Child-parent relationship therapy

1. Introduction

Version followed: the 10-session CPRT protocol for parents of children aged roughly 1 to 10 years, as set out in Landreth & Bratton, Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd ed., Routledge, 2019) and its companion CPRT Treatment Manual (Bratton & Landreth, 2nd ed., 2019; handout pages marked copyright 2020), with format details from the University of North Texas Center for Play Therapy (UNT CPT) and the CEBC programme profile. The second edition also contains separate toddler, preadolescent, adoptive-family and teacher protocols, which are covered here only briefly. [source: Routledge book and manual pages; UNT CPT; CEBC]

CPRT is a time-limited, group-based form of filial therapy. A play therapist trained in child-centred play therapy (CCPT) teaches parents or carers the core attitudes and skills of CCPT. Each parent then holds a weekly 30-minute, child-led "special playtime" with one child at home. The parent video-records it and brings it back to the group for supervision. The book's central premise is that a parent can act as the agent of change in place of the play therapist. [source: Routledge book description] Change is thought to happen through the relationship. The parent learns to attune to and respond to the child's underlying needs rather than to symptoms, while still setting limits on behaviour. A more secure parent-child attachment then supports the child's emotional and behavioural regulation. The developers ground this in CCPT theory, attachment principles and interpersonal neurobiology. [source: UNT CPT, About CPRT]

Cross-references: for the underlying therapist skills (tracking, reflection, limit setting in the playroom), see tab 157 (Child-centred play therapy). For the Guerney filial therapy model that CPRT condenses, see tab 160 (Filial therapy). Some of CPRT's play-session "don'ts" are credited in the manual to Guerney (1972). [source: CPRT Therapist Protocol p. 25]

Professional frame:

Who may deliver the full protocol. UNT CPT certifies three levels. Level 1 (Associate/Parent Educator) may use the didactic content but may not run the full protocol, and a licence is not required. Level 2 (Certified CPRT Practitioner) may run the 10-session protocol. It requires a current independent mental-health licence (counselling, MFT, psychiatry, psychology or social work), prior CCPT certification, CPRT 101 and 102 (12 hours each) or equivalent, an examination, and three CPRT groups run under an approved CPRT supervisor (at least 8 supervision hours per group). Level 3 (Supervisor) adds further supervised groups and supervision of supervision. [source: UNT CPT CPRT Certification]
Expected competence. CEBC lists the provider as a licensed mental-health professional, or co-leaders, with extensive CCPT training plus CPRT training and supervision. [source: CEBC] Do not run the full protocol without CCPT competence and supervised CPRT groups. The model depends on the leader being able to demonstrate CCPT live and to supervise parents' videos skilfully. [synthesis]
Outside the US. UNT CPT offers an international certificate route. [source: NES Early Intervention Framework] BAPT has advertised CPRT training in the UK (London, 2024), but that flyer is not drawn on here. [uncertain] In the UK, play therapy is not an HCPC-regulated title. Practitioners usually hold BAPT or PTUK registration in addition to their core professional registration. [uncertain]
Fidelity tool. The CPRT Therapist Skills-Protocol Checklist (CPRT-TSPC) is available from UNT CPT. [source: CEBC]

2. Framework

Format. The group has 5 to 8 parents, with grandparents and other carers welcome. It meets for 10 weekly sessions of about 2 hours, in a room big enough for about 10 people. Settings include community agencies, clinics, hospitals and schools, including day care and day treatment. [source: CEBC; NES] CEBC gives the target population as parents of children aged 3 to 8. The 2nd-edition core protocol covers ages 1 to 10, and the toddler and preadolescent protocols extend that range. [source: CEBC; Routledge manual description] In most protocols each parent chooses one "focus child" for the weekly play sessions. [uncertain: the focus-child convention is in the book chapters, which are not drawn on here]

Two phases. Sessions 1 to 3 are an instruction-and-preparation phase. The group builds safety and acceptance, and the therapist teaches CCPT attitudes and skills through teaching, demonstration and role-play. Sessions 4 to 10 are a supervised-practice phase. Parents hold weekly home play sessions, and about two parents each week show a recording for group feedback. New skills are added along the way. The last sessions focus on carrying skills over into daily life. [source: CEBC; NES]

Session sequence (chapter titles of the 2nd-edition book):

