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“Stalwarts of play therapy Athena Drewes and Charles Schaefer have teamed up again to edit a wonderfully informative collection of essays focused on a wide array of childhood anxieties from nightmares to posttraumatic anxieties….Many of the authors include a clear and separate section of outcome studies related to their essays. This seems to be an essential feature that can aid clinicians in making informed treatment decisions and help them move beyond an eclectic approach to treating anxiety….A valuable resource, with expert authors and clear, practical, and well-researched strategies for dealing with childhood anxieties….It will serve as a strong resource for client conceptualization, treatment planning, family consultation, and goal setting.”

—American Journal of Play


“Provides a plethora of thoughtful and effective techniques to incorporate into play therapy practice. As a play therapy supervisor and trainer, I recommend this book as a go-to manual to expand therapists' understanding of how anxiety manifests in children and what play-based interventions are most helpful. Of particular interest are the multiple ways in which parents are included as an integral part of the interventions. This book will have a prominent place in my play therapy library.”

—Susan M. Carter, PhD, LP, RPT-S, private practice, Kalamazoo, Michigan


“With fear, anxiety, and phobias so prevalent in the lives of children, this volume is welcome and timely. Drewes and Schaefer have brought together seasoned international experts and have structured their chapters along a helpful continuum, from developmentally normative fears to more intensive and complex anxiety disorders and posttraumatic issues. The detailed case studies foreground the individual styles and coping strategies of children and families and remind us of the critical role of parent involvement in treatment success. This valuable resource hones in on how to support children in learning to tolerate and move around or through their emotional distress.”

—Mary Anne Peabody, EdD, LCSW, RPT-S, Social and Behavioral Sciences Program, University of Southern Maine


“This wonderful book enables the clinician to engage fearful children, conceptualize the roots of their distress, and provide age-appropriate play-based interventions. The benefits of early intervention and an understanding of neurobiology are highlighted. As a training provider, I was delighted to find simple techniques that parents can be taught, as well as cohesive approaches for implementation by psychotherapists. The book emphasizes the need for informed, integrated clinical decision making rather than reliance on random techniques or a single model when treating children with complex mental health issues. It should be read and referred to regularly by all play therapists and play therapy trainees.”

—Eileen Prendiville, ECP, Course Director, The Children’s Therapy Centre, Ireland

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Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Play-Based Approaches for Treating Childhood Anxieties: Basic Concepts and Practices, Charles E. Schaefer & Athena A. Drewes

I. Common Childhood Fears and Anxieties

2. Anxiety and the Hospitalized Child: Best Practices for Guiding Therapeutic Play, Donna Koller

3. Play Interventions for Children’s Nighttime Fears, Julie Blundon Nash

4. Play Therapy Practices with Children Experiencing Nightmares, Deborah Armstrong

5. Play-Based Treatment for School-Related Fears and Phobias of Children, Clair Mellenthin

6. Release Play Interventions for Children Who Experienced Stressful Life Events, Heidi Gerard Kaduson

II. Specific Anxiety Disorders

7. Integrating Play and Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions to Treat Childhood Worries and Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Taming Worry Dragons, Sandra L. Clark & E. Jane Garland

8. Theraplay as a Treatment for Children with Selective Mutism: Integrating the Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory and Social Communication, Lydia C. Glibota, Sandra Lindaman, & A. Rand Coleman

9. Integrating Play Therapy into Treatment of Children with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder, Eric Green & Amie C. Myrick

10. Play Therapy for Separation Anxiety in Children, Paris Goodyear-Brown & Elizabeth Andersen

11. Effective Play-Based Interventions for Social Anxiety Disorder, Vicente E. Caballo, Isabel C. Salazar, & Thomas H. Ollendick

12. Integrating Play Therapy into Single-Session Behavioral Treatment for Preschool Children with Specific Phobias, Erinn N. Munro Lee, Helen Kershaw, & Lara J. Farrell

