Each Method Has Over 40 Years of Research
Validating its Clinical Effectiveness
Relationship Enhancement® (RE) Therapy
There have been 32 independent empirical research studies involving the RE method. Each study demonstrated the effectiveness of RE in terms of one or more positive outcome measures, including: marital adjustment and satisfaction; improved communication, empathy, and problem solving skills; increased trust, harmony and cooperation; and overall improved quality of the couple’s relationship. Five of the research studies involved a direct comparison of RE with another method, and in each case RE was shown to be at least as effective as the comparison method on specific outcome measures and was shown to be clearly superior on a majority of the outcome measures.
This superior comparative effectiveness of RE was independently confirmed by an award-winning meta-analytic study by Giblin, et al. (1985) that demonstrated the clear comparative superiority of RE to any of the other 13 methods for which data was then available and with which it was compared. Giblin, et al. found an average effect size (or positive outcome measure) of .44 across all relationship approaches, whereas the average effect size for RE was .96, an extremely robust result.
Conclusion: RE Therapy is one of the best researched and proven effective couple and family therapy methods available.
Giblin, P., Sprenkle, D., & Sheehan, R. (1985). Enrichment outcome research: A meta-analysis of premarital, marital and family interventions. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 11, 257-271.
Child-Centered Play Therapy
and Filial Family Therapy
Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is the most extensively used form of play therapy for children. First created by Virginia Axline, CCPT is a research validated intervention that has been proven effective in helping children with a wide range of emotional challenges and/or behavioral issues. Filial Family Therapy teaches the skills of CCPT to parents so that they can conduct therapeutic play sessions with their own children. In this way, Filial Therapy leverages the parent–child bond and the symbolic potential of play in order to address a wide range of child, parenting and parent–child relationship difficulties.
The research literature clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of Filial Family Therapy. Indeed, a meta-analysis representing a comprehensive review of 93 outcome research studies completed on play therapy then extant (Bratton, et al., 2000) established two important findings. First, the clinical effectiveness of play therapy as a therapeutic intervention with children was firmly established, with an average effect size (or positive outcome measure) of .80.
Second, Filial Therapy was demonstrated to be the single most effective of form play therapy, with the highest across the board therapeutic gains of any play therapy method. The group of 22 filial studies focused exclusively on training parents had an average effect size of 1.15. These are impressive results for Filial Therapy as a family therapy intervention using the power of play to facilitate improved child functioning and stronger parent-child relationships.
Bratton, S., Ray, D., Rhine, T., & Jones, L. (2000). The efficacy of play therapy with children: A Meta-analytic review of the outcome research. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 36(4), 376-390.