Family Therapy

A service to provide systemic and family based therapy.

Who We See in the Family Therapy Service

Family and systemic psychotherapy – also known as family therapy – can help those in close relationships to better understand and support each other. It enables family members to express and explore diffi cult thoughts and emotions safely, understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs, build on family strengths, and work together to make useful changes in their relationships and their lives.

Every family is a bit like a human body. Sometimes it feels great, and things work well. Sometimes even small things can feel like a huge challenge. When we hurt one part of our body, every part can be aff ected in some way. But all the parts of the body can work together to help if a bone gets broken, or if there’s an infection. So family therapy helps family members to work together when something is hurting, or just feeling out of sorts

If you would like support for your mental health, contact your school or GP to discuss a referral.

What is Family Therapy

Here are some of the things that a family therapist might do with a family:

  • Talk about each person’s hopes for their family

  • Encourage everyone in the family to talk about their experiences, and to listen to everyone else.

  • Respect and clarify each person’s beliefs, values, needs, hopes and assumptions to help them understand each other better.

  • Help families to stop blaming each other and to begin exploring how everyone can work together to make things better.

  • Help people to understand the eff ect their words and actions have on everyone else in the family.

  • Explore what each person in the family does well, and what they are most proud of.

  • Draw a kind of family tree, called a genogram, to help people think about the diff erent relationships in their family.

  • Help families to talk about the challenges they are facing.

  • Support families as they work towards their own goals.

Have a look at the ‘What is Family Therapy’ resource at the bottom of the page, for more information.

Resources