For children, therapy can be a scary thing. Seeing a therapist can be difficult for adults because it requires trusting a new person and often involves disclosing the most intimate details of one's life. Then imagine how difficult it must be for children to adapt to advice. It is necessary to create a comfortable environment so that they feel safe and able to open up. In this research article, I will explore the effectiveness of play therapy throughout history and in many cases, from its first mention in a publication in the 1970s to today, where it is widely used. subject of a major psychological association (APT) and is practiced. with massive success with child psychologists around the world. According to Eliana Gil, Freud seems to be the first to integrate play therapy into his sessions as early as 1909. Twenty years later, Anna Freud and Melanie Klein exposed this practice with a theory concerning the psychoanalytic components. of play therapy and its uses, including establishing a relationship between patient and therapist and replacing the verbalization of desires (Gil 28). Play was considered highly symbolic of the innermost wishes, and Klein saw in play therapy the potential to fully assimilate the methods to the technique of free association in adults (Gil 28). Following these theories was a period marked by the introduction of more structured therapy, with the therapist directing each session towards a solution. The cathartic effects of play therapy were still being recognized, paving the way for theories suggesting that repressed emotions due to a traumatic experience could be released through play. In 1955, Hambridge postulated that the child could directly recreate the events from a traumatic experience in the game to help release middle of paper ......nseling and Student Services.Lipchik, E. ( 1988). Interview with a constructive ear. Dulwich Center Newsletter, Winter, 3-7. Ray, D., Bratton, S., Rhine, T., and Jones, L. (2001). The effectiveness of play therapy: responding to criticism. International Journal of Play Therapy, 10(1), p. 85-108. Selekman, M.D. (1997). Solution-focused therapy with children. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Springer, J.F., Phillips, J., Phillips, L., Cannady, L., & Kerst-Harris, E. (1992). CODA: A creative therapy program for children from families affected by substance abuse. Journal of Community Psychology, p. 55-74.Ray, D., Bratton, S., Rhine, T., and Jones, L. (2005). The effectiveness of play therapy with children: A meta-analytic review of treatment outcomes. Professional Psychology, Research and Practice,36(4), 376-390. do I:10.1037/0735-7028.36.4.376.