Group Play Interventions for Children Strategies for Teaching Prosocial Skills

Group play interventions are used to meet a broad range of developmental needs in children from various backgrounds. This book is for mental health practitioners working with children aged 5 through 12 to help them learn important social skills and self-control strategies such as making friends, asking for and offering help, controlling hands and feet, using appropriate words, and managing stress and anger. Based on sound principles and research, this book integrates the use of group play interventions and evidence-based cognitive behavioral techniques in child group training.

Step-by-step instructions are given for teaching, modeling, organizing, and coaching children through skill sequences and fun, developmentally appropriate games. Detailed lists of preparatory and follow-up actions are also provided, as well as tips on tailoring instruction to children’s ages and special needs. Positive interactions are emphasized throughout the book, from parent interviews through implementation and questions for the children post-training.

Linda A. Reddy, PhD, is an associate professor of psychology at Rutgers University, where she also serves as director of the Child ADHD and ADHD-Related Disorders Clinic.
 
Dr. Reddy received a PhD in school psychology and MA in educational psychology (measurement) from the University of Arizona and a BA in psychology from Boston University.
 
She has published over 60 manuscripts and book chapters in the areas of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related disorders, group play interventions, school and family interventions, and test development/validation. She developed the Child ADHD Multimodal Program for children with ADHD.
 
Dr. Reddy is a Fellow of APA and serves on the editorial board of over 10 journals. She is the lead editor of Empirically-Based Play Interventions for Children (2005), Neuropsychological Assessment and Intervention for Emotional and Behavior Disordered Youth: An Integrated Step-by-Step Evidence-Based Approach (in press), and the second edition of Empirically Based Play Interventions for Children. She coedited (with Steven I. Pfeiffer) Innovative Mental Health Interventions for Children: Programs That Work and Inclusion Practice in Special Education: Research, Theory, and Application.
 
Dr. Reddy serves on the APA Inter-Divisional Task Force on Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the APA Task Force on Violence Against Teachers, and on the Translation of Science to School Practice Work Group. She is the recipient of several research and service awards and has received over $2 million in funding for her research. She received the 2009 Research Article of the Year Award for the Journal of School Psychology — Society for the Study of School Psychology.
 
Dr. Reddy is a licensed psychologist in New Jersey who has extensive clinical experience working with families; schools; and children with emotional, behavioral, and neurocognitive difficulties.