The Progress of Therapy: How Women Have Helped Shape Mental Health Care for Children
International Women’s Day (IWD) 2025 celebrates the theme "Accelerate Action," recognising the urgency of advancing gender equality and the invaluable contributions of women across all fields.
In mental health care, women have played a crucial role in shaping the way we understand, support, and nurture emotional well-being, particularly for children when thinking of therapeutic care and mental wellbeing.
At Teenage Mental Health (TMH), we want to take this opportunity to celebrate the incredible impact of women in therapy, both recognising just some of those who laid the foundation for modern child therapy and some of those who continue to make mental health support and education to all today.
The Early Pioneers: Shaping Child Therapy
The progress of child therapy would not have been possible without the pioneering women who introduced play, emotional exploration, and child-centered therapeutic techniques to the field.
Anna Freud was one of the first to recognise that children experience and express emotions differently from adults. Building on her father’s psychoanalytic theories, she pioneered child psychoanalysis and helped establish the importance of looking at a child’s inner world, not just their outward behaviour. She also used play therapy as a tool to help children express their emotions in a way that felt natural and safe.
Similarly, Margaret Lowenfeld saw that children often struggled to communicate their emotions verbally and introduced the World Technique—an approach that used miniature figures and sand trays to help children externalise their thoughts and feelings. This method is still widely used today in play therapy for children experiencing trauma.
Melanie Klein took the power of play therapy further, developing the idea that children’s spontaneous play was equivalent to free association in adults. She believed that by observing how children played, therapists could gain insight into their unconscious fears, anxieties, and relational struggles.
Virginia Axline, a student of Carl Rogers, revolutionised play therapy with a non-directive approach. She believed that, given the right environment, children could work through their emotions on their own. Her groundbreaking book Dibs in Search of Self showed how non-directive play therapy could help a withdrawn, emotionally distressed child find their voice and develop confidence in their identity.
These women fundamentally changed how we understand children’s emotions and provided the building blocks for child-centered therapy. Without their work, modern therapeutic approaches—including those used in schools, clinics, and family support—would not be as effective or widely accepted.
Modern Contributors: Making Therapy More Accessible
While early pioneers laid the groundwork, contemporary female therapists and authors have ensured that these insights are accessible and practical for families, educators, and professionals.
Philippa Perry has brought therapy-inspired insights into everyday life with her bestselling book The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did). Unlike traditional parenting books, Perry focuses on the emotional connection between parent and child, helping caregivers understand how their own childhood experiences shape the way they parent. Her work encourages self-reflection and emotional intelligence, making therapy principles relatable and actionable for families.
Tina Payne Bryson, co-author of The Whole-Brain Child, has taken neuroscience and psychology and turned them into practical parenting strategies. She explains how understanding a child’s developing brain can help parents support emotional regulation, build resilience, and create a nurturing environment that fosters secure attachment. Bryson’s work makes scientific concepts easy to apply, helping parents respond to emotional challenges with empathy and confidence.
Margot Sunderland has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between clinical research and everyday caregiving. Her book The Science of Parenting explains how children’s brains respond to stress, trauma, and emotional support, giving parents and professionals tools to help children process emotions in a healthy way. Sunderland’s work has ensured that neuroscience is no longer reserved for specialists—it is now an essential resource for anyone who works with or cares for children.
Finally, Dr. Louise Emanuel continued Melanie Klein’s legacy by working specifically with infants and very young children. Her work highlighted the importance of early intervention, showing that therapeutic support doesn’t have to wait until problems become severe. Through play-based interventions, she provided young children with the tools to process trauma and develop emotional security, ensuring that their early years were built on understanding and support rather than fear and distress.
The Lasting Impact of Women in Therapy
The contributions of these women go far beyond textbooks and academic theories—they have fundamentally influenced how we view and respond to children’s emotions.
Thanks to their work:
Therapy is more accessible—It is no longer just for clinical settings but is integrated into schools, parenting resources, and community programs.
Play therapy positives are better recognised —It is now widely accepted that children process and share emotions through play very well, and in more a tolerable approach to the child, rather than relying on traditional talk therapy.
This is also reduces negative outcomes for children from less effective approaches, and negative thinking, due to poor understanding of the child's perceptions and understandings.
Parents and caregivers are empowered— Research shared and research done by women in therapy have given parents, teachers, and professionals the tools to support children’s mental health in everyday life.
Therapists continue to evolve their approaches—Building on early psychoanalytic ideas, many modern therapies include an understanding which incorporates neuroscience, emotional intelligence, and relational psychology to offer more effective and holistic support.
At Teenage Mental Health, we honour the work of these pioneering and contemporary women, as their influence continues to shape the way we support children and families today. Their commitment to understanding emotions, promoting emotional resilience, and making therapy accessible has changed the lives of millions, and will undoubtedly continue to shape the future of mental health care.
So Why Are Women More Common in Counselling and Therapy?
It’s no secret that women make up the majority of professionals in counselling and therapy. But there's been plenty influential men in the field, past and present. So why is this the case today? Rather than viewing this as an imbalance or overly comparing to male therapists, or reviewing males and therapy in general, it’s worth recognising the positive influences that have shaped this trend.
Historically, women have often been the primary caregivers within families and communities, developing strong skills in listening, emotional support, and relational understanding. These qualities naturally align with the core values of counselling—empathy, connection, and emotional intelligence. Making therapy a field not only where many women feel both comfortable and valued, but are arguably more often naturally capable and competent in empathetic communications and wider understanding.
Another factor is perhaps that society has given more space women to explore emotions more openly, while men have often faced stigma around discussing feelings and acknowledging emotions. This cultural expectation may contribute to more women choosing careers that focus on emotional well-being and, in turn, creating a more welcoming space for emotional expression across all genders.
Women have also played a pioneering role in shaping modern therapy as mentioned above already. Their contributions have helped counselling evolve into a deeply relational and nurturing profession, one that appeals to those who want to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.
That said, counselling and therapy thrive on diversity in perspectives, and many male therapists bring equally valuable approaches to the field. The most important factor isn’t gender, it’s the ability to connect, listen, and create a safe space for healing. Regardless of who sits in the therapist’s chair, what truly matters is their compassion, training, empathy and commitment to helping others. The contributions of these remarkable women should spot like the amazing work women in general do in caring for others, and have helped shape and enrich the field, ensuring that therapy remains inclusive, effective, and accessible to all who need it.
