Abstract
Play therapy was performed with an abused child for five years at a children’s nursing home, during which sandplay and expressions during play were examined and protection of the child was discussed. The client was not good at expressing himself through language. He had a sense of security towards the therapist at the first meeting with the therapist, which helped him to express his inner world freely through sandplay and play expression from the initial stage of psychotherapy. When he had an experience in which he faced a conflict with his mother, his inner world largely collapsed. However, the client considered the framework of treatment, i.e., the place and time of psychotherapy, as well as relationship with therapist as factors. Furthermore, the expressions themselves and the fence used in sandplay therapy offered layers of protection and facilitated the development of his ego, which enabled him to live an independent life.
