PlayLit

PlayLit Online Bibliography of Play Therapy Literature

Did you know that CPT houses the world’s largest play therapy library? We have collected thousands of books, articles, dissertations, and more on play therapy and child development. This library is available to anyone on the University of North Texas campus, but our goal is to make it available to anyone in the world through our new online database, PlayLit. PlayLit is a searchable, user friendly database that you can use to find anything you need to know about play therapy. Right now, you can access the APA references for every entry in our library. To find the full length articles, you can copy and paste the reference or the DOI into your web browser or your university’s online library search bar (some entries will be open access and can viewed by all users, while other entries may require payment or special access through memberships). PlayLit is the best place to start your research into play therapy and child development.

How to Use PlayLit

This database includes over 5,000 entries regarding many different aspects of play therapy. In order to help you sort through these entries to find the items you need, we have included a filter function along with a general search bar. The search bar can be useful, but may yield a plethora of results. If you are looking to condense your search results, click on the "add filter" button below. You can add as many filters as you want to narrow your results. For example, if you are interested in finding what has been written about child-centered play therapy for children diagnosed with ASD, you can click on "Add Filter" then "Theory/Treatment Model" then "Child-Centered Play Therapy." Then add a second filter by clicking on "Add Filter" then "Disorders/Presenting Concerns" then "Autism Spectrum Disorder." Click apply and all journal articles, magazine articles, book chapters, books, etc. concerning both child-centered play therapy and ASD will populate on the page for you. You will find many references for research articles on play therapy in this database, but if you are interested specifically in outcome research related to play therapy, we advise that you use our Evidence-Based Research Databaseto get specific information and summaries related to more stringent play therapy research.

 

Bergen, D. (2015). Psychological approaches to the study of play . American Journal of Play , 7, 101-128.

McBrien, R., & Nelson, R. (1972). Experimental group strategies with primary grade children. Elementary School Guidance & Counseling, 6, 170-174.

Colvin, J., & Engelen, P. (1986). What should we play? New insights into the area of play in play therapy. Psycholoog, 21, 175-177.

Phillips, R. D. (1994). A developmental perspective on emotions in play therapy. International Journal of Play Therapy, 3, 1-19.

Nicolopoulou, A. (1993). Play, cognitive development, and the social world: Piaget, Vygotsky, and beyond. Human Development, 36, 1-23.

Fein, G. G., & Fryer, M. G. (1995). Maternal contributions to early symbolic play competence. Developmental Review, 15, 367-381.

Burns, B. (1970). The use of play techniques in the treatment of children. Child Welfare, 49, 37-41.

Phillips, R. (1945). Doll play as a function of the realism of the materials and the length of the experimental session. Child Development, 16, 123-143.

Moller, S. J. (2015). Imagination, playfulness, and creativity in children’s play with different toys. American Journal of Play, 7, 322-346.

Todd, K. (1944). The therapy of play. Mental Health, London, 5, 3-7.

Nwokah, E., Hsu-Chin, H., & Gulker, H. (2013). The use of play materials in early intervention the dilemma of poverty. American Journal of Play, 5, 187-218.

Watson, M., & Peng, Y. (1992). The relation between toy gun play and children's aggressive behavior. Early Education and Development, 3, 370-389.

Bristol, H. (1945). Play therapy. New Era in Home and School, 26, 93, 95-96.

Howard, R. (1944). Fantasy and the play interview. Character & Personality, 13, 152-165.

Campbell, C. (1993). Play, the fabric of elementary school counseling programs. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 28, 10-16.

Riley, S. (1973). Some reflections on the value of children's play. Young Children, 28, 146-153.

Rubin, E., & Simson, C. (1960). A special class program for the emotionally disturbed child in school: A proposal. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 30, 144-153.

Dillman Taylor, D., & Bratton, S. (2014). Developmentally appropriate practice: Adlerian play therapy with preschool children. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 70, 205-219.

Hoffman, L. (1991). Developmental counseling for prekindergarten children: A preventive approach. Elementary School Guidance and Counseling, 26, 56-66.

Noble, E. (1964). The value of play for young children in hospitals (Part 1). Nursing Times, 60, 1607-1608.

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