ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some guidelines for training in the Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) model, essential personal characteristics of filial therapists, and important variables in facilitating a CPRT group. Even though most supervisors would agree that the general purpose of supervision is to facilitate the filial therapist’s personal and professional development, the personal dimension is often only minimally focused on in supervisory relationships. CPRT training groups may stimulate a wide range of emotional reactions in inexperienced filial therapists, and therefore they will need an opportunity to process those reactions in a supervisory relationship. Well-placed humor can make learning fun for parents and can be used to help get points across to parents that might be difficult for them to accept, as in the following filial therapy interaction. The attitude of the therapist is the key to learning environment in CPRT because it is the therapist’s attitude that sets the tone in the CPRT group and quickly permeates the entire training experience.