Session	Focus	Key new content
1	Training objectives and reflective responding	Group introductions, rationale, reflecting feelings, start of homework
2	Basic principles for play sessions	Goals of special playtime, the four basic principles, choosing and gathering toys
3	Play-session skills and procedures	Dos and don'ts, procedures checklist, toy set-up, therapist demonstration; first home session follows this week
4	Supervision format and limit setting	Video supervision begins; ACT limit setting
5	Play-session skills review	Review and consolidation through supervision
6	Supervision and choice giving	Choice giving to build responsibility and as a consequence for broken limits
7	Supervision and self-esteem-building responses	Responses that credit the child's effort and capability
8	Supervision and encouragement vs. praise	Encouraging effort instead of evaluating results
9	Supervision and generalising skills	Using skills outside the playtime
10	Evaluation and summing up	Review of change, post-measures, plans to continue

[source: Routledge, CPRT 2nd ed., table of contents; content descriptions in the third column partly from CEBC and NES and partly inferred from the titles] The NES summary words session 5 as "physical interaction" and sessions 9 and 10 as "review", which differs from the book's chapter titles. This guide follows the book. [uncertain]

Moving between phases. Progression is fixed by session number. It does not depend on a mastery criterion. Home play sessions begin after session 3 whether or not the parent feels ready. Parents are told they will learn by doing, and supervision then corrects their skills. [source: CEBC; NES; criterion framing is synthesis] Signs a parent is ready to move on to everyday generalisation (sessions 9 and 10) [synthesis]: in their recordings they mostly reflect rather than question or direct, they set limits calmly with ACT, and they can name their child's feelings and needs during group discussion.

Within each session (sessions 4 to 10) [source: CEBC; NES; order is synthesis]:

Informal check-in and review of homework.
Brief teaching of the week's new concept.
Video supervision of about two parents' play sessions, with the therapist and the group giving feedback.
Role-play of the new skill.
Homework assignment, including the next home play session.

3. Guiding principles

The parent is the change agent. Hand the relationship role to the parent. Your job is to train, encourage and supervise, not to become the child's therapist. [source: Routledge book description]
Relationship over symptoms. Steer discussions away from fixing behaviours and towards understanding what the child needs and feels. [source: UNT CPT, About CPRT]
CCPT attitudes underpin every skill. Teach the skills as ways of expressing acceptance, empathy and genuineness, not as scripts. The manual tells parents that their intent and attitude matter more than their exact words. [source: Protocol pp. 17, 25]
Be-With attitudes. Parents aim to convey that they are present, hearing, understanding and caring. The manual adds delight in the child. Use these as the yardstick in supervision: did the child experience the parent this way? [source: Protocol pp. 17, 35; CEBC]
The child leads and the parent follows. In special playtime the child decides. The parent joins only when invited and plays the role the child assigns. [source: Protocol pp. 17, 24, 25]
The therapist does with parents what parents do with children. Respond to parents with the same empathy, encouragement and acceptance you are teaching. This parallel process is how the group's safety is built. [source: CEBC ("establish safety and acceptance"); the parallel-process framing is synthesis]
Education and support together. Keep the group small and interactive, not lecture-based, and give parents' own feelings room. CEBC contrasts CPRT with mainly didactic parent training. [source: CEBC; CPRT 101 description, "balancing training with caregivers' emotional needs"]
Practice is confined to the playtime at first. Parents use the new skills only in the weekly 30-minute session until generalisation is taught (sessions 9 and 10). This keeps the demand small and the chance of success high. [source: NES; CEBC]
Few limits, firm and consistent. Limit only safety, damage and time, unless something else makes the parent uncomfortable. When a limit is needed, apply it calmly and every time. [source: Protocol pp. 17, 24]
Responsibility returned to the child. Reflections credit the child ("you...") and leave decisions to the child, building self-direction and self-control. [source: Protocol p. 35]
Special playtime is never contingent. Never use it as a reward or take it away as a punishment, whatever the child did that day. [source: Protocol p. 24]
Video supervision is the core mechanism. Treat watching recordings as the place where learning happens. CEBC calls it one of the most critical elements. [source: CEBC]
Focus on strengths in feedback. Point out what the parent did well before suggesting one change. [synthesis; consistent with the encouragement principle taught to parents in session 8]
Cultural responsiveness. The 2nd edition has a chapter on culturally responsive CPRT. Adapt examples, toys and the wording of limits to family values instead of imposing one parenting culture. [source: Routledge table of contents; specific adaptations are synthesis]
Safety outranks protocol. Safeguarding concerns, family violence or acute risk always override fidelity to the 10-session sequence. [synthesis]

4. Intervention inventory

The manual's handouts, checklists and session outlines are copyrighted. Below they are paraphrased by name and purpose. Use the published Treatment Manual (2nd ed.) and its companion website for the actual parent materials. Some manual pages are freely posted by UNT CPT with reproduction permission. All example wording below is illustrative and my own unless it is quoted. [source: Routledge manual description; UNT CPT resources page]

