What is Play Therapy?

Virginia Axline is a pioneer in the field of client-centered, non-directive Play Therapy. Axline's basic principles for all therapists to be mindful of are:

1. The therapist must develop a warm and friendly relationship with the client

2. The therapist must accept the client exactly the way they are.

3. The therapist must establish a feeling of permissiveness in the relationship in order for the client to feel free to express their feelings completely.

4. The therapist must be alert to recognise the feelings that the child is expressing in order to reflect those feelings back to the child, so that they gain insight in to their behaviour.

5. The therapist must maintain deep respect for the child's ability to solve their own issues if they are given the opportunity. The child has the responsibility to make changes.

6. The therapist does not attempt to direct the client's actions or conversation in any way. The client leads the way and the therapist follows.

7. The therapist does not attempt to rush therapy along, in which is seen as a gradual process.

8. The therapist establishes limits and boundaries that are necessary to anchor the therapy to the world of reality and to make the child responsible for the relationship.