III. Posttraumatic Anxieties

13. Play-Based Interventions for Children Traumatized by Natural and Human-Made Disasters, Akiko J. Ohnogi

14. Helping Sexually Abused Children Overcome Anxiety: A Play-Based Integrative Approach, Andrea Driggs McLeod

Appendix: Helpful Bibliotherapy Books

Index

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About the Editors

Athena A. Drewes, Psych, RPT-S, is a licensed psychologist, certified school psychologist, and registered play therapist and supervisor. Dr. Drewes is semi-retired in Ocala, Florida. She has over 40 years of clinical and supervision experience with children and adolescents experiencing complex trauma and sexual abuse in school, outpatient, and inpatient settings. She is a past board member of the Association for Play Therapy and a founder and president emeritus of the New York Association for Play Therapy. A frequently invited guest lecturer around the United States and internationally, Dr. Drewes has published 11 books on play therapy.

• All titles by Athena A. Drewes

Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, RPT-S, until his death in 2020, was Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. A pioneering play therapist, he was Cofounder and Director Emeritus of the Association for Play Therapy, which recognized him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Schaefer published more than 100 research articles and over 70 professional books, including Prescriptive Play Therapy; Play-Based Interventions for Childhood Anxieties, Fears, and Phobias; and Essential Play Therapy Techniques.

• All titles by Charles E. Schaefer

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Contributors

Elizabeth Andersen, MS, Nurture House, Franklin, Tennessee

Deborah Armstrong, PhD, LMFT, RPT-S, The Mindgarden Centre, Greenville, South Carolina

Vicente E. Caballo, PhD, Faculty of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain, and Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

Sandra L. Clark, PhD, RPsych, Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

A. Rand Coleman, PhD, The Theraplay Institute, Inc., Evanston, Illinois

Athena A. Drewes, PsyD, RPT-S, Astor Services for Children and Families, Rhinebeck, New York, and Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, Connecticut

Lara J. Farrell, PhD, School of Applied Psychology and Behavioural Basis of Health, Griffith University, and Menzies Health Institute, Queensland, Australia

E. Jane Garland, MD, FRCPC, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, and Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Lydia C. Glibota, MSW, RSW, LMSW, Specialized Treatment Services, Hôtel- Dieu Grace Healthcare, Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Paris Goodyear-Brown, MSSW, LCSW, RPT-S, Nurture House, Franklin, Tennessee

Eric J. Green, PhD, RPT-S, Johns Hopkins School of Education, Baltimore, Maryland

Heidi Gerard Kaduson, PhD, RPT-S, private practice, Monroe Township, New Jersey

Helen Kershaw, MA, RPT-S, School of Applied Psychology and Behavioural Basis of Health, Griffith University, and Menzies Health Institute, Queensland, Australia

Donna Koller, PhD, School of Early Childhood Studies, Ryerson University, and Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Erinn N. Munro-Lee, BPsySc, Menzies Health Institute, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia

Sandra Lindaman, MA, MSW, LSLP, LCSW, LMSW, The Gil Institute for Trauma Recovery and Education, Fairfax, Virginia

Andrea Driggs McLeod, MSW, LCSW, RPT-S, The Theraplay Institute, Fairfax, Virginia

Clair Mellenthin, LCSW, RPT-S, Wasath Family Therapy, Sandy, Utah

Amie C. Myrick, MS, LCPC, Family and Children’s Services, Bel Air, Maryland

Julie Blundon Nash, PhD, RPT-S, private practice, Centerbrook, Connecticut, and Department of Counselor Education and Family Studies, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia

Akiko J. Ohnogi, PsyD, Ohnogi Psychotherapy and Counseling Clinic, Tokyo, Japan

Thomas H. Ollendick, PhD, Child Study Center, Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia

Isabel C. Salazar, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, FUNVECA Clinical Psychology Center, Granada, Spain

Charles E. Schaefer, PhD, RPT-S, Department of Psychology, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, New Jersey

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Audience

Clinicians working with 3- to 12-year-olds, including art, play, and other creative therapists; child clinical psychologists; social workers; counselors; and child psychiatrists.

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Course Use

May serve as a supplemental text in graduate-level courses.