What is Play Therapy?
September 15, 2024

This article outlines the principles, practices, and benefits of Play Therapy, detailing how it serves as an effective therapeutic approach for children, and explaining the core methods and ethical standards that guide our practice.

What is Play Therapy?

Play Therapy is a specialized psychotherapeutic approach designed for children aged three to twelve. It is particularly effective for those who have experienced early trauma, loss, separation, bereavement, or who struggle with learning difficulties, social, or emotional challenges. Play Therapists operate on the belief that children have the inherent ability to resolve their own internal conflicts. By creating a safe and trusting environment, therapists enable children to work through these issues at a subconscious level.


What Does a Play Therapy Session Look Like?

Play Therapy is a dynamic and creative therapeutic approach that utilizes various expressive tools such as art, music, movement, creative visualizations, therapeutic storytelling, puppets, and sandtray symbols. These techniques help children access unconscious thoughts and emotions, allowing them to communicate through play, a language they inherently understand. This method facilitates self-expression using fantasy play, regression, symbolic meaning, and metaphors.


How Does Play Therapy Help?

In Play Therapy, the therapist supports the child by reflecting, mirroring, and matching the child's thoughts, feelings, and energy, allowing the child to gain insights into their challenges. This process empowers the child to find solutions independently, fostering self-mastery and personal growth.


Benefits of Play Therapy for Children in Dubai


Play Therapy offers a wide range of benefits for children in Dubai, including:


  • Building self-confidence and self-efficacy
  • Increasing concentration and focus
  • Reducing anxiety, fears, and worries
  • Enhancing self-awareness and understanding of others
  • Improving social skills and peer relationships


Additionally, Play Therapy helps children in the U.A.E to understand and adapt to changes in their environment, work through difficult emotions, and build a positive internal model that promotes healthy behavior and mental well-being.


Our Guiding Principles in the Play Therapy Centre Dubai

Our therapeutic approach at PTC is centered on integrative and holistic Play Therapy, following the internationally recognized child-centered principles established by Virginia Axline. We are committed to honoring, respecting, valuing, and validating each child. We create a permissive environment, build trusting therapeutic relationships, allow the child to lead, and provide space for self-discovery without rushing the therapeutic process.


Integrated and Holistic Play Therapy Methods in Dubai

Our approach in Dubai allows therapists to select the most appropriate Play Therapy method to suit each child's needs and therapeutic goals. The integrated, holistic model incorporates both directive and non-directive Play Therapy methods, ensuring a personalized and effective experience for every child.


Virginia Axline’s Eight Basic Principles:

  1. Develop a warm, friendly therapeutic alliance with the child
  2. Accept the child as they are
  3. Create a therapeutic environment that fosters permissiveness
  4. Reflect back feelings expressed by the child to gain insight
  5. Show deep respect for the child’s ability to solve their problems
  6. Allow the child to lead the play
  7. Avoid hurrying the therapeutic process
  8. Establish boundaries to anchor therapy in reality


Our Ethical Framework


At PTC, we adhere to international guidelines and the Play Therapy United Kingdom (PTUK) ethical framework, including:

  • Beneficence
  • Non-Maleficence
  • Fidelity and Responsibility
  • Integrity
  • Justice
  • Respect for People’s Rights and Dignity
  • Autonomy
  • Supervision and Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
  • Self-Respect


By following these ethical standards, we ensure the highest quality of care for children and families in Dubai, promoting positive mental health and emotional well-being.

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Healing Through Play: Addressing Child Anxiety

By Stella Antoniou • April 4, 2025
by Stella Antoniou, Accredited Play Therapist Throughout my years of working with children, I’ve observed that a significant number of them are referred for anxiety-related concerns. It’s unfortunate to see young minds carrying such burdens at such a sensitive age. Is it the increased awareness, the availability of resources, or perhaps the changing nature of our world? Are our expectations of children now higher than before? Regardless of the reason, my main goal has always been to ease these symptoms by offering a listening ear and providing a safe space where children can process their experiences. What’s it like to be anxious at this age Children often come to the play therapy room with physical symptoms like stomach-aches, headaches, or trouble sleeping, sometimes accompanied by nightmares. Others may become mute, stop eating well, struggle with social interactions, or experience difficulties at school. Being a child in the UAE, and particularly an expat child, comes with its own unique challenges, frequent transitions, cultural adaptation, and a sense of displacement. While the Dubai offers an opportunity to connect with various cultures, this can also be overwhelming for children. Moving between countries or homes can make them feel as though they lack a solid sense of belonging. How can Play Therapy help Play is a child’s natural way of communicating. It is their language, a way to express emotions and experiences in a developmentally appropriate manner. Play Therapy is a highly relational form of therapy that hinges on the therapeutic relationship the therapist builds with the child. An experienced Play and child therapist is able to make insightful reflections, guiding the child toward self-awareness and self-help. Through the power of Play Therapy, children can express their anxieties in creative ways: shaping their feelings with clay, telling their stories through art, navigating relationships in a dollhouse, uncovering hidden fears in a sandtray, or finding comfort and escape in a teepee tent. Each modality offers a unique pathway for self-discovery and emotional growth, empowering children to work through their challenges at their own pace. Do I "teach" strategies? While strategies can be helpful for soothing symptoms temporarily, the goal is to resolve the underlying trauma. In Play Therapy sessions, I may discuss coping strategies with my clients as needed, but the focus remains on addressing the root causes of their anxiety and helping them develop long-term resilience. An evidence based approach Play Therapy isn’t just a therapeutic approach, it’s one grounded in evidence. Research consistently shows that Play Therapy is highly effective in reducing anxiety in children. For example, Hateli (2021) found that non-directive play therapy significantly lowered anxiety levels in children diagnosed with anxiety disorders. But the benefits go beyond just easing anxiety. A comprehensive review by Nursanaa and Ady (2020) found that Play Therapy not only reduces anxiety but also strengthens emotional regulation, improves social skills, and boosts academic performance. Play Therapy’s impact extends to a variety of settings. Davidson, Sathya, and Venkatesan (2017) discovered that Play Therapy eased anxiety in hospitalized children, underscoring its effectiveness across different contexts. As we look at child therapy trends in the UAE, should we be rethinking our approach to therapy for children? Could Play Therapy be the key to helping them heal in a way that feels natural and empowering? References Hateli, B. (2021). The effect of non-directive play therapy on reduction of anxiety disorders in young children . https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12420 Nursanaa, W. O., & Ady, I. N. C. (2020). Play Therapy for Children with Anxiety Disorders . Proceedings of the 5th ASEAN Conference on Psychology, Counselling, and Humanities. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.200120.018 Davidson, B., Sathya, N. S., & Venkatesan, L. (2017). Effectiveness of Play Therapy upon Anxiety among Hospitalised Children . International Journal of Advance Research, Ideas and Innovations in Technology, 3(5), 441.