Child Parent Relationship Therapy: A Review of Controlled‐Outcome Research

A Meta‐Analytic Review of Child‐Centered Play Therapy Approaches

“…A review of the CCPT literature found approximately 110 outcome studies from 1953 to 2010 meeting the aforementioned criterion. The vast majority of individual findings showed that CCPT approaches were statistically significantly superior to no treatment (Bratton, Landreth, & Lin, ; Bratton & Ray, ; Ray & Bratton, ). As is typical of research in counseling and the broader mental health field, most studies were hindered by small sample sizes, which limit statistical power to validate results as well as the ability to generalize findings.…”

Examining the Impact of Child Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) on Family Functioning

“…An ever‐growing number of researchers have found strong support for the therapeutic benefits of filial therapy (Bratton et al., ). That the parents and children involved in filial therapy often experience remarkable changes in themselves and in their relationships with one another is not surprising given the primary aim of this approach.…”

“…Given this limitation, it is important to interpret the comparisons tentatively. A review of controlled outcome research revealed that CPRT appeared to have a strong effect when looking at measures of child functioning, parent functioning, and the parent–child relationship (Bratton et al., ). Thus, the moderate effect size in this study indicates that the impact that CPRT has on family functioning is substantive but notably less than the impact on the participating parent and child.…”

“…CPRT has a solid evidence base with over 40 studies investigating its effectiveness; 32 of these studies are controlled outcome studies involving over 1000 participants. Replicated findings consistently indicate moderate to large treatment effects for CPRT in decreasing parental stress in the parent–child relationship, reducing children's behavior problems, and enhancing parental acceptance and expression of empathy (Bratton, Landreth, & Lin, ).…”

Play Therapy Research: Issues for 21st Century Progress

“…CPRT research provides a good example of increased methodological rigor in play therapies; specifically, many of these studies investigated clearly defined populations and target behaviors, used randomized controlled trials, had adequate sample sizes, and adhered to a manualized protocol. Bratton and Landreth (2010) provided a review of recent research on CPRT, including 13 experimental and 19 quasi-experimental studies published from 1995 to 2010, concluding CPRT currently meets the criteria for a "promising" or "probably efficacious treatment." Statistically significant positive results were found on the vast majority of all study outcome measures.…”