Abstract
This phenomenological study represents the first qualitative exploration of parents’ experiences of the process of filial therapy from a systemic lens. Filial therapy is a treatment approach that teaches parents how to conduct weekly thirty minute play times with their target child at home in an effort to improve the parent–child relationship. Previous research has focused almost exclusively on the impact of this model on this relationship; however, the results from this focus group study (n = 8) indicate several relational shifts that occur within the greater family and societal contexts and suggest potential reasons for treatment gain maintenance over time.
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank Carmen Knudson-Martin, PhD, for her contribution to this article.
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Appendix
Appendix
Focus Group Prewritten, Open-Ended Questions
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1.
Tell me about your experience with CPRT.
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2.
What did you notice in yourself as a parent as you went through the group? In your child?
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3.
After participating in the group, what do you do differently now? How are your relationships different?
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4.
Did you have any challenges going through the group?
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5.
Are there areas you find yourself still struggling, like needing clarity or a deeper understanding of certain skills?
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6.
Are you interested in consolidating and further developing the skills you learned in CPRT? If so, what kind of help would you like?
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7.
Would supervision (4 h each month for 4 months total) facilitate consolidating, as well as further developing, your CPRT skills and the aforementioned changes?
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8.
Aforementioned changes?
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Amy Wickstrom, M.F.T. The Process of Systemic Change in Filial Therapy: A Phenomenological Study of Parent Experience. Contemp Fam Ther 31, 193–208 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-009-9089-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-009-9089-3