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Can We Play Now? The Meaning of Play Throughout Lifetime Development

Author(s) : Nadja Julia Rolli

Reviews and Endorsements

Play is under-rated, something of a lost art, and this rich book shows just why we must value it more, for its healing therapeutic potential, for working through trauma, for living a richer life, and, of course, for fun! This book is full of insight, rigorously utilising a range of theoretical ideas, but the heart of the book is in the clinical examples that bring the theory to life. A book for any new and experienced therapists who need reminding of why play is so crucial.
Dr Graham Music, author and consultant psychotherapist, Tavistock Centre, London

As Nadja Julia Rolli reminds us, in this book full of wisdom and clinical insight, when a child in therapy says “Can we play now?”, they are not simply saying they want to start a game, but are also telling us they are ready to start an emotional journey. Rolli herself takes the reader on just such a journey, drawing out the many different ways in which play shapes our development as children, and its vital role in supporting the “work” of therapy. The wisdom of this book will not only help those who work with children; it is also an essential reminder of the importance of play in grown-up life, and in adult therapy.
Nick Midgley, Professor of Psychological Therapies with Children and Young People, University College London and Anna Freud, London

This new book in the field of child psychotherapy provides a clear, all-round general introduction to children’s play from a developmental perspective, with a firm foundation on the theories of Maslow and Piaget. It is important, as it links children’s active play in therapy as a field to be explored and understood, and it links with my own innovations in neuro-dramatic-play. This book is long overdue in the field of child psychotherapy, and I congratulate the author on moving this practice forward.
Dr Sue Jennings, Professor of Play, EFD, Senior Research Fellow, Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham

Nadja Julia Rolli’s comprehensively researched book will interest scholars, students, and parents alike. With a fresh look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Rolli links the importance of safe play with current thinking on attachment. She suggests that regular, high-quality, embodied play with family and friends enables us to continue developing our creativity and imagination, finding agency and stretching further our potential for growthful living.
Jon Blend, MA, Director, Gazebo Training School for Child and Adolescent Arts-based Psychotherapy