filial play therapy
Filial play therapy shifts the focus from the individual child to the relationship between the child and their parent/carer. In Filial Play Therapy, the play therapist works together with the parents/carers to support them to learn therapeutic play skills to be able to have special play sessions with their child. Because the parent/carer knows the child better than anyone else, we can beautifully work with this existing relationship to strengthen and nurture the connection with your child.
There is a strong evidence base for filial therapy that demonstrates the importance of involving parents in their children's therapy and that supporting this relationship is a key part in affecting change for children.
If you would like to read about the evidence base for play therapy and the involvement of parents you can read more here.
who is filial play therapy for?
Filial play therapy is suitable for families with children up to 12 years old.
If there are older siblings we will explore how some of the therapeutic skills translate into the home to enhance the parent/carer relationship with all children.
Filial therapy can support children to make sense of their feelings and internal world. It can help children build their self-confidence and self-esteem and increase trust in their parents/carers.
Filial therapy can support parents to better understand their child's development and emotions. It can help them to develop their self-confidence and build an even stronger, warmer and more trusting relationship with their child.
Filial therapy can help alleviate challenging dynamics within the family. It can help prevent future difficulties and strengthen the attachment and bonding within the family unit.
Importantly, filial therapy can increase the ability for the family to connect and have fun together and this joy and playfulness supports relationships beyond the family system.
what can i expect in the sessions?
There are 4 main phases of the filial process:
1. First, we will get to know each other through an intake discussion and some observations of your family playing and being together.
2. Then, I will spend some time with you teaching you key therapeutic skills to be able to use when you have special playtime with your child/ren.
3. You will have supervised special playtime sessions and I will give you some feedback and support to help build your skills for connection and attunement with your child.
4. We will start to end our time together, through some final observations and then talking about how some of these skills might translate to your life outside the playroom.
"The best way of getting to know children is by observing them play."
-Søren Kierkegaard
Please get in touch to discuss Filial Play Therapy sessions for your family or families in your organisation.