Abstract
M.A.
This qualitative study aimed to research three parent’s experience of a filial therapy programme.
An exploratory - descriptive research design was utilised. Case studies were utilised, whereby three parent’s were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule of open-ended questions.
The interview schedule was verbally administered and was recorded by means of an audio tape-recorder.
As a method of verification, a literature control was done to verify the trustworthiness and relevance of the findings. From this, guidelines based on the themes formulated, were discussed, recommendations given based on the guidelines for practice, and further implementation of the filial therapy programme. Carrying out this research was an enlightening experience for the researcher. The respondents, in this study, found the filial therapy programme to be effective in helping them gain a greater understanding of their children and the problems they may be experiencing.
The programme outlined for them the importance of their active participation within the therapeutic process. By becoming more involved in the therapeutic process, through the filial therapy programme, parents were able to foster better parent-child relationships.
The researcher is of the opinion that the overall purpose of this study was achieved through implementing this programme.
The research findings give the researcher and social workers, in the field of family therapy, a clear understanding of the effectiveness of filial therapy as a method of helping families.
The researcher urges all social workers to become aware of and equipped with the skills to carry out filial therapy in practice, as a trustworthy method of helping families.
Dr. E. Oliphant