ALTHOUGH IT IS ASSUMED THAT PLAY THERAPY IS BENEFICIAL TO CHILDREN, LITTLE RELEVANT RESEARCH DATA IS AVAILABLE CONCERNING THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF ITS EFFECTIVENESS. THE EXISTING PAUCITY OF RESEARCH INFORMATION CONCERNED WITH PLAYROOM BEHAVIOR IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO (1) THE INADEQUATE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF RELEVANT THEORY AND OF THE SITUATIONAL VARIABLES, (2) AN INSUFFICIENT CONCERN WITH THE PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PLAYROOM ENVIRONMENT, (3) THE ECONOMIC WASTE TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH PLAYROOM RESEARCH, AND (4) THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN ATTEMPTING TO CATEGORIZE PLAY BEHAVIOR. IN ORDER TO ACCOUNT FOR THESE SHORTCOMINGS, PLAY THERAPY FACILITIES CONSISTING OF 2 ADJACENT BUT INTERCONNECTED ROOMS SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED. THE 2 ROOMS SHOULD CONTAIN, RESPECTIVELY, TOYS WHICH PERMIT THE EXPRESSION OF CONSTRUCTIVE AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR. TIMERS AND/OR COUNTERS CONNECTED TO EACH OF THE TOYS SHOULD BE TAPE-PUNCHED TO ALLOW DIRECT COMPUTER ANALYSIS OF TIME SPENT IN EACH OF THE ROOMS AND WITH EACH OF THE TOYS. A MASTER CONTROL BOOTH EQUIPPED WITH A ONE-WAY MIRROR AND CONTAINING THE METERING EQUIPMENT WOULD PERMIT THE USE OF TRADITIONAL OBSERVATION AND TAPE-RECORDING PROCEDURES. A PLAYROOM AREA CONSTRUCTED IN THIS MANNER WOULD NOT INTERFERE WITH CLINICAL PRACTICE AND WOULD PERMIT THE GATHERING OF RESEARCH DATA CONCERNED WITH THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PLAY THERAPY. (JS)