Unlocking the Magic of Therapeutic Play at Home (and How to Make It Happen!)

Have you ever wondered what is going on for your child beneath the surface? Do you want to connect with your child more deeply and help them to process life’s challenges? Then let’s harness the power of therapeutic play: filial therapy is for you! Filial, meaning parent-child, therapy involves weekly special playtime sessions to connect and deepen the relationship with your child. But these are no ordinary playtimes; instead the parent takes on a therapeutic role and becomes an agent for developing their child’s emotional intelligence, resilience and wellbeing.

What is it?

Filial therapy teaches parents therapeutic play skills and supports them as the run special playtime sessions at home with their child. After building their foundational skills, parents implement a 30-minute playtime session once a week, which use the principles of child-centred play therapy. These sessions allow children to express and process any challenging feelings or emotions that they may be experiencing.

How does it actually work?

These non-directive, therapeutic play sessions allow children to show us what is happening for them beneath the surface. By giving them the chance to do this, they start to work through any challenges they might be experiencing. Our therapeutic skills support this journey and develop their capacity to do this effectively. You will learn to apply these skills in a consistent and predictable manner to create a supportive therapeutic environment for your child.

By combining our therapeutic play skills with family therapy, we see all the benefits of the play therapy, as well as the strengthening of the parent-child relationship. 40 years of evidence tells us that it really works, and we see this with all clients on a regular basis.

How does it help my child?

Filial therapy and special playtime sessions provide children with a safe space to strengthen their relationship with their parents while expressing what’s happening beneath the surface. When children feel secure enough to ‘play out’ their difficulties, they can process emotions, build emotional regulation skills, and develop emotional literacy. This process helps boost their self-esteem and confidence, making them feel more seen and heard while often reducing problem behaviors and family challenges.

Filial therapy is ideal for families with children facing specific challenges, including:

• Children with anxiety
• Neurodivergent children
• Children with cognitive deficits experiencing moderate emotional challenges
• Foster children
• Late-adopted children or children in care
• Children who have experienced maltreatment but are not currently at risk

How does it help me as a parent?

The child is not the only one that benefits from Filial Therapy. As a family therapy, we also see huge benefits for parents who the run sessions with their child. Filial therapy helps parents to understand their child’s emotions and motivations more fully, which translates into daily life activities. The sessions also increase parents’ listening and communication skills with their child, develop self-confidence as parents, and build a closer and stronger relationship with their child. Parents find this one-on-one play time so valuable and special.

What are the outcomes of Filial Therapy?

The outcomes of Filial Therapy look slightly different for every family, but what we often see is:

• Reduced problem behaviours
• Improved mental wellbeing
• Increased understanding between parent and child
• Deeper family connection
• A more cohesive family environment

How can I learn the skills taught in Filial Therapy?