Creating Pathways Counseling, PLLC
Parenting Support
Filial Therapy
Why is bedtime always a fight? How come my child only responds once I lose it and start yelling? Why won't they listen to me the first time? When I try to stay calm, their behavior get worse!
If this is your house and it feels like the same thing over and over, this program can help.
I am the mother of three teenagers and I've been there.
I wish I would have known about this training when I had young children. We muddled through it as best we could but I still look back and there are things I would have done very differently. If I had been regulated instead of exhausted. If I had realized that what was coming up when my child had big behaviors was actually my stuff from my own childhood, I could have been a better parent.
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The reason I learned how to teach this and offer this program now is so that no parent has to feel as helpless as I felt when my children had a melt down or became so dysregulated that I lost it too.
What is Filial Therapy?
Filial therapy was designed by counselors who wanted to develop a way for parents to apply at home, what children are learning in therapy. Child-centered play therapy is non-directive, meaning the child controls the direction of the play. What most parents don't realize is that when a child plays, they are trying to heal and learn. And if a parent can just play with their child during play time, they can witness their child's resilience and see them find their own solutions to struggles.
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Filial training is a 12 week course that is 90 minutes a week of learning how to be in play with your child like a child-centered play therapist. You learn what toys and modalities (like art or make-believe) your child utilizes to find solutions and answers. You will learn what to say and what not to say when your child is in charge of the play. You will also learn how to set limits with caring, instead of always using the word no. Did you know a child hears the word "no" on average 400 a day? This not only translates to a negative impact on the word, but also reduces the impact of the word's importance for safety. You don't even have to use the word "no" to set a limit.
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Filial therapy allows you to spend an hour each week dedicated to special play with your child where they get to be in control of the play. This translates to a more connected relationship outside that play as well as teaches you a foundation for staying regulated and grounded, even when your child is not.