What is Family Therapy?

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 difficult 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 affected 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.

Family and Systemic Psychotherapy can work with people in any form of relationship:

• Couples
• Families
• Groups
• Carers
• Professional groups
• Team problems. 

Research shows Family Therapy is useful for children, young people, adults and older adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties and interpersonal issues and circumstances, across the family life cycle including:

• Couple relationship difficulties
• Child and adolescent mental health issues
• Adult mental health issues
• Child, adolescent and adult behaviour difficulties
• Parenting issues
• Illness and disability in the family
• Separation, divorce and step-family life
• Anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders
• Fostering, adoption, kinship care and the needs of ‘looked after’ children
• Domestic violence and abuse
• Self-harm
• Drug and alcohol misuse
• The effects of trauma
• Physical illness, death, dying and bereavement
• Difficulties related to ageing and other life cycle changes
• LGBTQ+ related difficulties. Learn how to cultivate a more present and mindful approach to life, and reduce stress and anxiety.

As a family therapist, I provide a safe and supportive space where individuals, couples, and families can explore challenges in their relationships and work toward healthier patterns of communication and connection. My role is to help you identify underlying dynamics, strengthen understanding between family members, and develop practical strategies for navigating difficulties together. Whether addressing conflict, life transitions, or the impact of neurodiversity, I aim to foster resilience and collaboration so that each person feels heard, valued, and empowered within the family system.