The Therapeutic Powers of Play

by Charles E. Schaefer (Editor)

Play therapy has been the most popular form of child therapy for the past fifty years, but the underlying curative elements have remained mysterious. This pioneering book provides a unique understanding of the process of play therapy by highlighting the therapeutic forces contained in it, such as catharsis, abreaction, self-expression, self-efficacy, role playing, and attachment formation. Clarification of the basic mechanisms of change in play therapy will lead to greater effectiveness for play therapists of all orientations.
Jack L. Herman
"Erik Erikson, quoting William Blake, the eighteenth century mystical poet and artist, tells us that the child has his toys and the old man has his reasons, and that these are the fruits of the two seasons. Charles Schaefer, the eminent author and editor of books on child psychotherapy from an eclectic, pragmatic standpoint, addresses children's natural special aptitude and facility in using their toys and play to express, communicate, and work through their problems by playing them out in the language of play.
"Comprehensive, broad and deep, analytic and penetrating, a subject long debated but never clarified in such exquisite detail, this book by Schaefer and his contributors is something to be studied by every child psychotherapist. Schaefer addresses a subject that has begun to be considered in adult psychotherapy, namely, what might be the curative factors (Frank, Slipp, Rothstein, Meissner). Could there be a common thread of curative factors in adult and child psychotherapy especially observable in the child's play itself? Here Schaefer has developed an intriguing approach, more integrative than simply eclectic.
"Do such seemingly diverse forms of play therapy as psychoanalytic, child centered, relationship, behavioral, cognitive, and social learning contain certain common therapeutic factors, since they all rely on the medium of spontaneous play as the child's main mode of self-expression and communication? What is there about child's play, qua play, that may be inherently therapeutic for the child, and what methods and techniques can capitalize on and maximize these factors?
"Schaefer and his fourteen contributors, all experts in their particular understanding of basic facets of play, have identified fourteen therapeutic components of children's play that regularly appear in the play therapy setting. Special features of these presentations are vivid case illustrations. Read them and discover the practical uses of the power of play."

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

376 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 1977

Reviews

[Makenzey Murr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for work. It will be very applicable, and I learned a lot about play therapy! It just bothered me that each chapter was written by a different author so it got a bit repetitive toward the end and some chapters read more “textbook” than others which made it slow to get through. But I understand why this is so foundational to play therapy, and I’ll use it frequently when explaining play therapy to others.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really useful foundational book that has helped me better explain to my clients why play therapy is beneficial

[Brent McGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s probably better to call it the Tool Box of Behavior Modification since many of these approaches are at face value contradictory. Catharsis is one that I seriously disagree with in the context that it was presented. It’s a personal preference that avoids rumination and imprinting. Some experiences are devastating, but by unleashing raw emotional purging and then sorting out the mess once it’s all over the place is something that barely survives as a practice today.
Compare that to Empathy, which tries to agree with Catharsis by redefining it to a less violent classical approach. To me, the Empathy approach, using some of the techniques like mirroring, favors the more current neurological models of therapy. Children often do things because they are impulsive and not because, like Freud, have some secret agenda for bringing the wrong key to the office.
Play is an essential part of childhood development and in most of the population is best left to the child to work out. Occasionally, there are significant events in a child’s life that necessitate a closer examination and possible intervention. This book is for those moments (which are out of my purview anyway).
My interest in this book, as a reviewer, was twofold; to gain insight on how to improve my relationships with children under my care, and to understand what awaits children who exhibit more problematic behaviors.
From that perspective this book offers a wealth of insight into why we all do things to avoid some situations and are attracted to others. Further on in Resiliency, there is a section on blame. As adults blame seems all too pervasive and it is apparent that we take these unresolved emotions and continue working them out far past their shelf life.
Self-Regulation is probably the most talked about in the Emotional Intelligence community and a good treatment of the subject from a clinical standpoint. As stated elsewhere, Self-Control holds the key to the future. Page 272 says as much.
It probably won’t be too far off the mark to say that Self-Regulation is the goal of whatever tools you choose to employ in this book.
Recommend most of it.

[Lorilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (more of a textbook, really) is a collection of twenty research papers written on the topic of play therapy. All of the papers focus on different benefits of using play therapy to help children who are having trouble living their lives in some way.

The table of contents is lengthy and seems formidable at first, but, in reality, the book's content is pretty straight-forward. The papers are divided into four parts, each part demonstrating the usefulness and effectiveness of play therapy to 1) facilitate communication, 2) foster emotional wellness, 3) enhance social relationships, or 4) increase personal strengths.

I have a Masters in Social Work, but I stay at home with my kids now. Though I realize this is a book written for professionals in a clinical setting, I actually found Part 4 to be particularly useful to me insofar as I think it will help me help my kids interact better with other people, especially other kids their own ages. (I especially loved Jill Packman's paper on Moral Development.)

At any rate, if you are looking for a casual parenting book that will help you play with your toddlers better, you'll want to pass on this one. The Therapeutic Powers of Play is definitely more of a textbook for graduate-level students and licensed professionals.