Family Therapy

Family is a system in which each family member is both impacted by and has an impact on one another. Think of a family unit as an organism where each organ’s functioning is essential to the overall functionality of the organism. Families tend to establish their unique ways of how family members relate to each other: who carries what roles in a family, what is expressed and what is not, how things are talked about, what emotions are welcomed, how decisions are made, etc. Each family has its own structure, routines, set roles, and established dynamics. For example, how does your family tend to express negative emotions? Is it “allowed” to disagree with each other? How are conflicts handled? As you are answering these questions, you are identifying some of the ways your family operates and relates to each other and to the outside world. 

However, such family dynamics are rarely static as families are constantly changing, developing, and adapting as they undergo normal life transitions and face particular issues along the way. At times, certain dynamics can develop which negatively impact a family's wellbeing. Family therapy can be a beneficial resource that can help a family system thrive.

What Is Family Therapy?   

Family therapy is designed to address issues that are impacting the whole family as well as individuals in a family unit. The therapist usually meets with the whole family or family subsystems, depending on specific dynamics at play. The therapist works with the family to identify roles, patterns, individual perspectives on the experienced issue, uncover family strengths, and identify strategies for change.


Signs your family can benefit from family therapy:

  • Experiencing an ongoing conflict

  • Feeling tension in the family 

  • Engaging in ineffective communication

  • Lacking space for free emotional expression

  • Undergoing major transitions (divorce, separation, relocation, remarriage, death in a family, mental illness, etc.)

  • Increased conflicts at home 

  • Children behave in uncharacteristic ways, “acting out,” withdrawing from the family

  • Feeling that you are “walking on eggshells” around each other

  • Lack of healthy boundaries

  • Dealing with challenges related to traumatic experiences

  • Feeling disconnected from others in a family

  • Children having difficulties at school

  • Challenges with extended family and its impact on your relationship with your partner and children

  • Struggling to find your voice in a family

  • Differences in parenting styles 

How Can Family Therapy Help?

Family therapy can foster a sense of connection and unity, equip family members with effective communication skills, assist family members in establishing healthy boundaries, create space for each family member’s voice within a family, deepen understanding of each other, help family members develop effective ways of managing individual and relational stress, and help family members navigate difficult conversations in a safe and constructive manner.