A Hand in Healing: The Power of Expressive Puppetry

This is the first book written about expressive puppetry and how to use puppets when providing care for people of all ages and levels of functioning.

Marge Schneider created the first expressive puppetry program for adults in the United States, helping clients with dementia and depression find their voices and tell their stories. Now she shares her two decades of experience as an educator, complementary therapist, and spiritual counselor, helping those who provide care to clients or loved ones make authentic, heart-to-heart connections.

A Hand In Healing is both spiritually based and a how-to guide in expressive puppetry. Through stories that will inspire and mentor, this unique book offers insight into Marge's exploration of deep expressive places that are not typically reached with cognitive techniques. People with dementia and depression are often unable to respond effectively to cognitive therapy, which can leave clinicians frustrated at the limited approaches available to help their clients heal. Learn how to reach beyond the barriers of dementia and depression and how to help children and teens with challenging emotional issues. See how numerous health care professionals have helped transform the lives of their clients using puppets as their therapeutic healing tools.

This book helps hospital, nursing home, and hospice staff to dramatically enhance their insight, sensitivity, and compassion. Too often, both staff and family members assume that their loved one or client with dementia is vacant and has no story left to share. However, A Hand In Healing shows there is usually a story deep within waiting to be told and honored, and that establishing and deepening the connections with family and staff is the best way to elicit these stories. After establishing trust, the level of sharing is often quite miraculous and the level of healing through isolation and grief can inspire and be a source of joy.

Marge Schneider has worked in long-term care and hospice and draws on two decades of experience as an educator, complementary therapist, and spiritual counselor. Marge created the first expressive puppetry program for adults in the United States at one of the largest hospices in Connecticut, helping clients with dementia and depression find their voices and tell their stories. As the first hospice program of its kind, her work was featured in magazines as well as radio and television programs. Additionally, Marge developed a program that helped children and their families cope with the challenges of death and dying and find some inner peace and healing. Marge conducts hands-on workshops in expressive puppetry across the United States and Canada, helping caregivers develop heart-to-heart connections. Her presentations educate and inspire and have been enthusiastically received at local groups and national conferences by nursing home staff, educators, activity directors, therapists, bereavement counselors, child and adolescent psychiatrists, social workers, storytellers, and gerontologists.