Strengthening Foster Parent–Adolescent Relationships Through Filial Therapy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to explore the application of filial therapy as a means of strengthening relationships between foster parents and adolescent foster children. Adolescents in foster care experience a number of placement disruptions and while a number of therapeutic interventions are implemented to assist adolescents in foster care, very few are aimed at strengthening the foster parent–foster child bond. Studies have repeatedly shown filial therapy as an effective method for strengthening parent–child relationships. Filial therapy is discussed as an intervention for improving the relationship between adolescents in foster care and their foster parents. A review of the literature is presented as well as a description of filial therapy and the adaptations necessary to implement filial therapy with adolescents and their foster parents.