. Structural and Relational Limit-Setting 7. Integrating Directive and Nondirective Group Interventions 8. Expressive Arts in Group Play Therapy 9. Group Puppet Play 10. Group Sandtray Therapy 1. Activity Group Therapy for Adolescents 12. Disaster Response Group Play Therapy Procedures 13. Group Play Therapy in Schools 14. Healing Bereavement and Loss 15. Research and Outcomes in Group Play Therapy References Index