Integrating Therapeutic Play Into Nursing and Allied Health Practice

This book helps support developmentally sensitive nursing and allied health practice by integrating the therapeutic powers of play into child and adolescent health care service provision. It is designed to link play, child development, neuroscience, biopsychosocial and attachment theories with the biomedical model of health.

Nurses and allied health professionals work with children aged between 0-18 years and with diverse childhood illnesses, injuries, diseases, disorders, and conditions, and are therefore in a prime position to understand and support children through potentially painful and traumatic health care experiences. Understanding of the role of play and the application of the therapeutic powers of play in communicating with children and families has the potential to significantly optimise paediatric care. The theory and play based strategies, tools and techniques presented in this book assist nurses and health care professionals to engage with children in anage-appropriate manner and ‘speak’ with children through their natural language of play, to enhance comprehension, coping, resiliency, and healing.

Play is recognised as a sequentially developing ability and can be aligned with the child’s age and stage of life. Play based approaches can be placed on a continuum from fully child led or non-directive play to adult facilitated educative play. Medical information can be tailored according to the various points along this continuum to inform clinical reasoning and to help children prepare for procedures, recover from medical interventions and / or make sense of their diagnosis.

Whilst this book is directed at nurses and allied health professionals who work with children and their families, it may also be a valuable resource for medical and other professionals in community or educational settings to work systemically as a team. The book takes the reader on a journey to illustrate various professional and therapeutic rolesin how to playfully engage children through a range of case vignettes.

Dr. Judi Parson is a Senior Lecturer in Play Therapy, a paediatric qualified Registered Nurse, Play Therapist and Supervisor. She is the Play Therapy Discipline Leader in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Australia. Judi won the Highest Academic Achievement Award in the Child and Adolescent Health (Advanced Paediatrics) Post Graduate nursing course (ACU), and won an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) to undertake her PhD studies which focused on the integration of procedural play for children undergoing invasive medical treatment (CQU). She completed her Master of Arts - Play Therapy (with Distinction), through School of Psychology, Roehampton University London (RUL), and is actively involved in the development of play therapy in Australia. Judi, a co-founding director for the Australasia Pacific Play Therapy Association, (APPTA) and a founding member of the International Consortium of Play Therapy Associations (IC-PTA), continues to practice play therapy and provides clinical and research supervision to others in the field of paediatric play therapy. Judi has enjoyed an international career in paediatrics and Play Therapy and has been invited to present in Australia and New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East, England, and Europe. She has co-edited a book and published more than 30 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal publications. Judi is actively involved in the development of play therapy in Australia through education, research, and clinical and research supervision within the field of play therapy.  

Ms Belinda Dean is a Lecturer in Play Therapy, a qualified Registered Nurse, Registered Play Therapist and PhD student at Deakin University. Belinda has 22 years’ experience in the healthcare field with a focus on Child and Adolescent Health & Development, Mental Health, Community and Family Health. Belinda teaches in the above areas including educating students around Medical and Procedural play. Belinda holds a Master of Child Play Therapy and provides clinical supervision to Therapeutic Play and Child Play Therapy students and alumni. Belinda is passionate about attachment and trauma informed models to promote early intervention to mental health through play therapy. Belinda understands the impacts of early relational health and trauma has on children and adolescents neurological, physical, social, and emotional development. Belinda's other main areas of research are social skill programs to support neuro-diverse adolescents and play based andragogy. Belinda is a facilitator of the Imagine, Create, Belong program and is a co-author of Storying Beyond Social Difficulties with Neuro-Diverse Adolescents and related published peer reviewed journal articles. Belinda has presented nationally on her research. Belinda is the co-founder of Light Heart Publishing and Play Based Learning and practices privately as a play therapist. Belinda is actively involved in the development ofplay therapy in Australia through education, research, and clinical supervision within the field of play therapy.  

Dr. Natalie Hadiprodjo is a Senior Lecturer and registered Play Therapist and Supervisor. She is the Course Director for the Therapeutic Child Play and Master of Child Play Therapy postgraduate programs within the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University, Australia. Natalie completed a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Queensland, a Master of Counselling at the Queensland University of Technology, and a Master of Play Therapy (with Distinction) and PhD, through the University of Roehampton, London. She was awarded the Psychology Department Prize for Outstanding Achievement for her master's thesis and built on this work in her doctoral research integrating the fields of attachment, trauma and play therapy. Her doctoral research explored the novel application of physiological monitoring to play therapy research. She has presented on this research internationally in the UK, Europe, and Australia. Natalie has 20 years of clinical experience and has worked across mental health, paediatric and educational settings. She is actively involved in the development of play therapy in Australia through education, research, and clinical and research supervision within the field of play therapy.