Child, Adolescent and Family Psychology
CULTURAL ISSUES IN PLAY THERAPY
Eliana Gil & Athena A. Drewes (Editors)
Guilford Press, 2004
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES The reader will be able to:
• Develop your skills for working with diverse children and families
• Inspect play therapy through a multicultural lens
• Examine how cultural traditions, values, shared experiences, and expectations may influence the ways children express themselves through play
• Describe the ideas and feelings children associate with different activities
• Describe what responses children and parents may have to particular interventions
• Review clinical material
• Describe specific issues to consider when working with African American, Hispanic, Native American, and Asian American children
• Set up a therapeutic playroom that is engaging and welcoming to all and review where to obtain multicultural toys, games, and art materials
Eliana Gil, PhD, RPT-S, ATR, is coordinator of the Abused Children's Treatment Services of Inova Kellar Center, in Fairfax, Virginia; director of Starbright Training Institute; an adjunct faculty member at Virginia Tech; a registered art therapist; a registered play therapy supervisor; and a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Athena A. Drewes, PsyD, RPT-S, is a licensed psychologist and registered play therapist and supervisor; director of Clinical Training and the APA Psychology Doctoral Internship at the Astor Home for Children in Poughkeepsie, New York. She is on the Board of Directors of the Association for Play Therapy, founder and past president of the New York Association for Play Therapy, and Adjunct Professor of Play Therapy at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York.
Helping therapists hone their skills for working with diverse children and families, this unique volume looks at play therapy through a multicultural lens. Experienced practitioners examine how cultural factors may influence the ways children express themselves through play, the feelings they associate with different activities, and the responses of children and parents to particular interventions. Filled with evocative clinical material, chapters highlight specific issues to consider when working with African American, Latino, Native American, and Asian American children. The book also provides suggestions for setting up a therapeutic playroom that is engaging and welcoming to all.
Editorial Reviews
This volume helps therapists develop a culturally sensitive approach to their practice of play therapy with children from diverse ethnic and cultural groups living in the United States today. It is an important and timely resource for all therapists who work with young children, regardless of disciplinary background or theoretical orientation. --Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, Department of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University
This valuable text is packed with useful information that will guide and inspire play therapists who treat children from diverse cultural backgrounds. The book admirably succeeds in translating knowledge about different cultures into clear and sensitive practice principles. It will serve as an essential and welcome resource for students and professionals who use play therapy in their work with children in schools, hospitals, clinics, and private practice settings. --Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW, BCD, RPT-S, Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service
This book is an invaluable resource for play therapists and trainees as well as other professionals who work with children and families whose cultural backgrounds are different from their own. Designed to acquaint the reader with a variety of ethnic groups, the book also demonstrates the variations that exist within the groups themselves. The highly knowledgeable authors encourage therapists to learn as much as possible about the populations they serve in order to provide effective help for those who may be struggling with acculturation, language skills, prejudice, and other issues. Numerous resources are listed that can further inform and sensitize us to cultural concerns in clinical practice. This is a landmark book for therapists and for students entering the field, and should be on hand at every play therapy training site. --Lois Carey, LCSW, BCD, RPT-S, private practice, Upper Grandview, New York
This book fills a crucial void in the play therapy literature. The range of diversity of this book mirrors the ever-expanding diversity of America, and the cultural groups with the fastest growth projections are given detailed coverage. Featuring outstanding chapter contributions by knowledgeable and experienced clinicians, the book is well researched and includes interesting and rich case examples. In addition, practical information about culturally sensitive toys and where to get them will be a huge benefit to play therapists. Gil and Drewes are to be commended for this sensitive, vitally needed, and comprehensive work. --David A. Crenshaw, PhD, RPT-S, private practice, Rhinebeck, New York