COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPY

Couple and family therapy aims to help people express and explore their difficult thoughts and feelings, understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs and work together to change their relationships.

Family therapists (also known as systemic psychotherapists) help couples and families to feel safe enough to be able to talk about their difficulties together and find ways of making useful changes to their lives.  

Frequently asked questions

When is couple or family therapy useful?

Family therapy is useful for families and relationships that are facing all kinds of difficulties and experiences, such as:

  • Couples and families who want to build closer and happier relationships
  • Couples and families facing special challenges such as alcoholism, mental illness, physical illness, bereavement, eating disorders, ageing, family conflicts, trauma
  • Couples who are managing the aftermath of an affair
  • Couples and families who are worried about their children’s behaviour
  • Couples and families who are fostering or adopting children
  • Couples who are planning to separate and want to focus on their ongoing parenting role

How long will we as a couple or as a family need to see a therapist?

Sometimes it takes only a few sessions for a couple or family to work out a way forward; sometimes difficulties are more complicated and need more time and attention.  Couple and family therapy is usually not weekly.  Time between sessions is an important part of the process.

Will we always be seen as a couple or as a family?

Sometimes it is useful to meet people in the family on their own or in different groups – for instance the parents alone and the children alone.  This will always be arranged in discussion with the family and the separate conversations will be brought back to the whole family when the time is right.

What happens if my partner or other family members are unwilling to come to therapy?

It is still worth meeting to explore what you would aim to achieve through therapy and to think about what makes it so difficult for others in your family to attend.  Whilst seeing a family therapist together can best help people to understand and support each other, some of this work can be done by family members alone.