Play in Family Therapy

This classic volume, now completely revised, has helped tens of thousands of therapists integrate play therapy and family therapy techniques in clinical practice. Eliana Gil demonstrates a broad range of verbal and nonverbal strategies for engaging all family members--including those who are ambivalent toward therapy--and tailoring interventions for different types of presenting problems. Numerous case examples illustrate ways to effectively use puppets, storytelling, art making, the family play genogram, drama, and other expressive techniques with children, adolescents, and their parents. Gil offers specific guidance for becoming a more flexible, creative practitioner and shows how recent advances in neuroscience support her approach. Photographs of client artwork are included.

New to This Edition
*Incorporates 20 years of clinical experience and the ongoing development of Gil's influential integrative approach.
*All-new case material.
*Discusses how current brain research can inform creative interventions.
*Heightened focus on personal metaphors, complete with detailed suggestions for exploring and processing them.

Eliana Gil, PhD, is founding partner in a private group practice, the Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, in Fairfax, Virginia, 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 over 40 years. A licensed marriage, family, and child counselor; an approved marriage and family therapy supervisor; a registered art therapist; and a 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, which honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the author of The Healing Power of Play, Treating Abused Adolescents, Helping Abused and Traumatized Children, and other acclaimed books and video programs on child abuse and related topics. Originally from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Dr. Gil is bilingual and bicultural.
 

Foreword by Matthew D. Selekman
1. The Rationale for Integrating Play and Family Therapy, Catherine Ford Sori with Eliana Gil
2. Obstacles and Opportunities in Utilizing Family Play Therapy, with Catherine Ford Sori
3. The Development of Clinical Creativity for Use in Family Play Therapy, with Lynn B. Hadley
4. Goldilocks’s Peaceful Protest: The Use of Puppets and Storytelling
5. The Wolf Who Wanted to Be King of the World: The Use of Puppets and Storytelling       
6. The Shark with a Heart of Gold: A Family Aquarium
7. The Sea Serpent Rises from the Sea: A Family Scribble Drawing Facilitates a Teen’s Coming Out
8. The Owl Spreads His Wings: The Family Play Genogram Comes to Life
9. Love Leads the Way: When Clarity Emerges in a Couple’s Scribble
10. “What’s That Guy Doing in My Mouth”?: A Shark Story Illustrates the Use of Family Artwork in Assessing Family Dynamics
11. “Take Me to Your Leader”: The Use of Drama Therapy Techniques to Provoke Family Change
12. Epilogue