Dialogue of Touch: Developmental Play Therapy (Master Work) [Paperback]

Viola A. Brody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997 | ISBN-10: 0765700883 | ISBN-13: 978-0765700889 | Edition: 1997 softcover ed

Touch is essential for life, and what Viola Brody calls capable touching is the core of developmental play therapy, building both the self of the hurt child and his or her appreciation of the nurturing other. It thus makes way for dialogue between them and - as the dialogue becomes an organizing force for the child's behaving and relating - facilitates healing and maturation. In recognition of the crucial importance of 'knowing how to be present' with a child in a reparative role, Dr. Brody incorporates training in developmental play into the body of her book to provide therapists, teachers, and other helping professionals with the experience they need to understand and practice capable touching.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Viola Brody brings the wisdom of genuine maturity to her work. She combines it with a passion and a commitment that could move mountains. And it is mountains, indeed, that her book moves. With courage and enormous insight, she gets right into the heart of where touch needs to be in this uptight world. This is a book as practical as a mother's lap and as tender as a father's belief in you. Dr. Brody has my full support on her mission of mercy and enlightenment. (Simon, Sidney B. Ph.D )

Dialogue Of Touch is as informative as it is practical and a highly recommended addition to therapeutic reference book collections. (Midwest Book Review )

About the Author

Viola A. Brody is the originator of the Developmental Play Therapy approach. Former chief psychologist of the Child Guidance Clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida, she has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Florida and at Eckered College in St. Petersburg.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.; 1997 softcover ed edition (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765700883
• ISBN-13: 978-0765700889
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring but flawed, April 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dialogue of Touch: Developmental Play Therapy (Master Work) (Paperback)

This book is a brave and often inspiring examination of an often-neglected topic - the role of touch in psychotherapy. Brody's detailed accounts of therapy with children with different needs make fascinating reading, as do her thoughts on issues of limit-setting and respect (her criticisms of forced "holding therapies" are cogent and sensitive).

But there are also some strange gaps and errors in the book - for example, the claim that "the root cause of autism in the child is the lack of bonding with the parents". Given that the wholly neurological nature of autism has been accepted by researchers for the last thirty years, this is shocking ignorance. It also prevents what might have been an interesting consideration of the role of developmental, relationship oriented therapy with children with organic disabilities, or how to use touch with children who may have neurological hyper- or hypo-sensitivities to it.

Brody often seems to see touch as the only important element of therapy. While this extremism might be seen as justified in order to balance the neglect of touch as a topic, it means that there's no consideration of how to integrate her approach with other therapeutic or educational elements.