Play Therapy with Families - by Nancy Riedel Bowers (Hardcover)

About the Book

Play Therapy with Families: A Collaborative Approach to Healing provides a unique approach for helping families, outlining an in-depth review of play and its relevancy to healing for children and families. Family therapy, family play therapy, filial and theraplay models, and a...

Book Synopsis

Play Therapy with Families: A Collaborative Approach to Healing provides a unique approach for helping families, outlining an in-depth review of play and its relevancy to healing for children and families. Family therapy, family play therapy, filial and theraplay models, and a sandtray intervention for adoptive families are presented as current and researched models of play therapy.

Review Quotes

Nancy Riedel Bowers's edited text brings together an interesting combination of authors around the central theme of the relationship between play and family life. Starting with an overview of the many faces of the family throughout the world, the book explores the way in which play can act as a therapeutic agent when things go wrong. Two classic models, theraplay and filial play, are explored alongside the introduction of collaborative play therapy. This new approach combines genograms, timelines, and ecomaps with all that is creative in a child's life to activate our natural healing potential. This book will stimulate and challenge the reader in equal measure.


Play Therapy with Families: A Collaborative Approach to Healing is lucid and fascinating. The contributors to this book write with clarity and vividness. This volume not only benefits professionals, but also parents and communities.

About the Author

Nancy Riedel Bowers, RSW, Rpt-S, PhD, holds positions within the seminary and faculty of social work at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada. Nancy holds the position of APT-continuing education provider and is a registered supervisor with APT and CACPT.