Speaking about the Unspeakable

Children do not always have the capacity or need to express themselves through words. They often succeed in saying more about their feelings and experiences by communicating non-verbally through play and other expressive, creative activities.The basic premise of Speaking about the Unspeakable is that life's most pivotal experiences, both good and bad, can be truly expressed via the language of the imagination. Through creativity and play, children are free to articulate their emotions indirectly. The contributors, all experienced child therapists, describe a wide variety of non-verbal therapeutic techniques, including clay, sand, movement and nature therapy, illustrating their descriptions with moving case studies from their professional experience.Accessible and engaging, this book will inspire child psychologists and therapists, art therapists and anyone with an interest in therapeutic work with children.'The imaginative therapies described in this book offer a welcome counter-balance to medical trends dominating the current practice of children's therapy. Inspired practitioners experienced in listening to buried, altered or muted voices of traumatized children invite us into their consulting rooms to witness the unique ways the soul speaks in images, movement and sound.'- Nor Hall, Ph.D. psychotherapist, theater artist and author of The Moon & the Virgin and Those Women'This book is an offering to all our senses enabling us to delve into the powerful sphere of the implicit, making tangible aspects of self that have been difficult to reach in more traditional psychotherapeutic practices. I highly recommend this book for all readers, as a therapeutic tool, a guide to understanding your child's play, or to stimulate your own self-expression. Accept the offering and receive a gift that will inspire your thinking as well as your creative sense.'- Suzi Tortora, Ed.D. registered dance therapist and the author of The Dancing Dialogue: Using the Communicative Power of Movement with Young Children.