Courses

Parent Child Relationship Therapy / Filial Therapy is for any parent who wants to enhance his/her relationship with their young child. Children’s natural medium of communication is play. During the Filial Program parents learn basic Play Therapy skills to use with their own children: from ways to play together to limit-setting and discipline.

Parent Child Relationship Therapy takes place in a group format, which is essential in normalizing parents’ experiences. Didactic instruction is coupled with parent-child play sessions and supervision in a supportive atmosphere. This provides a dynamic process that sets Filial Therapy training apart from other parent training programs that are exclusively educational in nature.

What will I learn as parent?

• an increased understanding of your child’s underlying feelings, thoughts and needs
• more about the role of play and emotions in your child’s general development
• how to build your child’s self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence
• increased self-acceptance and confidence in your ability to be a good parent to your child(ren)
• specific parenting knowledge and skills for effective limit/ boundary-setting and discipline to decrease frustrating no-win situations between you and your child
• an opportunity for you to focus on the positive aspects and relationship with your child
• the realization that other parents share the same doubts, fears and frustrations as you
• to rediscover the JOY OF PARENTING!

What can I expect?

• an initial interview with parents before training starts
• this is a hands-on practical program, that consists of 5 short phases:
  • introduction and demonstration of techniques
  • parent training in techniques
  • parent-child play sessions
  • parent-child play sessions at home (which is the heart and purpose of the training) conclusion
• the language medium (Afrikaans / English) will be determined by the group, however participants are welcome to communicate in the language they feel most comfortable in
• the course material is included in the form of lots of interesting hand-outs about the course itself, as well as related topics
• you will need to purchase a short list of toys, which you will use during your play sessions – inexpensive options available
• the program consists of 6 weekly sessions of 3 hours each
• the program is presented on Saturday mornings to make it accessible for most parents