Filial therapy for enhancing relationships in families

Filial therapy is a specific mode of child-centred play therapy. The parent or carer conducts structured weekly therapeutic play sessions with the child. The therapist provides coaching, detailed feedback, and support, but does not engage directly with the child. Filial therapy empowers parents and carers to become the agents of therapeutic change. Because parent and child work through problems together, children's attachments become more secure, and family relationships are enhanced. Filial therapy was developed in the 1960s by Louise and Bernard Guerney as an innovative form of child-centred play therapy for three- to 12-year-olds. It is a flexible mode of therapy with three main models currently in use, two of which are group models. Filial therapy is evidence-based. Empirical research has shown it to be effective for intact families, blended families, adoptive families, those with children in public (local authority) care, single parent families, and those in which grandparents or other relatives are the full-time carers. Research also shows it to be effective with families of different cultures and ethnicities. Filial therapy can help parents or carers help children who have experienced difficulties such as trauma and abuse, or who for other reasons have problems with behaviour, relationships and mental health. Filial therapy provides help over the long term and after the therapist has reduced or ended contact with a family. Once parents have learned the filial skills they can continue with play sessions for months, even years. They also naturally adapt the skills for use in every day life.