Child-Centered Play Therapy

Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is a form of therapy that involves children engaging in enjoyable activities of their choice, which symbolically and metaphorically allows them to address their emotional and behavioral distress (Guerney, 2001). While the term child-centered play therapy is used in the United States, therapy with the same core elements is referred to as nondirective play therapy (NDPT) in the United Kingdom (Ryan & Courtney, 2009). This therapy draws on Axline’s (1969) early work and is based on the Rogerian principles of unconditional positive regard, empathy, congruence, and self- actualization (Rogers, 1976). When applied by the astute therapist, these principles provide a climate that enables the child’s innate drive toward optimal functioning to unfold