Play therapy in health care settings: promises never kept?

This article examines the variety of claims made about the effectiveness of play therapy in health care settings. The claims are organized into four categories of "promises": (a) mastery, autonomy, and control; (b) cooperation and communication; (c) coping with anxiety and fear; and (d) learning and information giving. The empirical questions within each promise are identified and relevant experimental research is discussed. The conclusion is that play therapy has not yet delivered on its promises in health care settings.