Play therapy is a developmentally appropriate and empirically supported form of child therapy. It builds on the naturalistic process of play as a means to help children make sense of and overcome mental health issues. Though traditional play therapy is meant for children ages 3–12, when adapted, it can be used with a variety of ages making it responsive to mental health issues across the lifespan. Play therapy applications exist on a continuum from nondirective to directive allowing for its application across many theoretical types. This article presents play therapy from a historical and theoretical standpoint.