Symbolic play in the context of a rich relationship between a child and a psychotherapist is a potent vehicle for change. This article describes two years of treatment with an anxious and aggressive 4-year-old boy who used the therapy, the therapist, and some ordinary objects to make his way through the most challenging circumstances. The evolution of the patient-therapist relationship and the patient’s self-understanding is explored through a close examination of his richly imaginative play constructions of rope and string. Throughout, this article explains the therapeutic significance of the therapist’s thoughts and feelings as a relational player with this courageous patient. Intensive work with his parents, essential to this case, is also discussed.