The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral and Adlerian Play Therapies in Children Aged 3–12 Years: A Systematic Literature Review

Sertkaya Fidan B., ULUSOY DOĞMUŞ Y.

Research on Social Work Practice, vol.36, no.3, pp.248-267, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 36 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/10497315251316182
  • Journal Name: Research on Social Work Practice
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, CINAHL, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Psycinfo, Public Affairs Index, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Violence & Abuse Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.248-267
  • Keywords: Child, play therapy, systematic literature review
  • Inonu University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to systematically review and summarize the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral and Adlerian play therapy for children aged 3–12 years. Methods: In this context, experimental studies examining the efficacy of play therapies published in peer-reviewed journals in the English language in EBSCOhost, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science databases between 2003 and 2023 were reviewed. Results: The findings indicate that play therapies are effective in addressing children's externalized and internalized behavior problems as well as language impairments. However, their impact on executive function and memory varied. Conclusions: Following an evaluation of the risk of bias in the included studies, it was concluded that cognitive behavioral and Adlerian play therapies effectively cope with problem behaviors and support cognitive functions in children. The strengths and weaknesses of the current study were discussed, and various suggestions were made for the future.