Virginia Axline

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Virginia Mae Axline (March 31, 1911 – March 21, 1988) was an American psychologist and one of the pioneers in the use of play therapy. She wrote the book Dibs in Search of Self. She was also the author of Play Therapy, published in 1947.^[1][2][3]

Play therapy practice is still largely based on Axline's work. In the 1940s, she began to develop nondirective play therapy, the principles of which were based on Carl Rogers' newly emerging person-centered approach. In her first published work, she establishes the eight basic principles of nondirective play therapy.^[4][5]

Axline developed her own approach to child counseling which is grounded in the person-centered principles Rogers used when working with adult patients. Axline's approach came to be known as Nondirective Play Therapy, which laid the foundation for another type of play therapy known as Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT). In her book Play Therapy she discussed her theory for child psychology.

Child-Centered Play Therapy or CCPT is a type of play therapy that looks at the nonverbal communication that happens through play. It strives to promote healing, psychological and behavioral changes in children. It is one of the most common schools of play therapy in the US.^{[citation needed]}

To date there are many different types of play therapy associated with all schools of psychology. For example, CBT-play therapy is an example of a type of directive play therapy.

In 1964, Axline published Dibs in Search of Self, a case study of a five-year-old patient, Dibs, who was withdrawn and uncommunicative. Eventually, play therapy led to an emotional breakthrough. This book describes the weekly sessions that extend over several months of therapy. At the end of the therapy, Dibs was tested and found to have an IQ of 168. This book has become a part of the clinical/developmental psychology curriculum at many universities. It is still known as one of the most influential books in the field of play therapy.^{[citation needed]}