Child‐centered play therapy (CCPT) is a mental health intervention grounded in the philosophy of relational humanism. In CCPT, the counselor trusts in the child’s ability to move toward self‐ and other enhancement through the process of play therapy. As a humanistic intervention, CCPT recognizes the intersectionality of development, play, and relationship in service of deepening empathic understanding, communicating in the language of children, and activating the self‐actualizing tendency through relational connection. Principles of CCPT can be extended to mental health practices, systems of care, and institutions serving children in order to advocate for communities that support healthy development in children.