CLINICAL EDITOR’S COMMENTS:
An overview of Filial Therapy that illustrates how equipping parents with therapeutic play skills can strengthen
attachment, foster family resilience, and extend healing
P journey.
lay therapists enjoy seeing children progress, heal and reach their goals. Through Filial Therapy, therapists can also enjoy fully incorporating parents as active agents in their child’s Filial Therapy equips parents with four skills that they then
use in one-on-one, non-directive play sessions with their children each week (VanFleet, 2014).
Filial Therapy and provide a glimpse into this powerful modality.
Broad Overview Filial Therapy is a relationship and process-oriented approach, recognizing that change for children, parents and the entire family is grounded in healthy, secure attachments and relationships. Filial Therapy views the parent as the primary agent of change and the therapist as a teacher, collaborator, and guide, combining their knowledge and skills with the parents’ expertise about their own children. (Cavedo & Guerney, 2013; Guerney & Ryan, 2013; VanFleet, 2014)
Theoretical Orientation Drs. Bernard and Louise Guerney, psychologists at Rutgers, developed 1964). As professors at Penn State University, they continued development of Filial Therapy and established an on-going research program regarding it. The Guerneys believed many theories had something valuable to offer and incorporated these theories into a psychoeducational model in order to integrate them smoothly. Thus, Filial Therapy draws from all of the following theories: attachment, developmental, behavioral, cognitive, family systems, humanistic, interpersonal psychology, psychodynamic and social learning (Guerney & Ryan, 2013).
As other play-based family models have arisen, the Guerneys requested the words Filial Therapy be capitalized when referring to their original model (VanFleet, 2014).
Client Applications Research has shown that Filial Therapy (FT) has wide applicability, acceptance of their children, parents’ skills, and parent satisfaction (Guerney & Ryan, 2013). The joint play experience that parents and their children share helps build healthy attachment and provides
therapeutic impact on many areas, including all of the following: (Oxman, 1972; Topham, et al., 2011; VanFleet, 2022)
Abuse/neglect Anger/aggression Anxiety Attachment disruption Autism spectrum disorders Chronic medical illness Connection & attunement Depression
Foster care/adoption
Oppositional behavior Relationship problems Single parenting Step-parenting Trauma reactions
Filial Therapy also has high multicultural applicability, as the values of FT are embraced by diverse communities. Because most cultures value a strong family foundation, the FT values appeal to many cultures (VanFleet, 2022).
Further, FT has been shown to provide a preventative aspect for children and their families (VanFleet, 2014).
As the family
relationships are strengthened, future stressors or traumas are met from that strengthened foundation.
Goals While play therapy conducted individually with children shares many of the goals listed below, a meta-analysis of play therapy and Filial Therapy research (Bratton et al.., 2005) clearly indicated that parental involvement in Filial Therapy provided strong advantages over play therapy conducted individually with a therapist and child. Filial families (Guerney & Ryan, 2013; VanFleet, 2022).
Goals for the children include not only developing a better understanding of their feelings, but also improving the expression of their feelings so their needs are more fully met.
www.a4pt.org | September 2026 | PLAYTHERAPY | 17 This article will highlight aspects of
Children can
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