Filial Therapy is a type of Play Therapy that involves training parents and carers to use therapeutic skills with their own children. Filial Therapy can help to strengthen family relationships, increase confidence in parents and address a range of social and emotional issues faced by children.

 

Filial Therapy takes place over about 16-20 sessions and is tailored to meet the needs of each family. After getting to know the family and establishing some shared goals for therapy, the Play Therapist will then teach the parents or carers how to use therapeutic skills with their own children during training sessions. 

 

Following these training sessions, parents or carers are then supported to have one-on-one play sessions with their children supervised by the Play Therapist. Once parents or carers are ready, the Play Therapist will then support parents or carers to consider how to apply their newly acquired therapeutic skills into the home.

 

Filial Therapy supports parents and carers to become the therapeutic agents for change for their children, allowing children to get the support they need from those closest to them. 

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Please note that at least one parent or carer is required to attend all sessions during the Filial Therapy process whilst children will only attend some.