Creative Ways to Help Children Manage BIG Feelings: A Therapist's Guide to Working with Preschool and Primary Children

The essence of this book is about using play to introduce therapeutic concepts to children and provide a space in which they can explore these ideas. Having a playful approach to therapy helps to engage children and assists them to understand and utilise therapeutic concepts. Being playful also makes therapy fun for children and parents, as well as therapists. This practical guide provides clinicians with a way in which to do so, with numerous games and imaginative activities to help children aged 4-12 to express and understand their feelings.

Part I provides a comprehensive guide to working therapeutically with children and families.

Part II outlines 47 creative therapeutic activities.

Each activity is presented with clear instructions using inexpensive and readily available resources and the objective and rationale of each activity is given, making it easily applicable. Activities range from using an easy to make volcano to help children better understand anger, to using a ball of string to illustrate how one person's feelings affect the whole family. This book is an invaluable resource for newly qualified clinicians, and also a treasure trove of creative ideas for experienced therapists.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Dr Lesley Bretherton.

Preface.

Part 1 - Therapeutic work with children and families.

1. Therapeutic frameworks and why working with children is different.
2. The importance of assessment.
3. Purposeful and playful therapy.
4. Working with families and schools.
5. Developmental considerations when working with children.
6. Key approaches and helpful ideas.
7. How to use this book.

Part 2 - Creative therapeutic activities.

Appendix - Our favorite children's books for therapy. Reference list.

"‘Creative Ways to Help Children Manage Big Feelings’ is an excellent book FULL of practical and creative ideas for working with young people and their families. It is easy to navigate and incorporates theoretical frameworks relevant to working with children and families. Most importantly, it is full of simple yet meaningful therapeutic activities/interventions which can be modified according to the child’s developmental stage and cognitive ability. This is now my go-to book for therapeutic ideas and inspiration, and would be relevant for therapists at any stage of their career"
-  Nicole Francke, Psychologist

"This text provides an excellent guide which will be useful for inexperienced and experienced therapists alike, based on clinical experience and practical, engaging methods. It promotes a thoughtful orientation to working with children and includes a broad range of creative activities for use with children and families."
- Prof Vicki Anderson, Head of Psychology, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne.