Research into

Play Therapy 

Research is an integral part of the play therapy profession. With over 80 years of history, play therapy research has been providing evidence of positive impacts on clients across ages, ethnicities, presenting issues/needs, settings, and countries. If you are interested in the science behind what we do, there are five comprehensive meta-analyses that validate the efficacy of Child-Centred Play Therapy (CCPT), two of which are highlighted here:

  • Bratton et al. (2005): Analysed 93 controlled outcome studies conducted between 1953 and 2000.

  • Lin and Bratton (2015): Analysed 52 controlled outcome studies conducted between 1995 and 2010.

These studies confirm CCPT as an empirically validated and highly effective approach, offering statistically significant and meaningful improvements for children facing a wide array of emotional and psychosocial challenges.

 An Evidence Summary of Play Therapy written by Dr. Kate Renshaw and Natalie Scira can be found here.

When learning from  play therapy research and what it means for the clients we serve, it is important to understand what play therapy is and what it is not. Play Therapy is the systematic use of a theoretical model to establish an interpersonal process wherein trained Play Therapists use the therapeutic powers of play to help clients prevent or resolve psychosocial difficulties and achieve optimal growth and development. 

In addition, play therapy is NOT:

  • Not a place for children to just have fun. For children in play therapy, the process of exploring, experiencing, and working on what needs to be worked could be overwhelming and challenging.

  • Not trendy, gimmick-like, unestablished approaches, models, or protocols with play as a means to an end and not a key ingredient are not play therapy.

  • Not any therapy utilizing toys is play therapy. The intervention has to meet the definition of play therapy. Play therapy is an intentional and developmentally appropriate way of working with children that requires specialized training and supervision.

  • Not a modality that can be utilized by anyone who does not have proper training that meets the requirements and standards of a registered play therapy board.

  • Not random interventions that are labeled under the umbrella of play therapy. Instead, it is the intentional use of toys and theory to help a child heal, with a therapeutic relationship as the foundation.

  • Not a way to get children to talk. Talking may and often does occur through the natural progression of play therapy, yet it is not the most important objective.