REVIEW The Handbook of Medical


Play Therapy and Child Life Authored by Lawrence C. Rubin, PhD, ABPP, LMHC, RPT-S 2018: New York, NY: Routledge, ISBN: 978-1-138-69000-4


The Handbook of medical play therapy and child life: Interventions in clinical and medical settings is a carefully crafted resource for practitioners using play therapy with children who are experiencing illness and other health challenges. Written for clinicians who appreciate empirically supported work, Lawrence C. Rubin shaped the text to include valuable input from expert voices in play therapy and child life specialties. Contributors explored the intersection between these disciplines and their divergences. Rubin selected relevant and varied topics to cover a wide range of contemporary issues faced by those tending to young clients in medical settings. Readers will gain advanced knowledge on multiple themes, including medically related trauma, terminal illness in children, family systems and   children cope and transition throughout their illness. Resiliency, hope, and increased quality of life are also recurring themes. Authors interspersed


considerations for diverse settings, discussion of developmental stages in childhood and adolescence, and challenging case vignettes throughout each section of the text. The majority of authors clearly value child-centered approaches, and the power of play is evident in each chapter. Play therapists’ and child life specialists’ therapeutic play interventions and reflections prove especially valuable to implementing real-world applications. Clinicians  


ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Nesi L. Lillard, LPC-S, NCC, RPT works in Huntsville, Texas as a clinical counselor at Sam Houston State University. She is a doctoral candidate in Counselor Education at SHSU with research focused on trauma, expressive arts, and group therapy.


14 | PLAYTHERAPY | June 2018 | www.a4pt.org


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36