There are many situations in which a family may need family therapy. It might be that they’re facing ongoing conflicts that they’re struggling to resolve or that a family member is coping with severe mental health challenges. Maybe they’re experiencing or recovering from family trauma.
In these situations, finding the right family therapist is essential. There isn’t a single type of family therapy that’s right for every family, and the personality and experiences of a therapist are also important. But finding the right family therapy and therapist can help families restructure and heal, creating resilient family systems that benefit every member.
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy refers to various types of mental health interventions that work with the family as a unit. Family therapy sessions may not include every family member, but they usually involve most or all of the family members who live together or share daily life. They can also work with family members who live apart, especially with adult children who live independently.
There are many types of family therapy. These include:
- Family systems therapy
- Strategic family therapy
- Structural family therapy
- Narrative family therapy
Family therapy can be a standalone therapy or part of a wider treatment program. For example, family therapy is often a key part of adolescent mental health recovery programs or substance abuse treatment.
Families may choose to work with a family therapist when:
- a family member is facing mental health challenges
- there are ongoing conflicts in the family that they have been unable to resolve
- they are struggling to form and maintain appropriate boundaries
- they have experienced family trauma, such as loss or separation
Families have a significant influence on the well-being and behaviours of each member. This means that if a family member faces mental health challenges, healing and strengthening the family system can be fundamental to their recovery.
Why Is Family Therapy So Important in Adolescent Mental Health Support?
Families often constitute a vital source of support in a young person’s mental health recovery. A healthy and responsive family environment can provide adolescents with the encouragement they need to stay engaged and resilient during challenging times. Families also help promote positive growth and reduce the likelihood of destructive behaviours.
On the other hand, strained or unhealthy family relationships can lead to toxic family stress, exacerbating mental health symptoms in young people. When families lack a clear understanding of what the young person is going through, they may unintentionally reinforce unhelpful patterns or struggle to offer meaningful support.
Studies have found that the level of family involvement in treatment can impact not only a young person’s progress while in care, but also how well they adapt to everyday life when they leave a residential program. Interventions like family therapy are designed to help both the individual and their family develop and practice the skills needed to cultivate a home environment that supports long-term healing.
Importantly, working with a family therapist doesn’t mean that the family is to blame for a young person’s mental health issues. Instead, it acknowledges that families play a crucial part in recovery and may need guidance and tools to fulfil that role effectively.
Why Choosing the Right Family Therapist Matters
There are two key aspects to consider when choosing a family therapist. The first is selecting the type of family therapy that’s right for your family. Different family therapists specialise in various kinds of treatment, so it’s essential to choose a therapist who is an expert in the type of therapy you need.
The second aspect is finding a therapist with whom you get along, who understands you, and with whom you can build a strong therapeutic relationship. Sometimes, a therapist may be very skilled and qualified, but you may feel like they don’t fully understand or relate to the challenges your family is facing. This might be because they come from a different background or have had different life experiences.
The Benefits of Choosing the Right Therapist for Your Family
Choosing the right family therapy and family therapist can have numerous benefits for a family. These include:
Improving Communication
Effective communication is one of the cornerstones of a healthy family system. A skilful family therapist can help family members learn how to communicate better, listen actively, and express their feelings in a constructive way. This can help reduce misunderstandings and cultivate empathy between family members.
Conflict Resolution
Skilled family therapists provide families with tools to manage conflicts in a healthy, respectful manner. This might include developing problem-solving and communication skills, and learning to see a situation from the other person’s perspective. Conflict resolution involves addressing conflicts rather than avoiding them, but from a standpoint of mutual respect, seeking a solution that’s good for everyone.
Mental Health Recovery
Families are often an individual’s closest support system. For a person facing mental health challenges, they can provide emotional support and strength, consolidating resilience and long-term recovery. They can also help to reinforce helpful behaviours and discourage harmful ones.
In these situations, family therapists can help families identify problematic structures, behaviours, and dynamics, and replace them with positive ones. They can also help build skills like conflict resolution and communication that lay the foundations for care and mutual support.
Healing from Family Trauma
Family trauma happens when distressing events affect multiple family members, causing a perceived threat to their physical or psychological safety. This might involve experiences of grief caused by the death of, or separation from, a family member, relative, or family friend. It can also include serious mental illness or illness in the family or experiences of betrayal between partners.
Family trauma shakes the whole family system, affecting relationships between family members and their well-being. Family therapists can help re-establish healthy boundaries and structures within a family system that reduce the harm caused by a traumatic event and support families to heal. If your family has experienced trauma, it’s essential to choose a therapist who specialises in trauma-focused interventions.
How to Choose a Family Therapist
It can take some time to determine what kind of family therapy your family needs. In general, it’s best to talk with a family therapist or another mental health professional for expert advice.
You may consider various therapies, including family systems therapy, narrative family therapy, and structural family therapy.
- Family systems therapy is based on the idea that the actions of one family member affect every other member and the family system as a whole. Family systems therapy usually works well for family members who live or share daily life together.
- Narrative family therapy is centred on the proposition that every person’s narrative is important in a situation. It can help families navigate conflicts and issues, using their individual strengths.
- Structural family therapy looks at power imbalances and hierarchies within a family, and how each member’s power contributes to an unfolding situation. They then work with families to restructure these imbalances.
Once you know what kind of therapy you’re looking for, you can start to choose a particular therapist. Remember that you may not find a therapist who’s right for your family straight away. It’s important to stay open-minded and look for someone else if it doesn’t feel right. You may also want to try several therapists until you find one that best suits you.
It can help to ask a family therapist some basic questions before scheduling your first session. These could include:
- What is your approach to family therapy? What are your qualifications and experience?
- How long are sessions, and how many sessions might we expect to have?
- What are your expectations for family members during therapy?
- Do you have experience working with family trauma?
The Wave Clinic: Specialist Support for Young People and Families
At The Wave, we involve the family in everything we do. We understand the family as a key source of support for young people’s recovery, constituting the scaffolding that underpins resilience and lasting change.
We offer a range of family interventions, from intensive outpatient family therapy to residential family therapy. We offer a diverse selection of modules, including structural family therapy and family systems therapy. Our programs are trauma-focused, sensitively and expertly addressing past or unfolding trauma situations.
We form personal relations with family members that endure long after the end of a treatment program. We’re here to offer ongoing support in the years ahead.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our programs, get in touch today.
