When families experience challenges such as constant arguments, strained relationships, or communication breakdowns, it can feel overwhelming to find a path forward. These issues not only create tension but can also lead to long-term erosion of trust and connection within the family. In these situations, family therapy can provide tools and strategies for families to restore harmony and work together as a cohesive unit.

Family therapy is a structured process designed to help families address conflicts, improve communication, and address specific challenges they are currently facing. There are several types of family therapy, each of which uses different viewpoints and tools to help families identify underlying patterns, resolve misunderstandings, and create healthier dynamics, including structural, strategic, systemic, and functional family therapies.

There’s much overlap between these therapies, which all aim to achieve similar treatment outcomes, but which therapy works best for your family will ultimately depend on your individual needs and goals for therapy.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy is a specialized form of psychotherapy focused on improving communication, relationships, and support within families. It can include anyone considered part of the family “unit,” including blood relatives, household members, close friends, or anyone else who is involved with and cares deeply about other family members.

Most types of family therapy address the family unit, taking a systems approach, where the family as a whole is considered in addition to the relationship of family members with each other and the family unit. When one or more family members are experiencing challenges, the whole family is affected. Likewise, improvements to the entire family benefit all members.

This systemic approach does not mean that individual family members’ needs or concerns won’t be addressed; they just won’t be addressed in isolation. For example, if a family member is experiencing behavioral issues at school and at home, family therapy will address those issues but include the entire family with psychoeducation, problem-solving skills, and discussion on how to communicate needs, respond proactively to intense emotions, and how to support any underlying problems that may be leading to acting out.

Additionally, family therapy is often a short-term, goal-directed therapeutic approach. At the onset of therapy, your family will work with your therapist to set goals to work on through sessions, which typically last 6-20 sessions (in some cases, depending on your family’s needs and response to therapy, sessions can last longer). Goals are centered around addressing specific challenges, improving communication and connection, managing conflict, and learning problem-solving skills.

Common Techniques Used in Family Therapy

Family therapy utilizes several tools and techniques to help families grow, improve communication, and address specific challenges. While each therapy plan is tailored to your family’s unique needs and guided by your therapist’s approach, most sessions incorporate strategies that focus on communication, problem-solving, and emotional connection.

• Improving Communication: Therapists teach techniques such as active listening, where members focus on understanding each other’s perspectives without interrupting or judging; using “I” statements to express emotions constructively and reduce blame; and teaching assertiveness and setting boundaries.
• Developing Coping Skills: Families learn coping strategies to manage stress, regulate emotions, and handle intense situations, which can be applied during familial conflicts or during any challenging life event to manage stress.
• Setting Goals and Problem-Solving: Therapists guide families in breaking down larger problems or goals into manageable steps and problem-solving collaboratively to address familial challenges.
• Improving Emotional Connection: Therapists teach skills such as emotional validation, where members learn to acknowledge each other’s feelings without dismissing them; or solution-focused dialogue and reflective responses to foster deeper understanding, empathy, and critical thinking among family members.

Types of Family Therapy

Family therapy encompasses a broad range of approaches or therapeutic toolkits designed to help families grow and address specific challenges. Each type of family therapy offers a unique perspective and method for achieving goals, meaning that the best therapy for you will be the one that aligns with your family’s needs and goals. This list is not exhaustive but represents some of the more common therapy types available.

Additionally, not all therapists practice these types exclusively. Many therapists also use multimodal approaches incorporating aspects of different family therapies or even other approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). We recommend that you research therapists beforehand to learn about their experience, methods, and background in helping families, and choose a therapist that most aligns with your needs and goals in therapy.

Structural Family Therapy

Structural family therapy emphasizes the importance of roles, boundaries, and hierarchies within a family system. The “structure” refers to the invisible framework that governs how family members interact, including patterns of authority, communication, and support. Therapy works on restructuring boundaries, hierarchies, and roles within the family to create healthier and more functional relationships.

One of the main advantages of structural therapy is its ability to address dysfunctions caused by unclear boundaries, enmeshed relationships, or imbalances in power. However, it may not be the best option for all families, including those where family members are resistant to therapy, as it often involves direct interventions by the therapist to challenge or change existing interaction patterns.

Systemic Family Therapy

Systemic family therapy is rooted in systems theory, which views the family as an interconnected system where each member’s behavior impacts the whole. In this context, a “system” refers to the family unit’s dynamic interactions, patterns, and relationships. Systemic family therapy focuses on these connections, identifying and addressing underlying patterns that may be contributing to stress or conflict.

One of the key benefits of systemic family therapy is its holistic focus, making it practical for families navigating complex issues such as intergenerational conflicts, long-standing communication issues, or emotional disconnection. It’s also very effective for families seeking a proactive way to improve overall connection and interaction patterns toward overall family well-being.

Strategic Family Therapy

Strategic family therapy focuses on how relationships between each family member influence overall family dynamics. It’s a short-term therapy focusing on practical problem-solving rather than in-depth analysis of emotions or past experiences. The “strategic” aspect refers to the therapist’s role in designing and implementing targeted plans to challenge unhealthy interaction patterns and promote positive change, using short-term goals and solutions to address familial challenges directly.

Strategic family therapy helps address specific interaction problems, such as communication breakdowns, behavioral issues, or frequent conflicts, and is particularly helpful for families looking for short-term interventions.This can be a particularly helpful approach when parents have lost their “power advantage” over a rebellious child.

Functional Family Therapy

Functional family therapy (FFT) is a short-term approach designed specifically for families with adolescents (ages 11-18) who are experiencing behavioral issues. The process begins by creating alliances between family members, building rapport, and reducing negativity and blame. This foundation of trust establishes a pathway for addressing behaviors, emphasizing decreasing negative behaviors and increasing positive ones, while fostering a healthier and more supportive family dynamic.

As a goal-oriented short-term therapy, it can be effective in helping manage specific challenges such as defiance, substance use, or delinquent behavior in adolescents, but it isn’t the most appropriate option for addressing broad familial issues.

Find an Expert Family Therapist Today with Start My Wellness

Family therapy provides a structured environment to support families in addressing challenges, improving communication, and building stronger connections. Whether dealing with behavioral concerns, navigating conflict, or seeking better emotional connection, family therapy empowers families to create positive, lasting change.

At Start My Wellness, we understand the complexities many families face and are committed to helping them find solutions. Our experienced therapists, counselors, and licensed social workers specialize in evidence-based approaches and customize therapy plans to meet your family’s unique needs. We aim to create a safe, collaborative space for families to grow together and develop skills to handle life’s challenges effectively.

If your family is ready to start working toward a stronger, healthier future, contact us today at (248)-514-4955 to schedule a session, in-person or online, to begin your wellness journey.

Sources

1. Start My Wellness: Family Therapy
2. Positive Psychology: Systems Therapy
3. Medical News Today: What Are the Benefits of Family Counseling?
4. Start My Wellness: What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
5. Psychology Today: Structural Family Therapy
6. Start My Wellness: My family member doesn’t want to go to therapy – What can I do?
7. Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy with Children and Adolescents: Systemic Approaches: Family Therapy
8. Journal of Family Psychology: The Effectiveness of Functional Family Therapy for Youth with Behavioral Problems in a Community Practice Setting