4.1 Intake, screening and consent (before session 1)

Purpose: Choose parents who can safely and realistically commit to 10 group sessions and 7 home play sessions. Set up consent for both video recording and group sharing. [synthesis. The book has a chapter on "Critical components" that is not drawn on here, so its own selection criteria are [uncertain].]
Steps:
1. Meet each parent individually. Explore the presenting concern, family composition, custody and contact arrangements, and current stressors.
2. Screen for family violence and child-protection concerns. Ask the parent alone, using routine direct questions about fear, threats, physical harm, coercive control and existing services involvement. Ask about any child-protection plan or court order affecting contact.
3. Screen the parent's own state. Look for acute mental illness, substance misuse, or anger at the child so intense that a weekly play session is unsafe.
4. Explain the commitment. The parent attends weekly and holds a 30-minute, video-recorded home session each week from week 3. Two parents each week share a recording with the group. Explain that the focus is on the parent's skills, not on judging their parenting.
5. Obtain written consent. Cover participation, recording the child at home, how recordings are stored and deleted, who sees them, and group confidentiality and its limits, including your reporting duties.
6. Help the parent choose a focus child, and agree how the child's assent will be sought.
7. Take baseline measures if you use them. The book reports outcomes on parenting-stress and child-behaviour measures. Use only instruments you are licensed to use. [uncertain about the manual's named instruments]
Example language (illustrative): "This group asks a lot of you. A weekly two-hour meeting and a 30-minute playtime at home that you record. Before we start, I ask every parent the same questions about safety at home, because play sessions only help when everyone is safe."
Watch for:
- Recent or ongoing domestic abuse with the perpetrator in the home.
- Contact disputes where a recording could become court evidence.
- A parent who is themselves in crisis. These parents may need individual work first (see 5.10 to 5.12).

4.2 Group opening and safety building (session 1)

Purpose: Build trust and normalise parents' struggles so they can learn without feeling judged. [source: CEBC]
Steps:
1. Each parent introduces themselves and the focus child and briefly says what worries them.
2. Give a short overview of the 10 sessions and of special playtime.
3. Respond empathically to each parent. Link parents' experiences to one another.
4. Agree group confidentiality and its limits.
[steps 1 and 3 are synthesis based on CEBC's "safety and acceptance"; the book's session-1 outline is not drawn on here]
Example language (illustrative): "It sounds like you're worn out and worried that nothing you try works. I'm guessing others here know that feeling."
Watch for: One parent dominating, or parents who disclose a lot early. Reflect the feeling, then move on gently.

4.3 Reflective responding (taught in session 1, refined throughout)

Purpose: The core empathic skill. The parent shows understanding by:
- describing what the child is doing (tracking),
- reflecting what the child says (content), and
- most importantly, naming the child's feelings.
[source: Protocol p. 17; Routledge table of contents, session 1]
Steps:
1. Explain that a reflection is a short statement, not a question. It mirrors the child's action, words or feeling.
2. Demonstrate with pictures, clips or role-played child behaviour [synthesis on medium]. Ask parents to name the feeling first, then put it in a short sentence.
3. Teach parents to begin with "You..." or "You're..." so the credit stays with the child. [source: Protocol p. 35]
4. Ask parents to match their facial expression and tone to the child's feeling, and to keep their body turned towards the child. [source: Protocol p. 35]
5. Tell parents they do not have to be exactly right. The child will correct them. [source: Protocol p. 35]
6. Set homework: notice and reflect one feeling a day. [example homework is synthesis; CEBC confirms weekly worksheets and reflective journals]
Example language (illustrative):
- Tracking: "You're putting all of them in a line."
- Content: "So the dragon lives in the castle."
- Feeling: "You're really cross that the tower fell down."
Watch for:
- Questions ("Are you sad?") and labels the parent supplies ("That's a horse") instead of reflections.
- A flat tone that doesn't match the child.
- It is working when the child keeps playing, elaborates or corrects the parent. Children stopping to look up as if checked on suggests the parent is over-questioning. [synthesis]

4.4 Teaching the Be-With attitudes (sessions 2 and 4, then as a supervision lens)

Purpose: Give parents a simple internal stance to fall back on when they don't know what to say. [source: Protocol pp. 17, 35; CEBC]
Steps:
1. Present the four messages: present, hearing, understanding, caring. CEBC phrases them as short first-person statements. The manual adds delighting in the child.
2. Ask each parent to recall a time someone was fully "with" them, and how that felt.
3. In supervision, ask which attitude the child probably felt at a chosen moment of the video.
Example language (illustrative): "If you can't think of the right words, just be there. Turn towards her and let your face say 'I'm interested in you.' That counts."
Watch for: Parents treating the attitudes as more phrases to say. Stress the intention behind them.

