Rooyesh-e- Ravanshenasi Journal(RRJ)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Rogers child-centered play therapy on social anxiety in primary school students. The research design was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest with control group. The statistical population consisted of all female students of Mashhad elementary school who were selected through convenience sampling from fifth and sixth grade students who were above the mean of social anxiety scores. The experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups were selected randomly. The experimental group received 9 sessions of group play therapy 3 days a week for 1 hour. "Davoodi & Najarian Social Anxiety Questionnaire (2001) was used for data collection. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 and univariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that after applying the play therapy program, social anxiety decreased in the experimental group, which was statistically significant (P <0.05). Based on the results of this study, it is suggested that this type of educational program should be considered along with medications to reduce social anxiety and increase mental health of students.