Author Description

The Build-a-House Technique describes in detail a family play therapy technique used during the assessment phase of a child and/or family in the context of a mental health/psychological/psychiatric evaluation. It is a fun, family-friendly way to assess family functioning. It requires a background in play therapy and access to a set of wooden unit blocks and a variety of miniature toys. This book also contains guidelines for structuring your observations on a Recording Form and how to use the house itself as a projective technique. This technique is used by play therapists throughout the U.S. as well as Canada and Hong Kong. The author is a retired Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and former Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor as well as a retired Certified Sandplay Therapist Teacher. The author has used this technique successfully for 30 years as a standard part of the initial assessment phase.