Empathy in Play Therapy for Children with Mild Intellectual Disabilities: Challenges and Insights.

Authors

Dineke Bent, Martine Noordegraaf, Tine Van Regenmortel

Published in

Complementary therapies in medicine. Pages 103456. Oct 18, 2026. Epub Oct 18, 2026.

Abstract

This article focuses on young people with mild intellectual disabilities who seek assistance in regulating aggression. This assistance includes a treatment program utilizing play therapy. The article aims to contribute to the substantiation of the common and specific factors of play therapy as a treatment method.
The data collection consists of seven cases, each comprising three video-recorded play sessions and reflective interviews with the play therapists. The analysis focuses on the specific micro-interventions employed by the play therapists and the critical aspects of their fundamental therapeutic approach. The article explores how these aspects are utilized to establish the therapeutic relationship, which is considered one of the most important common factors contributing to the impact of play therapy.
The results suggest that empathy, as a component of this fundamental stance, warrants greater attention to enhance the therapeutic relationship and, consequently, the overall effectiveness of the treatment.
Play therapy is a suitable form of treatment for these young people and their specific needs. It is essential that play therapists can appropriately attune to the individual needs of these young people. The process of raising awareness by articulating emotions and feelings contributes to the regulation of these emotions and feelings.

PMID:
42893763
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Oct 2026.

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