Play Therapy Dimensions Model: A Decision-Making Guide for Integrative Play Therapists

With a wealth of practical and effective tools, this book provides a unique model that is fully illustrated by instructional online downloadable content. The model allows therapists to tailor their approach to the specific needs of the child. Practitioners are encouraged to be engaged and flexible during sessions, adapting their levels of directiveness and consciousness according to the child's responses. Through detailed written and visual case studies, the authors clearly explain the model, how to use it and the positive therapeutic effects it can have on the child. The book also provides additional support to play therapy practitioners and play therapy supervisors with the inclusion of useful forms that aid therapy planning, conceptualization and evaluation. This extensive and accessible handbook is an incomparable resource for beginning and seasoned play therapists, play therapy supervisors and instructors. It will also be of interest to child and educational psychologists and health professionals.

About the Author :
Lorri Yasenik and Ken Gardner are co-directors of the Rocky Mountain Play Therapy Institute in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, an accredited training institute founded in 1996 that offers experiential learning opportunities, integrating play therapy theory and practice. Lorri is a certified play therapist, and a founding member and former executive board member of the Alberta Play Therapy Association. She has presented nationally and internationally in the areas of play therapy, child psychotherapy, attachment, family violence, high conflict divorce and family mediation, and her PhD study is in the area of 'The Voice of the Child in Legal Matters'. Ken is a Clinical Psychologist and a Certified Play Therapy Supervisor. He is a past executive board member of the Canadian Association for Child Psychotherapy and Play Therapy, and has been a clinical practitioner for over 24 years. He is a former teacher of young children with special needs, and provides consultation to early intervention services as well as to therapists, schools, case managers and families. Ken has presented nationally and internationally on a wide range of topics related to play therapy and play-based interventions.

Review :
Play Therapy Dimensions Model is the most brilliant contribution to the play therapy literature published in the last 10 years. Read this book if you want to (a) learn about play therapy, (b) deepen your understanding about how and why play therapy works, and/or (c) become more intentional and efficacious in your therapeutic work with children. Play Therapists have finally obtained a model of conceptualizing treatment and supervision that allows for a creative and flexible approach to be integrative in meeting the needs of their clients. So reader, be prepared for the "Play Therapy Dimensions Model" to become a much-used tool in your treatment and supervision. Sit back and enjoy! Similar to the Medicine Wheel's four aspects of human nature (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual), the circular diagram of Lorri and Ken's model is divided into four quadrants: Active Utilization, Open Discussion and Exploration, Non-intrusive Responding and Co-facilitation. Of particular importance to me, is the inclusive philosophy that all approaches to play therapy can be conceptualized within the four quadrants. With this essential philosophy threaded throughout the book and online content, it is clear that the Play Therapy Dimensions Model is designed so therapists can open doors between the quadrants thereby accessing multiple ways of interacting with children in any given session. [this book] provide[s] both novice and seasoned clinicians with a[n]...invaluable framework, and excellent resources, to conceptualize the multi-dimensional practice of play therapy and inform decision-making...All play therapy training courses should include this book on their required reading lists. I am fascinated by the clinical basis and multi-dimensional framework that the Play Therapy Dimensions Model provided me as a play therapy practitioner, particularly the understanding of the child's uniqueness, as well as the dynamics of psychic movement during the play session. Furthermore, I acquired a profound and flexible view of the therapist's role and accompanying skills for tuning in to and addressing the child's unmet needs. Through the case discussions, I have come to realize the importance of underlying change mechanisms in the process of play therapy, and the utility of the Play Therapy Dimensions Model tracking tools and forms for assessment purposes. Lorri and Ken's Play Therapy Dimension Model fills a gap in the literature for clinicians who work from an integrative approach to play therapy. They provide a systematic and process-oriented framework for tailoring treatment approach to clients' needs and to aid therapists in identifying and assessing therapeutic movement within and across sessions.