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is usually considered to be its originator (Mitchell & Friedman, 1994). Some practitioners will be familiar with Lowenfeld's text Understanding Children's Sandplay; Lowenfeld's World Technique (1979) which provides details about the specific apparatus that she devised in order to facilitate the use of (sand) play as a means of expression or non-verbal communication. Perhaps fewer practitioners will have read Lowenfeld's earlier Play in Childhood (1935/1976) which describes her views on the nature of play and its significance as a developmental process. It is argued here that Lowenfeld's work merits a re-examination on two counts: (i) despite the continued use of sandplay as a therapeutic medium, Lowenfeld's particular method is often overlooked or anonymously integrated into the work of practitioners unaware of her innovative contributions (Mitchell & Friedman, 1994); and (ii) Lowenfeld's original theories on play remain relevant to the theory and practise of modern-day play therapy. Historical background Lowenfeld was born in London in 1890 to an English mother and a Polish father. Lowenfeld qualified from medical school in 1918 and a year later went to work in Eastern Europe during the Russo-Polish war. When Lowenfeld returned to England she found that, as a woman, it was difficult to get a medical post and so turned to her interest in child development, gaining further training at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow (Mitchell & Friedman, 1994). In 1926 Lowenfeld, now a qualified paediatrician, moved to the Royal Free Hospital in London. With a growing interest in child

A B S T R A C TThe author presents an argument for the inclusion of filial therapy as an empirically researched treatment in child mental health services. Filial therapy is a hybrid form of child-centred or non-directive play therapy that actively involves parents in the delivery of their child's therapy. Developed in the 1960s by Bernard and Louise Guerney, Pennsylvania State University, USA, filial therapy can be understood as a relationship-enhancing therapy that provides a bridge between family therapy and play therapy. The author argues the case for filial therapy to be more widely adopted in the UK on two counts. First, as an integrated therapy filial therapy avoids the traditional 'either/or' treatment options of play and family therapy, allowing the intrapsychic or intrapersonal issues of the child to be addressed directly within the family system. Second, being taught child-centred play therapy skills to use with their children empowers parents and creates a shift away from the usual perception of the therapist being seen as the 'expert' or the one who can best help the child in question. K E Y W O R D S filial therapy, integrated therapeutic intervention, intrapsychic, non-directive play therapy, systemic family therapyU P O N R E C E I P T O F a referral for a child experiencing emotional or behavioural problems the assessing clinician is at once faced with a standard task: to identify which kind of therapeutic intervention is most likely to bring about the desired change in the child and/or their family. For some clinicians their first choice would be a systemic option, i.e. that of family therapy or perhaps a parenting programme, for others, individual

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