Branch therapy

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Branch therapy is a parent-centered therapy method based on the person-centered approach according to Carl Rogers and the play therapy according to Virginia Axline .

In branch therapy, the naturally existing relationship between parent and child is used as a therapeutic facilitator. The term branch therapy was introduced by Bernard Guerney as an innovative method of therapeutic intervention in which parents are trained to enable therapeutic changes in their own children with the help of person-centered, play therapy means. The term “filial” indicates a naturally positive, close (relative) relationship with the child, for example parent-child, but also the relationship between grandparent or foster parent-child, teacher-student, educator-child or the peer relationship to be discribed. Guerney summarizes this group of people under the term "significant other", Sue Bratton and Garry Landreth later (2005) call this group of people "paraprofessionals". The term “filial” can be traced back to the Greek word “philos”, which as an adjective means something like beloved, cherished.

Goals / process

Branch therapy aims to improve the family atmosphere and reduce stress. It strengthens the parent-child relationship and bond through 30 minutes of playing time together each week. Parents are taught in branch therapeutic parent training how they can carry out designed 30-minute play units with their child at home and thus communicate with their child on an action level using the language of the game. You will be trained how to react empathically to the feelings of your child, how you can strengthen your child's self-confidence, how you can help your child to more self-control and self-efficacy and, above all, how you can set (therapeutic) limits during this special playing time . During this play session, the child is the center of their universe. During this special playtime, the parents create an accepting relationship in which the child feels completely safe, so safe that they express themselves through the game - fears, wishes, aversions, anger, loneliness, joy or feelings of failure. The 30 minutes are not normal play time, rather it is a special time in which the child shows the way and the parent follows. During this particular time there is no admonition, degradation, evaluation, or requirement.

Use

During the special game time, parents develop a different type of relationship with their child. The child experiences himself as important and taken seriously, he feels understood and accepted by his parents as he is. When children experience a relationship during play in which they feel accepted, understood and cared for, they are able to "play out" many of their problems. In the game process, tensions, feelings and stress are released. As a result, the child will feel better and be able to recognize their own strengths and experience more self-efficacy through the guidance they can take over in the game situations. The fact that the child will feel differently will have a significant impact on the child's behavior. In the special playtime, parents learn to concentrate on their child instead of on their problems. This will also change the child's behavior, as the child's behavior and way of thinking are directly related to the child's self-image.

Five arguments

In 1964, the founder of the approach, Bernard Guerney , gave five arguments for the particular benefit of branch therapy:

  1. Children's problems are usually not the result of parental illnesses. They result much more from parental insecurity regarding upbringing.
  2. Playing with children in a therapeutic sense helps parents improve relationships with their children.
  3. In person-centered child therapy there is a tradition that parents organize play lessons with their children.
  4. It is beneficial for the therapeutic process to have parents as a part of this process.
  5. In a child's life, the parent-child relationship is the strongest existing relationship. Thus the smallest change in this relationship also has a much greater effect on the child than would be the case in a therapist-child relationship.

literature

  • H. Goetze: Branch therapy. In: M. Behr, D. Hölldampf, D. Hüsson (Hrsg.): Psychotherapy with children and adolescents - person-centered methods and interactional treatment concepts . Hogrefe, Göttingen 2009, pp. 78–98.
  • D. Hölldampf, M. Behr: Effectiveness of person-centered child and adolescent psychotherapy. A review. In: C. Wakolbinger, M. Katsivelaris, B. Reisel, G. Naderer, I. Papula (eds.): Proceedings: The world of experience and experience of our children. Lectures and workshops of the 3rd international conference for client / person-centered child and adolescent psychotherapy. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2011, pp. 365-394.
  • Jasmin Hosinner: Parents in the role of person-centered play therapist . Diploma thesis, University of Vienna. 2008. (PDF; 740 kB)
  • B. Guerney: Filial Therapy. Description and rational. In: Journal of consulting psychology. Volume 28, 1964, pp. 303-310.
  • B. Guerney, L. Guerney, M. Andronico: Filial therapy. In: C. Schaefer (Ed.): The therapeutic use of children's play. Jason Aronson, New York 1979, pp. 553-566.