Parent-Child & Family Therapy
"Helping families heal and grow—together, with inner wisdom."
At Inner Wisdom Counselling and Wellbeing, our family therapy services focus on healing the core of family wellbeing: the parent–child relationship. When this connection is stressed by trauma, emotional overwhelm, or developmental challenges, both children and caregivers can feel lost or stuck.
We specialise in working with the dyadic relationship—the emotional bond between caregiver and child—as the foundation for growth and healing. Rather than focusing solely on the child’s symptoms or behaviours, we work with the relationship as the most powerful pathway to lasting change.
We offer two core family therapy pathways:
- Attachment-Based Family Therapy
- Filial Family Therapy.
All families begin with an initial parent consultation, where we explore your family’s story and goals, and help determine the best-fit model based on your child’s needs and your capacity for relational involvement.
The Role of Parent/Caregiver Involvement
Children thrive in relationships where they feel safe, seen, and supported—and your role as a caregiver is essential to the healing process. In both therapy models we offer, your active involvement is not optional; it’s foundational.
As part of this process, you may be invited to:
- Recognise and regulate your own emotional responses
- Reflect on how your family-of-origin experiences shape your parenting
- Explore your own inner emotional “parts” using principles from Internal Family Systems (IFS)
- Learn to co-regulate and attune to your child, even in difficult moments.
If you’re unsure whether you’re ready to engage in this kind of work, we invite you to reflect with our Parent Readiness Questionnaire. This gentle self-assessment helps you consider your current capacity for the deeper emotional work of family therapy.
Why Inner Wisdom Matters in the Parent–Child Relationship
We believe that every parent and child carries an inner wisdom—an internal compass that guides healing, growth, and connection.
Your child’s inner wisdom shows up in their behaviour, emotions, and play. When it’s met with curiosity and compassion, they begin to feel safe, understood, and empowered.
Your own inner wisdom as a parent helps you:
- Stay grounded in moments of stress
- Tune in to what your child is truly communicating
- Repair moments of disconnection with empathy
- Parent from a place of calm, not just urgency or fear.
When both child and caregiver are supported in reconnecting with their inner wisdom, your relationship becomes a place of healing—not just for your child, but for you, too.
What to Expect
We begin with an initial parent consultation to:
- Understand your family’s story and goals
- Explore your child’s developmental and emotional needs
- Reflect on your capacity and readiness for relational involvement
- Determine whether Attachment-Based Family Therapy or Filial Therapy is the most supportive path.
From there, we walk alongside you to create a treatment plan that fosters emotional safety, resilience, and deeper connection.
Schedule Your First Session Today
Whether you’re feeling confident or still unsure if you’re ready, we invite you to start with curiosity and contact us now to book your initial parent consultation.
Family Therapy Pathways
Attachment-Based Family Therapy
Attachment-Based Family Therapy
Attachment-Based Family Therapy
This approach integrates several evidenced-based models to support healing within the family system—particularly for children and adolescents facing emotional, behavioural, or relational challenges.
Our Attachment-Based Family Therapy draws from:
- Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT) to help understand the "why" behind behaviours and repair emotional safety and connection.
- Theraplay® principles for playful, emotionally attuned connection.
- Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) for safety, trust, and relational repair.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) principles for emotional integration.
- Family Systems Theory to address patterns and roles within the family unit.
How We Can Help
Through structured, emotionally safe, and interactive experiences, we support families to:
- Rebuild trust and connection after stress or rupture
- Create safety through co-regulation and play
- Understand what’s beneath challenging behaviours
- Support emotional regulation for both parent and child
- Shift out of reactive cycles and into deeper empathy
- Meet the needs of children with trauma, anxiety, grief, or neurodivergence.
This model is especially helpful for children aged 6–16. The parent–child dyad is at the centre of the work, allowing for real-time emotional repair and relational growth.
Filial Family Therapy
Attachment-Based Family Therapy
Attachment-Based Family Therapy
Filial Family Therapy is a transformative, evidence-based approach for children aged 2 to 12, where parents or caregivers take an active role in the therapeutic process. Instead of traditional child-only sessions, you’re guided to lead special play sessions at home using child-centred therapeutic skills that support communication and connection.
This model is ideal for families looking to build long-term resilience through relational presence, emotional attunement, and child-led play.
How We Can Help
Filial Therapy supports families to:
- Strengthen secure attachment between parent and child
- Improve emotional connection and empathy
- Understand and respond to your child’s emotional world
- Help children build their self-esteem and learn self-control
- Set limits which are respectful
- Build confidence in your parenting and relationship with your child/children.
You will be fully supported as you learn, practice, and reflect—developing skills that can grow with your child for years to come.
Is Filial Therapy the Right Fit for Your Family?
Filial Family Therapy can be a wonderful fit for families who:
- Have children aged 2 to 12
- Have a level of stability, e.g. no significant current crisis in the family system
- Are open to learning new parenting approaches and strategies to support their child's development and restore balance to the family system
- Want to be directly involved in their child's therapeutic journey i.e. willing to commit the time to training and home practice
- Value structured support and coaching
- Are ready to explore their own emotional responses and patterns.
We’ll also discuss these factors during your initial consultation to ensure the right model of support is chosen with care and collaboration.
Group-Based or Individual Support
Filial Family Therapy is typically offered as a group program, where parents and caregivers come together in a supportive, guided environment to learn and practice therapeutic play skills over several weeks. Group learning creates a sense of community and shared growth—and many families find strength in knowing they’re not alone.
If you prefer a more personalised approach, we also offer Filial Therapy as a 1:1 format, tailored to your family’s specific needs. Please note that individual delivery is available at a higher cost, reflecting the additional support and flexibility offered in this format.
Register your interest in our next Filial Family Therapy program.