4.5 Rationale and goals of special playtime (session 2)

Purpose: Explain why 30 minutes of child-led play matters, to motivate parents. [source: Protocol p. 17]
Steps: Explain the four goals in your own words:
1. The child communicates thoughts, needs and feelings through play, and the parent conveys understanding.
2. The child's self-respect, worth, confidence and competence grow, along with self-control and responsibility.
3. The relationship gains trust, security and closeness.
4. Playfulness and shared enjoyment increase.
Then explain the four basic principles: set the stage, empathise, communicate understanding, and set a few limits. [source: Protocol p. 17]
Example language (illustrative): "For half an hour a week, your child gets to be in charge. You aren't teaching or correcting. You're learning about their world from the inside."
Watch for: Parents who worry that this rewards bad behaviour. Explain that special playtime is unconditional and that limits still apply (see 4.10).

4.6 Toy selection and set-up (session 2 or 3)

Purpose: Give the child a consistent, inviting space with toys that allow a range of expression. The manual includes a toy checklist and a photo of a model set-up. [source: UNT CPT resources page, Protocol pp. 16, 26 (titles only)]
Steps:
1. Give parents the manual's toy checklist. Help them gather the toys cheaply, using items from home or second-hand shops [synthesis]. Keep the kit only for special playtime. [uncertain: toy-reservation rule]
2. Set the toys out the same way each time on an old blanket or quilt, which marks the play area. [source: Protocol p. 24]
3. Choose a room where spills and noise are tolerable. Remove pets and keep a clock visible. [source: Protocol p. 24]
4. Physical safety [synthesis]:
  - Check toys for small parts if under-3s or siblings are around.
  - Remove sharp or breakable items.
  - Choose non-toxic art and modelling materials.
  - Keep the play area away from stairs, heaters and hard furniture edges if play becomes physical.
Watch for: Parents bringing in electronic toys, board games with rules, or new toys each week. These reduce child-led, expressive play. [synthesis; for CCPT toy-selection rationale see tab 157]

4.7 Live demonstration and role-play (sessions 2 and 3 especially, then ongoing)

Purpose: Let parents see and rehearse the skills before trying them at home. [source: CEBC ("demonstration and role-play"); CPRT 101 description ("demonstration play sessions")]
Steps:
1. Show a demonstration play session. This can be a recording of yourself or a co-leader with a child, or a live session with one of the parents' children if consent is given and it is suitable. [synthesis on options; UNT CPT also offers a 7-minute special-playtime demonstration video]
2. Ask parents to note what you did and did not do.
3. Pair parents up. One plays the child, one plays the parent, using the toy kit. Then they swap.
4. Coach briefly. Give one strength and one suggestion.
Example language (illustrative): "Notice I didn't ask her a single question. When she held up the doll, I said, 'You want me to see that.'"
Watch for: Parents being embarrassed in role-play. Lead the first round yourself, playing a demanding "child".

4.8 Play-session dos and don'ts (session 3)

Purpose: Turn the principles into concrete behaviours. [source: Protocol p. 25]
Steps: Teach the dos in your own words:
1. Set the stage.
2. Let the child lead.
3. Join in as a follower.
4. Verbally track the play.
5. Reflect feelings.
6. Set firm, consistent limits.
7. Salute the child's power and encourage effort.
8. Stay verbally active.
Then teach the don'ts:
- criticise,
- praise,
- ask leading questions,
- allow interruptions,
- teach or give information,
- preach,
- start new activities,
- be passive or silent.
The manual credits most of the don'ts to Guerney (1972). [source: Protocol p. 25]
Additional points from the manual:
- Use open responses that leave decisions to the child.
- When the child gives the parent a role, the parent plays it and lets the child direct.
- With older children, the parent can use a whispered "co-conspirator" technique. The parent asks, in a whisper, what their character should say or do. [source: Protocol p. 25]
Example language (illustrative):
- When the child hands over a puppet: "(whispering) What should my puppet say now?"
- When unsure what is happening: a short empathic "Mmm" plus close attention, rather than silence.
Watch for: Stating the don'ts makes parents self-conscious. Present them as "things we all do automatically that get in the child's way". [synthesis]

