Family Puppet Interview

Abstract

At the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Center and the Family Therapy Clinic of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, a number of expressive modalities have been utilized in work with individuals, groups and families. One technique that has been clinically rewarding in diagnosis as well as in therapy has been the Family Puppet Interview, a symbolic and interactive procedure that involves the whole family simultaneously. The value of this activity lies not only in the wealth of interactive data but in the symbolic family fantasy material that the interview generates. This paper will describe the procedure and present several case examples to illustrate its application.

Application of Animal-Assisted Interventions in Professional Settings

“…Irwin and Malloy (1975) developed the Family Puppet Interview commonly used today. Themes for the puppetry should relate to the client's goals but could include scenarios that act out behavioral control, anger, fear, rejection, and social skills, as well as abandonment.…”

Teaching and Learning with Therapists Who Work with Street Children and Their Families

“…The director of the organization, Mirna, was among them. Her presence and the ways in which she jumped in fully as we created family and school floor plans (and adapted the technique to create street plans and market plans) shared genograms and central family stories (Roberts, 1994), looked at life cycle theory, role‐played families drawing pictures of major transitions and/or acted them out in puppet shows (Gil, 1994; Irwin & Malloy, 1975), immediately signaled to me the uniqueness of NFEP's model.…”

Puppet Play With a Turkish Family

“…The FPI, which was further developed by Irwin and Malloy (1975), stimulates communication among family members, and helps them achieve their goals. Irwin and Malloy reported that this interview technique is especially helpful for families who are experiencing communication problems, or who can be characterized as highly intellectual or analytical.…”