Jungian Counseling and Play Therapy

EMDR therapy with children requires great developmental sensitivity and creativity to enhance therapeutic safety and engagement in the therapy. Integrating play therapy conceptualizations and interventions can enhance the congruence of the somatic, emotional, and cognitive shifts occurring during EMDR. This chapter will establish the importance of therapeutic play as a tool in clinical work with children and review of some major play therapy models (child-centered play therapy, Adlerian play therapy, synergetic play therapy, Gestalt play therapy, and prescriptive play therapy), their intersection with the Adaptive Information Processing model, and how these play therapy techniques can be integrated within the eight phases of EMDR.

The active self: Drama therapy and philosophy

Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies (MSJCC) has emphasized the need to consider multicultural and social justice factors into all aspects of the counseling profession. Consistent with the MSJCC guideline, it is essential that counselors provide developmentally and culturally responsive interventions when working with children from diverse backgrounds. Adlerian play therapy is a unique approach in which counselors incorporate basic tenets of individual psychology and premise of play therapy to help children work through different types of emotional or behavioral issues. This chapter provides an overview of the effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on children's mental health, particularly the multitude of effects on Hispanic children. The author then illustrates the application of Adlerian play therapy from MSJCC's perspective to work with a Hispanic boy exposed to a high level of ACEs.

This paper discusses speech and language therapy with pre‐schoolers, focusing on the ‘directive’ versus the ‘non‐directive’ construct. Which factors in clinical practice promote development? Could they sometimes be obstructive or incidental? To the extent that we may misrepresent what we are doing, we may mislead ourselves, and possibly parents or students, into practices which are not as effective as they could be, or at worst may be more definitely unhelpful. Widely accepted defining characteristics of play (Garvey, 1977) indicate why play might be central to therapy, as it is in psychotherapeutic play therapy (Axline, 1989). Play therapy techniques have been adapted to speech and language therapy, for example, in the form of ‘non‐directive therapy’ (NDT) (Tierney & Cogher, 1994). The author compares play therapy and NDT in terms of the goals, assumptions and procedures in each approach, finding significant differences. Additions to NDT from the developmental psycholinguistic literature bear on these differences. Bruner's (1983) ideas on ‘joint attention’; Vygotsky's concept of ‘scaffolding’ (for example, Zukow, 1986) and the research of Harris (1992) on early language development: all have major implications for clinical practice, which may not necessarily fall under the non‐directive end of the directiveness construct. Support for this view is drawn from the multiple‐factors model of Snow, Perlmann and Nathan (1987) apropos the match or mis‐match between learning style and teaching style in child‐led or adult‐led interactions. Directiveness may vary according to contextual factors, such as culture, child or adult styles, and clinical goals. In autistic spectrum learning disorders, the goal of establishing better behaviours may be obstructed by a lack of adult direction. No technique can have universal application. Therapeutic variables may have no inherent good or bad quality; what matters is the skill, flexibility and appropriacy with which any variable is wielded. Therapy is the art of judging the needs and contexts of children, expertly formulating clinical goals and reaching those goals by discerning use of a wide range of techniques.

This completely revised and updated second edition provides a comprehensive introduction to using play to communicate with troubled or traumatized children and their families, and to heal emotional damage. The book gives examples of good practice in different settings and situations. Drawing on psychodynamic, systemic and attachment theory, the book provides an integrated theory base for using play in therapeutic work with children. It emphasizes non-directive approaches to therapeutic play and play therapy, based on supporting the child's developing self within the safe boundaries provided by the setting and the worker's emotional holding and containment. Areas explored include: children with disabilities and illnesses daily living with abused and traumatized children helping troubled families difficulties in early years children experiencing separation, loss and bereavement children moving to new families. The Handbook of Play Therapy and Therapeutic Play is an invaluable resource for all of those using play therapy with children and will appeal not only to play therapists but also to professionals working in the broader field of therapeutic play. It will be useful whether the readers are at the beginning of their training or are well-established and experienced practitioners and managers.

The authors explored the effect of child‐centered play therapy on the social competence, empathy, and self‐regulation of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. This study used a single‐case design with 5 children ranging from 6 to 8 years old. Visual analysis of the data indicated that play therapy was beneficial for 3 participants, whereas results for 2 participants were mixed. Discussion includes implications for clinical practice and future research.

