The functional impact of school-based filial therapy when implemented from the perspective of Bowen theory

In remote and regional geographical locations in Australia, parents and caregivers experience substantial obstacles associated with accessing specialist mental health services for their children. This doctoral research investigated the impact of a school-based filial play therapy program on children’s behaviour, academic engagement, and school attendance. In addition, the thesis research explored how this filial play therapy program impacted the functioning of trained school staff responsible for delivering the program to children, and on the functioning of children’s family members. The combined outcomes from this research supported school-based filial therapy as an effective and feasible intervention for rurally based primary school-aged children experiencing emotional-behavioural problems.