What Works for Whom?

Abstract

When I think of therapeutic artistry with challenging children, ado- lescents, and their families, Eliana Gil, the leading family play ther- apy pioneer, is the name that comes to my mind. The Persian poet Rumi once said, “Out beyond wrongdoing and right-doing there is a field, and I will meet you there.” For decades Gil has urged play ther- apists and family therapists to abandon their polarized positions, to come together to share their expertise with one another, and to find ways to integrate the best elements of their treatment approaches in order to produce an efficient and effective family approach that empowers parents as well as their children. In both her writing and teaching, Gil has consistently demonstrated the benefits of using a family play therapy approach with children and adolescents who have experienced severe trauma. Whether using puppets, storytell- ing, metaphors, visual art methods, or drama techniques and strat- egies, Gil’s innovative family therapy has successfully uncovered long-held secrets that were maintaining family members’ symp- toms, helped heal emotionally wounded children and adolescents, and empowered parents to be more empathically attuned to their children and more motivated to establish stronger relational bonds with them. The second edition of Play in Family Therapy, Gil’s scholarly but practice-oriented book, fills a gap in both the play and family therapy literature. Chapter 1 comprehensively surveys the history of vii viii Foreword bringing play and family therapy together and includes a thought- ful discussion about the rationale for this marriage. Chapter 2 dis- cusses both the advantages of and obstacles to adopting a family play therapy approach. Chapter 3 is an excellent chapter on how therapists can enhance their creative capacities, expand their thera- peutic range, and serve as improvisational catalysts for change with families. For me, however, the real treasure of this book is contained in Chapters 4 to 11, which give readers front-row seats from which they can witness Eliana Gil’s therapeutic, playful invitations and her cli- ents’ receptivity to them as she works with a wide range of child and adolescent difficulties. Readers gain access to her decision making in the therapeutic process, to her great use of metaphor, and to several of her creative play, art, and drama interventions in specific clinical situations with children and adolescents. One of the most innova- tive strategies Gil discusses is that of cultural genograms with fam- ily play. Gil has family members choose miniatures, toys, or other items that best express their thoughts and feelings and that show the influence of family on their cultural identity. Grateful readers will come away from reading the second edi- tion with many pearls of clinical wisdom and a plethora of effective therapeutic tools and strategies. This book is charming, inventive, and joyful. Thank you, Eliana Gil, for your generous gift! MATTHEW D. SELEKMAN, MSW Director, Partners for Collaborative Solutions Evanston, Illinois