A three-day advanced workshop into the Filial Family Therapy method with Helen Younan-Barrett, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor & Certified Filial Family Therapist
Join us for an intensive, hands-on, three-day workshop focused on Filial Family Therapy (FFT), led by Helen Younan-Barrett, a Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and Certified Filial Family Therapist.
This workshop is designed specifically for play therapists who have prior training in child-centered play therapy, providing an in-depth exploration of the Filial Family Therapy method. Whether you’re looking to deepen your skills or expand your therapeutic toolkit, this workshop offers a valuable opportunity to engage with one of the most effective family-focused therapeutic interventions.
This advanced workshop will immerse you in the core principles and techniques of Filial Family Therapy (FFT), ensuring that you acquire both the theoretical knowledge and the practical skills necessary to implement this powerful approach. Through guided practice, you will learn how to train and supervise parents in conducting special, child-centered play sessions with their children (ages 2-12). By the end of the workshop, you’ll have gained a comprehensive understanding of Filial Therapy and will be ready to integrate it into your therapeutic practice, helping families navigate a wide range of challenges.
Our immersive training approach will not only teach you the principles of Filial Family Therapy but will also provide hands-on opportunities to practice applying these principles in real-world family settings. The workshop will include a dynamic mix of lectures, video examples, live demonstrations, and supervised practice sessions. This combination of teaching methods will allow you to engage in role-plays and practical exercises, honing your skills in a supportive learning environment. By participating in these interactive learning experiences, you’ll build the confidence and competence needed to supervise and support parents as they conduct therapeutic play sessions with their children.
By the end of this workshop, you will not only be able to implement Filial Therapy with your clients but will also have the tools to empower parents to take an active role in their child’s therapeutic journey. Whether you’re a seasoned therapist or new to this approach, you’ll leave with a wealth of knowledge, practical experience, and confidence to bring Filial Family Therapy into your practice.
What is Filial Therapy
Filial Therapy is a proven, play-based, relationship-focused intervention that blends family therapy and play therapy to create a unique and effective approach to addressing a variety of child and family issues. This method focuses on strengthening the parent-child relationship through therapeutic play, providing children with a safe and structured space to express themselves. Research supports Filial Therapy’s effectiveness in improving child behavior, enhancing the parent-child bond, boosting child self-esteem, and increasing parental knowledge and skills. The structured nature of the approach allows therapists to quickly learn and apply it, making it an ideal solution for busy clinicians looking for a practical, evidence-based intervention
Learning objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the theoretical foundations of Filial Therapy
- Understand the history, development and supporting research for FFT
- List the five major therapeutic goals of Filial Therapy
- Identify the main phases and elements of the FT
- Describe what happens at each stage of the FT process
- Describe the 7 key essential features that comprise a Filial Therapy model
- Identify the different roles that the therapist plays during the Filial Therapy process
- List the six major underlying principles and attitudes needed for success in training parents during the Filial Therapy process
- Explain at least 2 reasons that can be given to parents as to why Filial Therapy can benefit their particular situation/problem area.
- Identify at least 3 child/family problems for which Filial Therapy is useful and why
- Describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria relating to parents when utilising FT
- Describe at least 3 benefits of Filial Therapy (parent-child play therapy) over individual play therapy
- Identify when the therapist helps parents generalise the skills they have learned in their home environment
- Identify the two phases of training in FT
- Describe the three training principles of teaching FT to parents
- Demonstrate use of empathic listening with parents when handling questions and concerns during the intake and training sessions of FT
- Describe the teaching method for the parents mock play sessions when teaching the core play therapy skills
- Describe the 4-step parent feedback process used in supervising parents’ play sessions with their own children
- Identify at least 3 common problems that can arise in the training phase with parents
- Discuss the 4-level hierarchy of supervisory issues used to prioritise what feedback to give to parents after their demonstration of play sessions
- Describe the FT methodology and other method adaptations for specific demographics
- Address challenges and resistance in implementing Filial Therapy
3 day Workbook & Parent Manual included.
Prerequisite training
Participants must already possess a deep understanding of humanistic play therapy/child centred play therapy OR in-depth clinical training and supervised practice specifically in child centred play therapy or non directive play therapy (Synergetic Play Therapy applies).
You must have also read the following book in Child Centred Play Therapy prior to commencing the Filial Therapy Practitioner Skills Training. You can choose either one (see below).
- Child-Centered Play Therapy: A Practical Guide to Therapeutic Relationships with Children, Nordling & Cochran
- Child Centred Play Therapy, Dr Rise Vanfleet
Certificate
Certification Details
Upon completing this three day workshop, participants will receive a certificate acknowledging the contact hours of the training. However, this does not certify competency in Filial Therapy. Regular supervised practice with a certified Filial Therapist is strongly encouraged to develop and solidify the skills needed to effectively implement this methodology with families.
For those seeking certification as a Certified Filial Family Therapist under Helen Younan-Barrett, a competency-based supervision program must be completed to demonstrate proficiency at a basic level. Acceptance into this program is subject to an application process.
Manuals
Workshop Leader
Testimonials
“A much deeper appreciation for the power of empathy and what that can do for a struggling parent. It was also a wonderful refresher of CCPT which I was so so grateful for as it has been a few years since I finished my training and I found myself being re-invigorated about the approach, my love for it and my belief in it. I learned so much, it is hard to pick just one thing! I think the biggest takeaway has been a sense of inspiration and also gratitude that I now have a new skill I can draw on to help many of the kids and families I am working with. That’s the most important thing.”
(Play Therapist, Brisbane)
“The importance of empathy when working with parents – came in very useful today; thank you!”
(Play Therapist, Brisbane)
“I was extremely impressed with the training. The structure of the workshop provided a balanced approach to theory and practice. The content was presented in a meaningful and thoughtful manner.”
(Play Therapist, Brisbane)
” I thank you very much for the beautiful training in Filial Family Therapy. It is a lovely framework that will support many child-parent attachment relationships. ”
(Kim, Melbourne)
“Thank you, beautiful Helen, for an amazing training! Love your wisdom and way of presenting but also just loved connecting with you again.”
(Nikki, Melbourne)
Filial Family Therapy Training (Melbourne)
$950.00