4.9 Play-session procedures: opening, time warnings and ending (session 3; first home session that week)

Purpose: Give a predictable structure so the parent and child feel safe and the session has clear edges. [source: Protocol p. 24]
Steps (paraphrasing the manual's checklist):
1. Before:
  - Arrange for other family members to be busy.
  - Prepare a snack or activity for afterwards.
  - Lay out the toys and remove pets.
  - Have the child use the toilet.
  - Start the recording.
  - Remind younger children that today is the day.
2. Opening:
  - Put a do-not-disturb sign on the door and switch off phones.
  - Tell the child this is your special 30 minutes together and they can play with the toys in lots of the ways they want.
  - From then on, follow the child's lead.
3. During:
  - Sit at the child's eye level, close but with room for them to move.
  - Give full attention with eyes, ears and body.
  - Match your energy to the child's.
  - Let the child name the toys. Use neutral words ("this", "that") until they do.
  - Join active play only when invited.
  - Reflect what you see and hear.
  - Set limits as needed.
4. Warnings: Give a 5-minute and then a 1-minute warning, using the child's name.
5. Ending:
  - At 30 minutes, stand and say playtime is over. Do not go more than 2 to 3 minutes over.
  - The parent tidies up, and the child may help.
  - If the child resists:
    - acknowledge the feeling,
    - calmly restate that the time is over, as often as needed,
    - open the door or start packing away,
    - mention something to look forward to.
[source: Protocol p. 24]
Example language (illustrative): "Sam, we have five more minutes of special playtime." Then: "You wish we could keep going. Our special playtime is over for today. We'll have another one next Saturday, and now it's snack time."
Watch for:
- Sessions that run long, which teaches the child that limits bend.
- Starting at a different time each week.
- Siblings interrupting.
- A child who needs the toilet or leaves mid-session. The checklist does not cover this. Suggest a single toilet trip, and that leaving ends the session for that week. [uncertain: not in the page; for the CCPT convention see tab 157]

4.10 ACT limit setting (session 4)

Purpose: Stop unsafe or destructive behaviour while respecting the child's wish and handing them responsibility for self-control. In special playtime there are three limit areas: time, breaking toys or damaging property, and hurting self or parent. Parents may also limit anything that makes them uncomfortable. [source: Protocol pp. 17, 24]
Steps:
1. Teach the three-step ACT sequence. Parents can use it in their own words.
  - Acknowledge the child's feeling or wish.
  - Communicate the limit clearly.
  - Target an acceptable alternative.
2. Explain that sometimes A and C are enough. [source: Protocol p. 35]
3. Coach parents to:
  - use a calm, firm and brief tone,
  - state the limit impersonally (something like "the X is not for Y"),
  - set the limit only when the behaviour is about to happen, not in advance. [source: Protocol p. 17 ("only when needed"); the impersonal phrasing is synthesis, see tab 157]
4. Have parents prepare appealing alternatives in advance. [source: Protocol p. 35]
5. Role-play typical testing behaviours: aiming a dart at the parent, hammering a window, pouring water on the carpet. Rotate parents.
Example language (illustrative): "You're really angry with me and want to throw that at me. I'm not for throwing at. You can throw it at the cushion."
Watch for:
- Lecturing.
- Threats.
- Repeating the limit with rising anger.
- Ending the session as a punishment the first time a limit is broken.
- What to do when limits are broken repeatedly is taught in session 6 through choice giving (4.12).
- It is working when testing peaks and then falls over the following weeks, and the child starts redirecting themselves. [synthesis]

4.11 Video-recorded home play sessions and group supervision (sessions 4 to 10)

Purpose: The engine of CPRT. Parents learn from seeing themselves and from watching each other, with the therapist's encouraging feedback. [source: CEBC; NES]
Steps:
1. Each week, schedule about two parents to bring a recording. [source: CEBC]
2. Before the group, preview the recordings and pick a short clip that shows a strength, plus at most one area to work on. [synthesis; previewing protects the parent from exposure in front of the group]
3. In the group, ask the parent what they noticed and liked first.
4. Play the clip. Point out a specific skill the parent used well and name its likely effect on the child.
5. Invite other parents to say what they saw the parent do well.
6. Offer one alternative response. Have the parent practise it on the spot.
7. Link the clip to the week's concept.
8. Parents not presenting report verbally on their play session. [synthesis on non-presenters]
Example language (illustrative): "Look at his face there, right after you said 'You worked so hard on that.' He sat up taller. That's exactly what we're after. One thing to try next week: when he asked 'What's this?', you could hand it back with 'It can be whatever you want.'"
Watch for:
- A parent who is ashamed of their recording.
- Group members who criticise.
- Recordings that show safeguarding concerns (see 4.18).
- It is working when parents begin to spot their own reflections and limits, and feedback can move from praising skills to discussing the child's themes.

