"Emotion Regulation" is a key factor in the psychological well-being of children on the autism spectrum. Therapeutic "co-regulation" is posited here as fundamental to addressing Emotion Regulation needs. A therapeutic combination of "Child-Centred Play Therapy" and "Rhythmic Relating" is assessed in its…

"Messy play" is often viewed as a purely ludic play activity in early childhood settings, however, some professionals in therapeutic contexts have understood it as potentially significant for supporting young children who have experienced trauma. This article reports on a study that explored how young children who have experienced trauma…

"Everyone Playing in Class" is an unstructured free play based provision for small classes or groups. The intervention involves training staff in attachment theory, presenting up-to-date research findings on the role of play in emotional well-being and relationship building, as well as teaching reflective communication skills. In this…

This paper describes the therapeutic journey of Leigh (not his real name), a nine-year-old boy who was referred for play therapy due to the death of his 15-year-old brother. The play therapy was offered through a joint project called "Playing through Loss" and run jointly between a UK university and the local branch of a national…

This article argues that non-directive play therapy offers an approach that is well suited to addressing adolescent concerns. The argument is illustrated by two accounts of therapy that show how a more traditional non-directive counseling approach was combined with play therapy by the adolescents themselves, allowing exploration of emotional…

Emotional maltreatment tends to be overshadowed in research and in practice by other forms of maltreatment that present more obvious and explicit evidence and appear to require a more urgent response. This article aims to explore a growing body of research pointing to: (a) ways in which emotional maltreatment may adversely impact upon a child's…