Group Filial Therapy

Dr Louise Guerney, together with her husband, Dr. Bernard Guerney, Jr., is known as the creator of Filial Therapy. She is Professor Emerita of Human Development and Counselling Psychology at Pennsylvania State University, and former Director of Play and Filial Family Training at the National Institute of Relationship Enhancement (NIRE) in Bethesda, Maryland. She is recognized internationally as one of the most prominent and innovative practitioners of Child-centered Play Therapy. Dr Guerney is a licensed Clinical Psychologist, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor and a founding Board Member of the Association for Play Therapy. She has published extensively on Child Centered Play Therapy and Filial Therapy. She lives in Maryland, USA. Dr Virginia Ryan is a Chartered Child and Adolescent Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a qualified Play Therapist and Play Therapy Supervisor with the British Association of Play Therapists (BAPT). In addition to considerable practical experience in a variety of settings, Virginia has pioneered the academic establishment of both Filial Therapy and Non-directive Play Therapy in Britain and Ireland and was the co-founder and Director of the University of York's former Master's program in Non-directive Play Therapy. She lives in Hull, UK.

• Introduction. 1. An Overview of Filial Therapy and Group Filial Therapy. 2. The Selection of Suitable Participants and the Intake Process for GFT. 3. Guidelines for Conducting Successful GFT Groups. 4. The Main Skills Parents Learn in GFT. 5. Starting the GFT Program: Meeting 1. 6. Starting Play Demonstrations and Skills Learning: Meeting 2. 7. Continuing Demonstrations and Skills Practice: Meeting 3. 8. Continuing Demos and Skills Practice: Meeting 4. 9. Mock Play Sessions and Preparation for Practice Play Sessions: Meeting 5. 10. Beginning Practice Play Sessions: Meeting 6-7. 11. Parents' Second Practice Play Sessions: Meetings 8-10. 12. Transition to Home Play Sessions: Meetings 11-12. 13. Early Home Play Sessions: Meetings 13-15. 14. Generalizing Play Session Skills and Preparation for Ending: Meetings 16-19. 15. Ending the GFT Program: Meeting 20. 16. Applications of the 20 Week GFT Program. References. Appendices 1-21. Index.

Group Filial Therapy is an extraordinary read on so many levels.