ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the way in which playwork may be used as a therapeutic tool. Playwork is rooted in an understanding that children learn and develop while they are playing, and that there are many instances in modern society where that process is interrupted or impaired. Playwork accepts that adults have a responsibility to address this deficit. Playwork involves identifying and removing barriers to the play process and enriching the child’s play environment. In most cases this involves nothing more complicated than providing an adventure playground or an after-school club for children who would otherwise have nowhere to play. However, at the extreme it can be as complex as creating an environment to assist the recovery of children who have suffered severe play deprivation.
