Developmental filial therapy: process-outcome research on strengthening child-parent relationships through play in a setting for victims of domestic violence
Date
2018-11-14
Authors
Barabash, Kenneth John
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Abstract
The present research study was conducted in partial fulfillment of the dissertation requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. The small scale pilot process and outcome study examined: (a) the therapeutic efficacy of intensive (i.e., daily) filial therapy for victims living within a domestic violence shelter; and (b) the dynamic processes of child-parent enactments within Melanie Klein's (1932/1975, 1950) theoretical constructs and clinical interpretation on object relations, and that of developmental stage theory (e.g., symbiosis, differentiating, practicing, rapprochement) in early childhood (Mahler, 1952, 1968; Mahler, Pine, & Bergman, 1975) and adulthood (Bader & Pearson, 1983, 1988, 1990) interpersonal relationships. In doing so, the hallmarks play therapy and therapeutic principles of filial therapy (VanFleet, 1994, 1999a) were examined and evaluated by means of both quantitative (e.g., treatment outcomes) and qualitative (e.g., process-orientated interpersonal) measures. Four (4) mother-child dyads participated in the study, which was undertaken on-site at a local domestic violence shelter in Calgary, Alberta. The study was based on accounts of treatment interventions with children and mothers conducted by the present author, a clinical psychologist and registered play therapist/supervisor. The study also includes the author's specifically developed and designed instrumentation for investigating interpersonal processes, and for which interrater measures were obtained. These results suggest supportive findings on both the level of filial treatment efficacy and for an integrative theoretical foundation linking a developmental interpretation and understanding of intrapersonal and interpersonal human processes.
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Keywords
Parent and child, Case studies, Play therapy, Victims of family violence