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Chapter One
The Therapeutic Powers of Play
and Play Therapy
CHARLES E. SCHAEFER
ATHENA A. DREWES
Play is as natural to children as breathing. It is a universal expression
of children, and it can transcend differences in ethnicity, language,
or other aspects of culture (Drewes, 2006). Play has been observed in
virtually every culture since the beginning of recorded history. It is
inextricably linked to how the culture develops poetry, music, dance,
philosophy, social structures-all linked through the society's view of
play (Huizinga, 1949). But how play looks and is valued differs across
and within cultures (Sutton-Smith, 1974, 1999).
The use of fantasy, symbolic play, and make-believe is a developmentally
natural activity in children's play (Russ, 2007). Play is not only central
but critical to childhood development (Roopnarine & Johnson, 1994). For a
variety of species, including humans, p ... read full excerpt from: Blending Play Therapy with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Evidence-Based and Other Effective Treatments and Techniques ebook
