MALAYSIAN MOTHER’S CHALLENGES IN FILIAL THERAPY: A CASE STUDY

Abstract

Filial therapy was coined as a golden intervention to address children’s behavioural and emotional issues for its effectiveness across various populations, family settings, and presenting problems. Efficacy studies for the past 57 years have proven the effectiveness of filial therapy, however, there is a lack of understanding of the parental experiences in facing challenges throughout the therapy process. Past studies have indicated that parents did face challenges in the therapy process, but little investigations were done. Furthermore, research and practice of filial therapy in Malaysia was minimal. Thus, the current research aimed to examine the challenges that Malaysian parent faced in the process of filial therapy. Qualitative case study was employed, and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. Three main themes of challenges were found throughout the process of filial therapy. The findings were difficulty in integrating skills, stressors from family members, and commitment of time.