Rooted in Theory:


Intentional Play Therapy Practice


| BRITTANY MASSENGALE HOUIN, PHD, LPC, RPT™ & KIMBERLY HAGMANN, MS, LPC-IT H


ave you ever felt stuck in session, unsure what to do next? Many play therapists move through sessions with care and responsiveness yet still encounter times when the next step feels unclear. In these stuck moments, the question is not simply which technique to use next, but what is guiding clinical decisions (Davies et al., 2020). Later, when asked what guided a particular response or intervention, the answer


4 | PLAYTHERAPY | September 2026 | www.a4pt.org


 grounding lies at the heart of intentional play therapy practice.


Ethical play therapy practice is guided by professional codes of ethics as well as APT competencies and standards (APT, 2022), which help clinicians establish the boundaries of appropriate and responsible practice. Intentional play therapy practice is guided by theory (Davies


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