Clinical practice in rehabilitation education represents an essential component in the graduate student's course of study and serves as a transition between the didactic learning of the classroom and the employment of the student as a professional counselor. Although the value of clinical practice is well established in master's level rehabilitation education, a number of potential problems currently exist. The author examines several issues related to supervision in clinical practice and provides suggestions for clarification.

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) is an evidence-based method for reducing disruptive behavior in children and improving parent management of behavior. PCIT is a form of behavioral intervention that can be used in clinical, home and school settings. Although initially designed for intervention related to oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, PCIT has been found to be a promising intervention for addressing behavioral issues among children with special needs. We present methods, research-based instructions and a case example of PCIT with a child diagnosed with autism. This article is intended to assist professional counselors in designing appropriate interventions for both children and parents.Keywords: autism, parent-child interaction therapy, special needs, behavioral intervention, case exampleCounseling techniques for children stem from a myriad of theoretical perspectives, and professional counselors are often in the unique position to provide systems intervention and training to families when a child has disruptive behavior. Despite the seniority of behaviorism in the field of psychology, behavioral family approaches have only recently been acknowledged as an effective practice in professional counseling. According to Gladding (2011), the following three premises underlie behavioral family counseling: (a) all behaviors are learned, (b) maladaptive behaviors are the target for change and (c) not everyone in the family has to be treated for change to occur. With these assumptions, it is easily deduced that the following also are true: (a) behavior can be unlearned and that new behaviors can be taught, (b) underlying, unresolved issues are not the key components of treatment, and (c) positive changes for one family member will impact the entire family system and surrounding ecology.When working with children of preschool or early elementary age, it is important to directly involve the child's caregivers. Parents' influence on their children is significant and some parenting practices may exacerbate some children's problems (McNeil & Hembree-Kigin, 2010). Behavioral family counseling models recognize the relationship between the child's behavior and the family system. One behavioral family counseling technique, Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), helps families work together with their children in reaching therapeutic goals. PCIT involves teaching parents some fundamental relationship-building strategies, including therapeutic play techniques for parents to use in the home environment (Johnson, Franklin, Hall, & Prieto, 2000). The clinician typically teaches and models PCIT techniques for the parents over the course of 8-10 weeks.The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the practicality of PCIT as a component of behavioral family counseling, to facilitate the professional counselor's understanding of the model through a review of PCIT and to illustrate the utility of this model for children with special needs through a case study.An Overview of PCITPCIT (Neary & Eyberg, 2002) is an assessment-driven form of behavioral parent training designed for families with preschool-aged children. We present a brief overview of PCIT, define the key components integral to the process, provide the framework for implementation and discuss the application of PCIT to special populations. The core of PCIT is twofold-to create nurturing parent-child relationships and to model prosocial behaviors while increasing a child's appropriate, compliant behaviors (Eyberg & Boggs, 1989). Play therapy skills are introduced to parents within the PCIT model to enhance the relationship between the parent and child. Additionally, PCIT cultivates problem-solving skills with parents who can then generalize gains made in the therapeutic milieu into the family environment. Similar to other models of family counseling, PCIT begins with the assessment process. Counselors using PCIT collect psychosocial information from the family through either structured or semi structured clinical interviews. …

Mental health issues faced by individuals living with HIV and AIDS require a continuum of unique counseling services. The need for professional counselors to work with HIV-positive clients is paramount as trained counselors encompass holistic and developmental perspectives. This study was designed as an introductory look at current knowledge-level of HIV/AIDS among counseling professionals to better understand educational needs of counseling students and professional counselors.

