Evidence that Play Therapy Works  

PTUK gathers practice based evidence upon the effectiveness of play therapy. PTUK Members measure, with the child's and parent/carer's permission, the changes that take place in the child's behaviour and emotional state, in a number of settings such as schools and primary health care. In the majority of cases there is a marked improvement.  

The measurements are a by-product of the clinical governance procedures that our Members are required to follow.  

The anonomised data is kept in SEPACTO the UK national clinical database for play and creative arts therapies managed by PTUK.  

In addition there are a number of other ad hoc studies providing further evidence as well as anecdotal evidence.  

The Therapeutic Play Continuum shows how different applications of play can deal with a spectrum of emotional and mental problems.  

Introductory articles and papers explain how play works as a therapy.