Background: Play as an excellent therapeutic method for the treatment of behavioral problems in children, has been considered by experts. So, the purpose of the present research was to examine the effectiveness of group play therapy on reducing shyness in students with hearing damage.

Method: The statistical population consisted of all female students with hearing damage in 4th, 5th and 6th grade in Rasht. Among all, sample of 30 students were selected through convenience sampling. They were then equally and accidentally assigned to two (control and experiment) groups. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test design and control group. To collect data, ‘Shyness’ questionnaire (1995) was used. Group play therapy training program was conducted for the experimental group in twelve sessions of 45 minutes.

Results: Analysis of covariance showed that group play therapy training significantly affected on reducing shyness (P<0.001).

Conclusion: These results have clinical implications for the prevention and improvement of shyness in students with hearing damage.