Filial therapy can help children to express their feelings and fears through the natural activity of play. Over time, children may:
- Understand their own feelings better
- Become able to express their feelings more appropriately
- Be more able to tell parents what they need, what is worrying them
- Become more confident and skilled in solving problems as well as asking for help when they need it
- Reduce their problem behaviours
- Feel more secure and trust their parents more
- Have a more healthy self esteem and increase their self-confidence.
Filial therapy can help parents to:
- Understand their child’s worries and other feelings more fully
- Learn new skills for encouraging co-operation from their children
- Enjoy playing with their children and giving them positive attention
- Increase their listening skills and develop open communication with their children
- Develop self confidence as parents
- Become more able to trust their children
- Deal in new ways with frustrations in family life