Big Behaviors in All Containers: 105+ Trauma-Informed Play Therapy Interventions for Working with Dysregulated Children and Their Dysregulated Grown-Ups

If you’ve ever worked hard to help a child regulate in session, only to have that progress unravel at home, you’re not alone. Even the best therapy can only go so far when the grown-ups in a child’s life are overwhelmed, overstimulated, or stuck in old, reactive patterns. In this follow-up to the best-selling Big Behaviors in Small Containers, renowned play therapist and author Paris Goodyear-Brown once again delivers over 100 play-based, trauma-informed interventions—this time to support dysregulated kids and their grown-ups. Based on the TraumaPlay™ framework, these interventions allow you to work directly with the caregiver-child dynamic by teaching caregivers to:

• Reframe big behaviors as forms of communication instead of willful defiance
• Deepen attachment and trust through playful, nurturing interactions
• Set clear, compassionate boundaries that don’t elicit power struggles
• Manage their own stress, reactivity, and triggers
• Use creative storytelling activities to make sense of trauma
• Co-create a treatment plan that addresses the entire family system

Whether you’re working with parents, teachers, school counselors, grandparents, or any other grown-ups who feel exhausted and confused by a child’s behavior, this book will support them in becoming the regulated, safe, and steady presence that every child needs.