Short-term filial therapy with German mothers: Findings from a controlled study.

Filial therapy has been shown to be an effective tool in improving parent– child relationships. This study represents a starting point for investigating the effectiveness of filial therapy with German mothers and their children. A brief form of the VanFleet filial training approach was used with a group of 15 mothers attending a health retreat for 2 weeks. Dependent variables included a measure of parenting styles, behavior ratings of children, and child–mother play interaction measures. Results showed an increase in acceptance, empathy, positive attention, and educational competence for mothers who received filial therapy and a decrease in ratings of their children’s behavior difficulties. Control group members did not show similar gains.