The Healing Power of Play: Working with Abused Children

by Eliana Gil

Book Overview

This book describes how therapists can both facilitate constructive play therapy and intervene in posttraumatic play to help children who have been traumatized by abuse or neglect achieve a positive resolution. Traditional techniques of play therapy are reviewed for their application to this population. Throughout, numerous therapeutic aids are described to enhance the child's capacity to communicate verbally or symbolically. To help clinicians translate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898624673
• ISBN13: 9780898624670
• Release Date: March 1991
• Publisher: Guilford Publications
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Play Therapy

Eliana Gil has done it again! Her expert work with children is all there in THE HEALING POWER OF PLAY. Her humble, informative style is like an internship with an expert. What a blessing she is to the field of trauma and healing!

A must read if working with children

This is a must read if you are working with children. The author is one whom I consider the best in the field. It clearly defines all the basic principles of working with abused children and helps the new practitioner become familiar with the appropriate jargon in the field of play therapy. This is the "bible" of child therapy in my opinion and is priceless.

child of abuse

I am a victim of sexual abuse. I have read books like NIGHTMARES ECHO,BEAUTY FOR ASHES and COURAGE TO HEAL to find help in my adult life to get over what happened to me as a child. Abuse doesn't just go away and the demons do haunt. When I found out about this book, I bought it as soon as I could.I am very pleased there is a book like this available for the children now...rather than later down the road when the impact of abuse has taken its hold on them.I do recommend that all Parents,Teachers etc. buy this book as well as the other two I had mentioned. Though NIGHTMARES ECHO and BEAUTY FOR ASHES are more adult oriented, I think that the parent,teacher,spuse etc can learn from these books and then help the child to over come the abuse with THE HEALING POWER OF PLAY.I think this book was written well, and written for the regular reader to understand with out all of the large words that can confuse.

A classic

This is a must-have modern classic for the library of anyone working professionally with abused children. I would also recommend this book for the insight it provides to anyone adopting a child who may have gone through trauma or abuse. Clearly written, backed up with thorough research and guided by sensitive clinical skills, Eliana Gil's work is a primer on helping children work through trauma using their main mode of expression, play. If I could recommend only one book for training young professsionals embarking on the challenging and rewarding journey of helping kids who have been abused, this would be it.

Eliana Gil has a wonderful amount of insight to children

This book is a treasure for the beginning play therapist, as well as the experienced clinician working with issues of abuse. A work sprinkled with fascinating case examples and intriguing stories, this book is truly a must have for therapists