Multicultural Play Therapy

Multicultural Play Therapy fills a wide gap in the play therapy literature. Each chapter helps expand play therapists’ cultural awareness, humility, and competence so they can work more effectively with children of diverse cultures, races, and belief systems. The unique perspectives presented here provide play therapists and advanced students with concrete information on how to broach issues of culture in play therapy sessions, parent consultations, and in the play therapy field at large. The book includes chapters on multiple populations and addresses the myriad cultural background issues that emerge in play therapy, and the contributors include authors from multiple races, ethnicities, cultural worldviews, and orientations.

"Multicultural Play Therapy is the first book in the field of play therapy and child therapy to address multiculturalism from a child-centered philosophy. The deeply personal openness of these courageous authors is remarkable and draws the reader into self-examination of unexplored cultural issues. This process is unique. Teaching points come alive in the liberal use of case examples taken from the authors’ play therapy and supervision sessions."Garry Landreth, EdD, Regents’ professor emeritus in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at the University of North Texas"This much-needed work emphasizes a thoughtful, culturally empathic approach to being with children in play therapy. There are no easy answers when working with children and families from a place of cultural humility, and Multicultural Play Therapy embraces that reality. Clinicians will feel seen and understood in reading this book, and in doing so will more effectively be with the children and families they serve." Kim Vander Dussen, PsyD, RPT-S, professor of clinical psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Anaheim campus"Multicultural Play Therapy is a valuable resource that helps play therapists effectively integrate cultural considerations into their clinical work. The book is full of the latest research, helpful clinical examples, and the authors’ compassionate voices. If you work with kids, you need this book!"Joshua N. Hook, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of North Texas

Dee C. Ray, PhD, LPC-S, NCC, RPT-S, certified CCPT-T/S, and CPRT-T/S is Distinguished Teaching Professor and Elaine Millikan Mathes Professor in Early Childhood Education in the Department of Counseling and Higher Education at the University of North Texas, where she is also the director of the Center for Play Therapy. Yumiko Ogawa PhD, LPC, ACS, RPT-S, BC-TMH, certified CCPT-S, and CPRT-S, is Associate Professor in the Department of Counselor Education at New Jersey City University. She provides play therapy trainings in the U.S. and throughout Asia and is one of the founders of the Play Therapy in Asia Summit. Yi-Ju Cheng, PhD, LPC, NCC, RPT, certified CCPT-S, and CPRT-S, is an assistant professor at Rider University. Her clinical and research interests center on play therapy and diversity in counseling. She is a trainer for the international certification program for Child-Centered Play Therapy and Child-Parent Relationship Therapy.