play

1. a technique used in child psychotherapy in which play is used to reveal unconscious material. Play is the natural way in which children express and work through unconscious conflicts; thus play therapy is analogous to the technique of free association used in psychoanalysis of adults. The therapy is done in a playroom containing toys such as dolls, a doll house, and furniture; blocks; art materials; toy animals, cars, trucks, guns, soldiers, and telephone; and games. As the child plays he expresses his fantasies and gives the therapist clues about his family relationships and unconscious conflicts. For example, the child may be unable to verbally express hostile feelings about a parent or sibling but be able to act out these feelings playing with a doll. The role of the therapist is nondirective. The therapist provides an accepting, understanding adult relationship that allows the child to work through his conflicts and to experiment with new ways of relating to himself and other people.

2. in the nursing interventions classification, a nursing intervention defined as the purposeful and directive use of toys and other materials to assist children in communicating their perception and knowledge of their world and to help in gaining mastery of their environment.