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play therapy
noun
: psychotherapy in which a child is encouraged to reveal feelings and conflicts in play rather than by verbalization
Examples of play therapy in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Healthcare: Healing Through Play In healthcare, play therapy has emerged as a powerful tool for healing.
—Shirin Etessam, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2024
The center offers family services; educational enrichment; occupational, speech and play therapy; and onsite medical and dental care.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024
The Association for Play Therapy highlights how play therapy can help children express their feelings, develop problem-solving skills and learn adaptive behaviors.
—Shirin Etessam, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2024
The second floor of the building will provide a trauma counseling center for mothers and children that will include a visitation camp — a first-of-its-kind program to provide counseling and play therapy before or after children go to stay with another parent.
—Dallas News, 2 Sep. 2020
There are many more, including art therapy, attachment-based, play therapy, hypnotherapy, dance/movement therapy and family/marital therapy.
—Annie Vainshtein, SFChronicle.com, 21 Sep. 2020
Share Our Selves: Individual, family and group therapy, as well as play therapy for kids.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 22 Sep. 2022
For younger children, counselors may incorporate play therapy, a popular method among child psychologists that helps kids feel comfortable talking about their feelings.
—Seamus McAvoy, Hartford Courant, 16 Apr. 2022
Older children ages 3-to-5 are ideal candidates for play therapy, according to Whitson.
—Chelsey Cox, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play therapy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1936, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near play therapy
Cite this Entry
“Play therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20therapy. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Medical Definition
play therapy
noun
: psychotherapy in which a child is encouraged to reveal feelings and conflicts in play rather than by verbalization
More from Merriam-Webster on play therapy
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about play therapy
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