Playing and Becoming in Psychoanalysis 1st Edition

Grab your attention with fresh thinking about play and development in psychoanalytic practice. Playing and Becoming in Psychoanalysis, 1st Edition by Steven H. Cooper offers a vital reexamination of how play shapes identity, transference, and therapeutic change — essential reading for clinicians and students seeking practical insight and theoretical depth.

This book blends clear clinical case studies, thoughtful conceptual analysis, and a compassionate view of the patient’s inner world. Cooper explores the dynamics of play across the lifespan — from infant communication to adult symbolic creativity — showing how play functions as a vehicle for meaning-making, emotional regulation, and relational repair. Chapters are written to support application in real-world therapy, making complex psychoanalytic concepts accessible to psychotherapists, child analysts, counselors, and graduate trainees.

Readers will appreciate the careful balance of theory and technique: models of interpretation, strategies to invite play in sessions, and guidance for working with resistance and enactment. The writing is authoritative yet humane, reflecting a clinician’s eye for nuance and an educator’s talent for clarity.

Ideal for professionals in North America, Europe, and beyond, this book enriches continuing education and informs contemporary psychoanalytic practice. Whether you’re expanding your skillset with play-based interventions or deepening your conceptual framework, Playing and Becoming in Psychoanalysis is a practical and inspiring resource.

Order your copy today to bring renewed focus and creativity to the consulting room and advance your understanding of how play helps patients truly become themselves.

Note: eBooks do not include supplementary materials such as CDs, access codes, etc.