4.12 Choice giving (session 6)

Purpose: Build the child's decision-making and responsibility. Give parents a next step when a child keeps breaking a limit. [source: Routledge table of contents; NES ("offering choices and building responsibility")] The manual has two handouts, "Choice Giving 101" and "Advanced Choice Giving". They are not drawn on here, so the detailed rules below are [synthesis] built on general CCPT practice and should be checked against the manual.
Steps:
1. Teach parents to offer two options. Both must be acceptable to the parent and suitable for the child's age.
2. Give the choice in a neutral tone and let the child decide.
3. If the child does not choose, the parent chooses, calmly.
4. Within play sessions, use choice as a consequence after a limit has been broken several times. For example: the child chooses to stop hammering the window, or chooses to have the hammer put away for the rest of today's session. Then follow through.
5. Outside play sessions, introduce small daily choices (for example, which of two cups) before using choices for behaviour.
Example language (illustrative): "You can choose to hammer on the pegs, or you can choose for me to put the hammer away for today. You decide." If the child keeps hammering the window: "You've chosen for the hammer to go away for today."
Watch for:
- Choices that are really threats.
- Options the parent doesn't actually accept.
- Losing patience when the child refuses to choose. [synthesis]

4.13 Self-esteem-building responses (session 7)

Purpose: Credit the child's competence, effort and problem solving so they see themselves as capable. [source: Routledge table of contents; Protocol p. 25 ("salute the child's power"); Protocol p. 35 (responses conveying worth and capacity for self-direction)]
Steps:
1. Teach parents to notice the child's attempts, decisions and solutions.
2. Name these with "you" statements rather than evaluating the result.
3. Teach parents to hold back from doing things for the child that the child can manage. If the child asks for help with something they can do, reflect the wish and return the task. [the return-responsibility step is synthesis, see tab 157]
Example language (illustrative): "You figured out how to make that stay up." "You decided exactly where each one goes." "You want me to do it. I think that's something you can do."
Watch for: Parents slipping back into "good job". Use this as a lead-in to session 8.

4.14 Encouragement versus praise (session 8)

Purpose: Replace evaluative praise, which the manual lists among the don'ts, with encouragement of effort and process. This supports the child's internal motivation. [source: Routledge table of contents; Protocol p. 25]
Steps:
1. Contrast evaluative phrases ("beautiful", "good girl") with encouraging ones ("you worked hard", "you're proud of that").
2. Pairs translate a list of common praise phrases into encouragement.
3. Review session videos for examples.
4. Set homework: use one encouragement a day outside the playtime. [step detail is synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "You kept trying until it worked." "You really like how that turned out."
Watch for:
- Parents feeling that withholding praise is cold. Explain that warmth comes through tone and attention.
- Cultural norms in which praise is expected. Discuss these openly (see 5.9).

4.15 Generalising skills (session 9)

Purpose: Carry reflection, ACT, choice giving and encouragement over into everyday parenting. [source: Routledge table of contents; CEBC; NES]
Steps:
1. Ask each parent where in the week the skills would help most, such as bedtime, getting out of the house or sibling conflict.
2. Role-play one such situation with ACT and a choice.
3. Agree one everyday situation to practise.
4. Keep the play session going. [steps are synthesis]
Example language (illustrative): "You'd like to keep playing. It's time for bed. You can choose to hop like a frog or walk like a robot up the stairs."
Watch for: Over-using limits outside play. Remind parents that empathy comes first.

4.16 Evaluation and summing up (session 10)

Purpose: Consolidate gains, mark the ending, and plan to continue special playtime and any further help. [source: Routledge table of contents]
Steps:
1. Each parent describes changes in the child, in themselves and in the relationship.
2. Re-run baseline measures.
3. Revisit each parent's first-session worry.
4. Encourage parents to keep weekly playtime going.
5. Arrange a follow-up or booster meeting where possible.
6. Offer onward referral for any child or parent who needs more.
[steps are synthesis apart from the title]
Example language (illustrative): "Ten weeks ago you said you felt like you were always shouting. What's different now?"
Watch for:
- Parents who feel they failed.
- Children with continuing clinical-level difficulties, who need individual assessment or CCPT (tab 157).

4.17 Weekly homework and parent notebook (all sessions)

Purpose: Reinforce each session's skill in small steps. [source: CEBC (handouts and worksheets, relationship-building activities, skill practice, reflective journals); Routledge manual description (Parent Notebook with handouts, notes and homework for each session)]
Steps:
1. Give out the week's notebook pages.
2. Set one short, concrete task.
3. Review it at the next check-in.
4. Celebrate partial completion.
[steps 3 and 4 are synthesis]
Watch for: Homework becoming another source of parental guilt. Keep it brief.

