Filial Therapy as a Cross-Cultural Family Intervention - The Chinese ...

Daniel S. Sweeney, Catherine Skurja
research would be to do further multicultural studies of filial therapy.
Comparison of filial therapy with other parent training methods is also
suggested. Additionally, further research is recommended in terms of
longitudinal studies, including evaluations of children and families several
months and years following the filial intervention.
Conclusion
In a recent review of filial therapy by one of its founders, Louise Guerney
(2000), the following summary was offered:
Based on the variations in application of filial therapy that have proven workable
across a range of populations, we think that filial therapy is a remarkably robust
approach that can be shorter or longer, used with groups or individual families
(with only a single parent as well), applied in inadequate sized offices or lovely
treatment rooms, and still be depended upon for bringing about desired change.
It started out too far ahead of the times. The times and proficient advocates
have come together to make it possible for interested practitioners to offer parents
a solid, robust, empirically valid, “pleasant to take,” rewarding therapeutic
experience. (p. 13)
It is asserted that these benefits apply cross-culturally.
There are many experiences, stressors and traumatic events which
negatively influence relationships between parents and children. Filial
therapy has been shown to be an effective parent training program in the
enrichment of parent-child relationships. It offers the opportunity to
strengthen parent-child relationships for a variety of family constellations
and family issues. Filial therapy training provides an opportunity for the
entire family system to be affected, providing support and training for the
parent, security and consistency for the child, and the enhancement of family
relationships. As opposed to prescriptive applications of therapy, by focusing
on strengths and positive family characteristics, filial therapy works with
and within the family structure.
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