Filial therapy focuses on usingpsychoeducationto teach parents how to engage in one-on-oneplay therapyinterventions with their children.
This therapy also helps children develop new skills while also strengthening the family unit.
These automatic and involuntary responses to interpersonal interactions are known as interpersonal reflexes.
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Over time, this leads to consistent patterns of interpersonal responding that carry on throughout childhood and adulthood.
These sessions occur at home and continue for a period of around six months to a year.
Parents learn to begin a play session by setting up a specific area for play.
Once the area has been created, children are told they can play however they want.
Child-Centered Imaginary Play
Parents watch their children engage in imaginary play.
The goal is to observe the child without interfering or attempting to give directions or suggestions.
During these play sessions, parents impose few limitations or consequences.
Parents learn to acknowledge their children’s initiative, their actions, and their expressions of emotions.
These observations occur with acceptance and without judgment.
Effectiveness
The impact of filial therapy has been studied since its introduction in the 1960s.
It can also be useful for lowering parental stress.
Filial therapy also does not distinguish between intervention and prevention.
The techniques that parents use are the same in either case.
Filial therapy can be helpful alongside other cognitive, behavioral, emotional, or learning interventions in such cases.
This includes being warm, friendly, accepting, respectful, patient, and non-directive.
A basic filial therapy program consists of 10 sessions.
They also review each session and model play session skills with parents and children.
Next, parents begin conducting sessions with their children in a home setting.
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