Meeks, AmyBarbato, Caleigh2022-07-132022-07-132022-05Barbato, C. E. (2022). The impact of play therapy on decreasing anxiety in children (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.https://hdl.handle.net/10877/15954The pandemic has disrupted children's routines and increased children’s worries about their parents' jobs and possible loss of money. Anxiety is known to worsen over time if not regulated at a younger age. The symptoms of anxiety can start to interfere with daily life, jobs, and relationships. There can also be many physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms that are caused by anxiety. There are many treatments for adolescents that can help regulate anxiety, including Play Therapy. Play Therapy is a method of therapy that uses a psychotherapeutic approach to help children deal with psychological and emotional concerns through playing. The goal of play therapy is to have little to no rules within the play therapy room so the children can freely express how they feel through their specific choice of play. The current study’s goal is designed to explore why, what, and how play therapy works as well as to consider who practices and benefits from play therapy.Text18 pages1 file (.pdf)enplay therapychildhood anxietyHonors College