Our family is the foundation for all our other relationships. Family therapy is a type of psychological counseling (psychotherapy) that helps family members improve communication and resolve conflicts.
Family therapy is usually provided by a psychologist, clinical social worker or licensed therapist. These therapists have graduate or postgraduate degrees and may be credentialed by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT).
Family therapy is often short term. It may include all family members or just those able or willing to participate. Your specific treatment plan will depend on your family’s situation. Family therapy sessions can teach you skills to deepen family connections and get through stressful times, even after you’re done going to therapy sessions.
It is well understood in the fields of psychology and counseling that individuals’ emotional or behavioral difficulties are often related to dynamics within their family relationships. Families are viewed as “systems,” with each family member playing certain roles in which they affect and are affected by the functioning of the entire system. An important concept in family therapy is the notion of homeostasis, or balance, which counseling helps to create and foster. The concept of boundaries is also important, which refers to the closeness or distance between family members, as well as hierarchies and subsystems within the family.
Our therapists and counselors are adept at evaluating the structure of family systems and offering interventions to facilitate healthy and positive changes that benefit the emotional well-being of all family members. Patients and their families are often amazed at the extent to which an individual can make positive changes and overcome emotional or behavioral difficulties by examining and making changes within their family relationships and dynamics.