4.18 Supervising home play sessions safely: when to pause, stop or refer

Purpose: The play sessions happen at home, without a clinician present. Recordings and parents' reports are your only window on them. [synthesis throughout this item]
Steps:
1. Watch every recording you receive, not only the ones shown in the group.
2. Ask non-presenting parents briefly how their session went and whether anything worried them.
3. Pause the home sessions and meet the parent individually if:
  - the parent becomes hostile, mocking, frightening or physically rough with the child,
  - the child appears frightened of the parent,
  - sessions repeatedly end in escalation, or
  - the parent is too distressed to stay child-focused.
4. Stop and follow child-protection procedures if:
  - you see or hear of physical harm, sexualised behaviour by an adult towards the child, or threats,
  - the child or parent discloses abuse or domestic violence, or
  - a recording shows injuries or neglect that worries you.
5. Refer for individual child assessment or CCPT (tab 157), parental mental-health care, or domestic-abuse services, as indicated.
6. Do not treat play themes alone (aggression, burial, sexual-seeming play) as evidence of abuse. Explore them with care, consult, and act on concrete indicators and disclosures. For the limits of interpreting play, see tab 157.
Example language (illustrative): "I watched your recording and I'd like to talk with you on your own before next group. Some moments looked really hard for both of you, and I want to make sure the playtime is helping."

4.19 Adapted protocols (2nd edition)

What exists: The 2nd edition contains separate protocols for parents of toddlers, parents of preadolescents, adoptive families, and teachers (Child-Teacher Relationship Training). It also has a chapter on culturally responsive CPRT. [source: Routledge table of contents and manual description] UNT CPT also posts a simplified telehealth version for therapists, but that page is not drawn on here. [uncertain]
How to use: Use the specific adapted protocol from the manual rather than improvising. Their session-level content is not drawn on here. [uncertain]
Practical points for each [synthesis]:
- Toddlers: shorter attention spans and choking-safe toys.
- Preadolescents: older children may find "playtime" babyish. Offer art, games and construction materials, and use the whisper technique (Protocol p. 25).
- Adoptive families: attachment history and possible trauma-related reactions to closeness.
- Teachers: classroom logistics and school safeguarding procedures.

5. Handling problems

The sources give very little troubleshooting guidance. The CPRT 101 description names "balancing training with caregivers' emotional needs", group dynamics and facilitative supervision as training topics. The protocol pages give the rules on ending sessions and on not making playtime contingent. Everything else below is marked [synthesis]. For the ethics of working with children, see also tabs 157 and 160.

5.1 Children: consent, assent and safeguarding (applies throughout)

Consent. Get written informed consent from everyone with parental responsibility, as local law requires. Where parents are separated, check who holds parental responsibility and whether any court order restricts recording or contact. [synthesis]
Assent. Explain special playtime to the child in age-appropriate words: a weekly time with Mum or Dad where they choose what to play, and a camera that only the parent and the group leader will watch. Tell older children which adults will see it. If a child repeatedly objects to being filmed, the parent can report on the session verbally instead. Never film a child who is distressed by it. [synthesis]
Recordings are sensitive personal data of a child. Agree in writing:
- how recordings are transferred, using secure methods rather than personal messaging apps,
- where they are stored and for how long,
- when they are deleted,
- that group members must not copy or share them,
- that children are filmed fully dressed and not during bath, toilet or changing times.
Follow your local data-protection rules, such as GDPR in the UK and EU or HIPAA in the US. [synthesis]
Mandatory reporting and duties vary by jurisdiction.
- Most US states have statutory mandated reporting for licensed clinicians.
- England uses statutory safeguarding guidance, with referral to local authority children's social care.
- Australia has state-by-state mandatory reporting.
- Other countries differ again.
Know your local thresholds, routes and timescales before the group starts. State the limits of confidentiality at intake and again in session 1. When in doubt, consult your safeguarding lead or supervisor and record your decisions. [synthesis; the jurisdictional outline is general and not verified in the sources, so check local law]
A disclosure in the group or on a recording. Do not investigate or question the child or parent in detail. Note what was said or seen. Make sure the child is safe. Follow the reporting route. Decide with your supervisor whether the family can continue in the group. [synthesis]

5.2 Family violence screening and ongoing monitoring

Screen every parent individually at intake (4.1) and ask again privately midway through. [synthesis]
Where domestic abuse is current:
- Do not train the abusive parent to run unsupervised sessions as a substitute for risk work.
- Prioritise the safety plan and specialist domestic-abuse services.
- Consider offering CPRT to the non-abusing parent once safety allows. [synthesis]
UNT CPT lists research with non-offending parents of sexually abused children and with incarcerated parents. Those were research contexts, not evidence that screening can be skipped. [source: UNT CPT, About CPRT; caution is synthesis]
Recordings from homes with coercive control can be used against a parent. Agree who controls the device and the files. [synthesis]

5.3 Parent does not hold the home play sessions

Explore the obstacles without judging: time, siblings, space, or the parent's own discomfort with play.
Shorten the first sessions if needed, but keep them on a fixed day and time.
Problem-solve care for siblings.
Normalise awkward first sessions.
If parents repeatedly skip sessions, hold an individual check-in about motivation and whether this is the right time.

