ABSTRACT
Workers may use therapeutic play in different ways, according to both their perceptions of a child’s needs and the demands or constraints of the context in which they work. At the simplest level, play is used to facilitate communication between child and adult, about matters of which the child is aware but which are hard to discuss, whether because the subject is painful or embarrassing or because the child lacks the ability to use other forms of expression. All workers who need to communicate with children from time to time can helpfully use play in this way, Even so, all need a basic understanding of child development, including knowledge of the stages of emotional and intellectual development. In particular every worker requires a thorough understanding of the theory of attachment and of children’s reactions to separation and loss.