When talking about professional counselors, you may think about a counselor who works with children in school, one who works with an adult client in a drug and alcohol treatment program, or one who works with a group of women surviving intimate partner violence. The fact is, you are right. There are many types of professional counselors. Each type adopts and performs different roles according to her area of expertise, work setting, and/or interest. For example, you may develop a specific interest in family counseling with families adjusting to a child’s recent mental health diagnosis, whereas a student-peer of yours might develop a specific interest in geriatric counseling. Each type of professional counselor possesses unique characteristics, skill sets, and bases of knowledge. The diversity of roles and settings within the profession afford counselors with a plethora of choices from which to shape their career paths. Although there are differences, counselors still share a core set of skills and knowledge. In 2009, the American Counseling Association (ACA), along with its divisions and related organizations (e.g., American College Counseling Association, International Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, National Career Development Association), initiated the project 20/20: A Vision for the Future of Counseling and proposed Principles for Unifying and Strengthening the Profession (ACA, 2010a).The intent of this multiyear undertaking was to clarify and develop a cohesive counseling identity that could be easily presented to clients, counseling students, and the general public. Professional counselors were clearly defined as those who establish “a professional relationship that empowers diverse individuals, Chapter 4

Substantial controversy has surrounded the concept of best practices (BPs) in counseling; in particular, the consequences of deriving practice guidelines from empirically supported treatments (ESTs). Criticisms of EST methodology, assumptions, and findings are summarized, and implications for core counseling values, including multiculturalism, are discussed. The authors further elaborate an inclusive view of BP that can facilitate the use of research to inform and enhance counseling services while rectifying problems associated with methodological and theoretical bias.

Connecting Art and Science: How Far Have We Come?

There are many books focusing on the arts and therapy. A Google search on the number of titles of books with “art (and) therapy” numbered 1.7 million, with three-quarters of a million titles on “film therapy”, followed by 229,000 titles on “drama therapy” and 226,000 titles on “dance and therapy”. Indeed, Malchiodi (2005) traces a long history of using arts in healthcare. Less common are texts written by clinicians and academics from faculties of medicine and psychology who themselves express an additional, personal passion for the visual and/or performing arts. Many of the contributors in this book are professionals working in both domains. Every contributor to this book was invited to begin their chapter by describing their personal motivation for participating and, more specifically, what inspired them to pursue their interest in visual and/or performing arts alongside their primary professional commitments as clinicians or academics. Each author was asked to conclude their reflections and their reviews of relevant literature with some key points relevant to clinical practice.

Within the last decade there has been an increase in the use of structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the neural basis of human perception, cognition and behavior. Moreover, this non-invasive imaging method has grown into a tool for clinicians and researchers to explore typical and atypical brain development. Although advances in neuroimaging tools and techniques are apparent, (f)MRI in young pediatric populations remains relatively infrequent. Practical as well as technical challenges when imaging children present clinicians and research teams with a unique set of problems. To name just a few, the child participants are challenged by a need for motivation, alertness and cooperation. Anxiety may be an additional factor to be addressed. Researchers or clinicians need to consider time constraints, movement restriction, scanner background noise and unfamiliarity with the MR scanner environment. A progressive use of functional and structural neuroimaging in younger age groups, however, could further add to our understanding of brain development. As an example, several research groups are currently working towards early detection of developmental disorders, potentially even before children present associated behavioral characteristics. Various strategies and techniques have been reported as a means to ensure comfort and cooperation of young children during neuroimaging sessions. Play therapy, behavioral approaches and simulation, the use of mock scanner areas, basic relaxation and a combination of these techniques have all been shown to improve the participant's compliance and thus MRI data quality. Even more importantly, these strategies have proven to increase the comfort of families and children involved. One of the main advances of such techniques for the clinical practice is the possibility of avoiding sedation or general anesthesia (GA) as a way to manage children's compliance during MR imaging sessions. In the current video report, we present a pediatric neuroimaging protocol with guidelines and procedures that have proven to be successful to date in young children.

Children's services' drive towards accountability, and children's rights advocates' desire to truthfully represent children's views, are leading to more evaluation of child therapy services. The challenge is to find methods that accurately reflect children's views of their therapy. In this article we argue that play therapy skills have an important place in evaluating child therapy practice. We discuss four different directive play therapy techniques three of which have been piloted in the first author's practice to help children express their views of therapy at the end of their interventions. These are: 'The expert show', the miniature playroom technique and puppet and large doll evaluations. Explanations and examples are given from pilot research with 12 children. The issues and challenges inherent in play-based evaluations also are explored. We argue that expressive therapists are in a prime position to evaluate children's services and that children appear well able to express their views of therapy with these child-centred techniques.