Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy

Thirty years after its first clinical applications, Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) — developed by Susan M. Knell — is reclaiming its place as the gold-standard approach to psychotherapy with children. Born from the ambition to bring the rigor of evidence-based cognitive-behavioral techniques into the language children actually speak — play — CBPT was among the first models to offer even preschoolers a genuinely age-appropriate, theory-driven form of treatment, rather than a simplified version of adult therapy. This volume, edited by Maria A. Geraci, brings that foundational model fully up to date for today's clinical landscape. It reviews and integrates the most recent and relevant research in the field, and places case conceptualization at the center of clinical practice — making the case that understanding why a child struggles must come before deciding how to help. Building on that foundation, the book offers clinicians a clear framework for selecting the tools, techniques, and procedures best suited to each child, and closes by mapping out a roadmap for the research still to be done. Equal parts theoretical foundation and practical guide, this is essential reading for child psychotherapists, play therapists, and clinical trainees seeking to ground their play-based practice in both evidence and clinical wisdom.