Strengthening Foster Parent-Adolescent Relationships Through Filial Therapy

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.