Having its documented origins in Ancient Greece, it has moved through time to the point where it is now an accepted and well-researched form of therapy. For instance, children who were in the midst of divorcing parents acted out less, were less angry and morose, and more likely to accept change in their lives when given the chance to work through some of their issues through play therapy (Burroughs, Wagner, and Johnson, 1997)
It can be seen as a self-help mechanism if the child is allowed unstructured or free play. From a development point-of-view, play is essential to build cognitive resources, self-reliance, and of course, acculturation (Drewes, 2009)
Because it is systematic and a way to use a guided approach to reach the inner issues of a child, it is often used in situations in which children are incapable, or unable, to express themselves in any way. Often, too, it is used as one tool of diagnosis; for example, a therapist might observe a child playing with toys to determine the cause of the behavior -- the objects, patterns, and personification shown and the way the child interacts with the characters in play, often lead to a deeper understanding of underlying issues facing that child (Landreth, 2002)
Children facing medical procedures, however, do show a reasonably solid foundation for play therapy interventions, and enough studies have been done since the late 1970s that provide robust data suggesting that actual play therapy as opposed to nondirective, or diversionary play, has the same effect. Even children subjected to puppet show or other outside interventions showed considerably less anxiety regarding upcoming medical procedures than a control group (Phillips, 2010)
Piaget notes that most children below the age of 11 or 12 lack a developed capacity for abstract thought, which is necessary for meaninful verbal expression, and to understand complex and disparate issues, motives, and feelings. Unlike adults, then, children are more likely to communicate not through words -- they lack the vocabulary to actually express what they are thinking, but through the world of the immagination, or play (Piaget, 1999)
Play, in fact, is so important to the human psyche that as children age it becomes more and more structured and organized, we call it games or sports. However, for decades, modern psychologists have debated how effective play therapy intervention actual is -- and whether structured play thereapy treatment is a viable option within the contemporary therapists' toolbox (Ray, et
For instance, children who were in the midst of divorcing parents acted out less, were less angry and morose, and more likely to accept change in their lives when given the chance to work through some of their issues through play therapy (Burroughs, Wagner, and Johnson, 1997). Play and art therapy (also considered a type of play), when combined, can also be quite robust in decreasing aggressive behaviors, especially in children that are the victims of abusive or substance-abuse homes (Springer, Phillips, Cannady, and Kerst-Harris, 1992)