[synthesis]

5.4 Parent ashamed of, or refusing to show, a recording

Preview the recording privately.
Choose a clip that shows a strength.
Let the parent choose which segment the group sees.
Model encouragement, and stop group members who criticise.
If the parent still refuses, take verbal reports, keep inviting them, and avoid pressure.

[synthesis; the strengths focus is consistent with session 8 content]

5.5 Parent's own emotional needs dominating

Some parents bring a lot of distress, such as marital conflict, grief or their own childhood experiences.

Reflect their feelings briefly and with empathy.
Link back to the child: "and that may be part of why playtime matters for you both".
Offer an individual meeting or referral for the parent's own therapy.
Keep the group on track; CPRT 101 identifies this balance as a core leader skill. [source: CPRT 101 description; responses are synthesis]

5.6 Parent keeps questioning, teaching or directing in sessions

Choose one target per week, for example: replace questions with "you..." statements.
Show the parent the moment on video when the child's play stopped after a question.
Rehearse an alternative in role-play.
Do not list every error.

[synthesis]

5.7 Child escalates or keeps testing limits

Expect testing in the early weeks.
Review the parent's ACT tone and timing.
Prepare targeted alternatives.
Move on to choice giving (4.12).
Check that the parent ends on time.
If aggression stays high, or the child is at risk to themselves or others, refer for individual assessment and consider CCPT with a therapist (tab 157).

[synthesis]

5.8 Child refuses playtime, finds it babyish, or wants screens

Offer a toy set that suits the child's age (see the preadolescent adaptation, 4.19).
Let the child decide how to use the time within the play area.
Do not coerce. A brief reflection followed by staying available is enough.
Never cancel playtime as a punishment, or offer it as a reward. [source: Protocol p. 24 for non-contingency; the rest is synthesis]

5.9 Cultural fit and parenting values

Some parents find child-led play, not praising, or not teaching at odds with their values about respect, achievement or authority.

Explore what respect and good parenting mean in their family.
Frame the playtime as a bounded 30 minutes, not a whole philosophy of parenting.
Adapt toys and examples.
Draw on the culturally responsive CPRT chapter. [source: Routledge table of contents; responses are synthesis]

5.10 Parent in crisis, or with severe mental illness or substance misuse

Pause group participation.
Make a risk assessment for parent and child.
Refer to adult services.
Offer a later group.
Check child-protection thresholds.

The NES framework advises services to confirm their links with CAMHS, adult mental-health services and child protection for onward referral. [source: NES; actions are synthesis]

5.11 Separated or co-parenting families

Where both parents attend, agree on consistent limits.
Where only one parent attends, avoid the group setting up a comparison of the other parent.
Check that recording does not breach contact orders.

[synthesis]

5.12 Group rupture: conflict between parents, drop-out, or a member breaching confidentiality

Address conflict quickly in the group, using reflective responses with the parents in the same way you teach them to use them with children.
Contact anyone who misses a session the same week.
If a member shares another family's recording or personal information outside the group, speak to them individually and restate the agreement. Consider removing them if it happens again.

[synthesis]

5.13 Physical safety in home sessions

Cover the safety points in 4.6 at the toy-gathering stage.
Make sure water and messy play happen where slips will not cause harm.
Make sure toy weapons used in play cannot actually injure.
Make sure the parent can set limits on climbing or rough play before it escalates. Touch in special playtime follows the child's lead within ordinary affectionate parenting and is never sexual; no smacking, physical punishment or restraint during playtime (use the limit-setting and choice-giving steps in 4.10 and 4.12 instead), and holding only to prevent immediate harm. In your own demonstration sessions, follow your service's touch and restrictive-practice policy.

[synthesis]

Sources

Sources:

Books cited (publisher information from the pages above):

Landreth, G. L., & Bratton, S. C. (2019). Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT): An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Bratton, S. C., & Landreth, G. L. (2019). Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) Treatment Manual: An Evidence-Based 10-Session Filial Therapy Model (2nd ed.). Routledge. The handout pages are marked copyright 2020.
Guerney (1972), as cited on Protocol p. 25. Full reference not drawn on here. [uncertain]

Further reading (not drawn on): the UNT CPT CPRT overview (.doc file); the toy checklist (p. 16), toy set-up photo (p. 26) and choice-giving handouts (pp. 50 to 52); the telehealth therapist resource; the UNT CPT quick-facts flyer; the BAPT CPRT training flyer (London, 2024). Content that depends on these pages is marked [uncertain] or [synthesis] above.

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