2012

In Filial Therapy, parents learn to conduct one-on-one child-centered play sessions with their own children. Parents then continue to hold weekly play sessions with their children at home for a period of 6 months to a year (or more, depending on the child’s motivation). Modeled after child-centered play therapy, these half-hour play sessions occur in a highly structured context with few but clearly defined limits and consequences set by the therapist. This context is designed to allow children to take the initiative and freely express themselves and it fosters self-regulation and independence. In turn, parents are asked to respond to (acknowledge) their children’s initiative, behavior, and expression, particularly feeling expression, with acceptance and without judgment.