About this course


Before applying any Play Therapy model in clinical practice, it's essential to understand its origins, historical evolution, and the theoretical context in which it developed.

This course guides professionals through the milestones that led to the establishment of Play Therapy as a structured discipline: from Freud's early psychoanalytic insights, to the official recognition of the Association for Play Therapy (APT), and the emergence of the major theoretical models used internationally today.

"An integrated play therapy approach would use nondirective and directive techniques and would focus simultaneously on relational, emotional, and cognitive mastery, as directed by the individual child's needs."
 — Gil (2016)


Learning objectives


  • The historical roots of Play Therapy: from Freud's contributions to the pioneers of the 1920s–30s (Hug-Hellmuth, Klein, Anna Freud, Lowenfeld)
  • Key developmental milestones: Release Therapy, Structured Play Therapy, Relationship Therapy, up to Virginia Axline's Child-Centered Play Therapy
  • The "therapeutic powers of play" according to Schaefer and Drewes: communication, emotional wellness, social relationships, personal strengths
  • A complete overview of historically significant theoretical models: Object Relations, Jungian, Developmental, Child-Centered, Gestalt, Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral (CBPT), Filial Therapy, Theraplay, Ecosystemic, and Integrative Play Therapy
  • The role of the Association for Play Therapy and the International Consortium of Play Therapy Associations (IC-PTA)



Course Curriculum

  History of Play Therapy and Play Models
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  Learning test
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Meet your instructor

Didem Altay, PhD, is a Clinical Psychologist, Certified CBPT Trainer, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor™ (RPT-S™), and Adjunct Faculty member in the Department of Psychology, where she teaches Play Therapy. She is an APT Approved Provider of Continuing Education and provides training and supervision in play therapy. She is also a Certified I-CCPT, an EMDR Europe-accredited therapist, and a Consultant in Training. Her work focuses on CCPT, CBPT, and EMDR with children and adolescents.

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