Play Therapy and Melanie Klein

Photo by Melanie Klein Trust

Reading the bibliography on play therapy one realizes that many different schools exist. Some of them are directive, some non - directive, some take into account the unconscious processes of the child and others believe in the active involvement of the parents in the therapeutic process. One of the most influential and important schools of play therapy was founded by Melanie Klein, a great pioneer in the field.

Who was Melanie Klein?

Melanie Klein was an Austrian psychoanalyst born in Wien in 1882. She started her analysis with Sandor Ferenczi while she was living in Budapest. In 1921 she moved to Berlin where she continued her analysis with Karl Abraham. In spite of the fact that Abraham supported her work, Berlin was not a very welcoming place for Melanie Klein. Her lack of academic background and the fact that she was a woman among men made it difficult for her to be accepted. 

In 1926 Ernest Jones paid attention to her work and invited her to teach in London. She accepted his invitation and moved to London where she lived and worked until her death in 1960. When Sigmund Freud and his daughter Anna migrated to Great Britain due to World War II the ideas of Melanie Klein came into contrast with theirs. After prolonged controversies during the 1940’s the British Psychoanalytical Society was divided into three groups: 1) Freudians 2) Kleinians and 3) independent. These groups remain until now.

What was Melanie Klein’s approach?

Melanie Klein developed a special technique in play therapy through which children could express their unconscious thoughts. She paid attention to the meaning of each child’s play, the fantasies being expressed and the relationship that the child built with the therapist. According to M. Klein the child reenacted in the relationship with the therapist important moments of the relationship with the parents (transference). This could be an opportunity for the child to realize certain unconscious emotions and process them.

Furthermore, M. Klein believed that every play therapist should include toys in the therapeutic session that would help children express their imagination. These toys included puppets, water cups, pencils, drawing paper, play dough and any other kind of material that the child could manipulate easily. She also suggested the therapist should be willing to enact any role that the child would give them. For example the child could be the strict teacher and the analyst the naughty child or the child could be the mother and the analyst could be the baby. In modern times the setting of play therapy is more or less how M. Klein described it.

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