Family can take many forms. We see biological families, blended families, foster families, chosen families, and many other types of families. The word family has grown to mean those to whom we are connected and who are connected to us in a way that fosters love and security. Family can mean something different to all of us but it usually revolves around these core connections. Our initial family experiences inform our first beliefs of the world around us and those in it, which, in turn, fosters the ways in which people explore the world. Ongoing experiences in family units create not only values, security, and beliefs but also judgments, criticisms, fear, and everything in between.

Every family has both healthy and unhealthy dynamics that are passed down through generations. These dynamics can be incredibly beautiful or harmful. Many families experience times of stress, dysfunction, or confusion as a result of many different people coming together to create what they believe a family should be.

Each family member communicates values to the younger generation based on the experiences they had as children. For example, family members who have experienced separation from their homeland, culture, or people may experience a loss of values and identity that is then passed down to their children. Other family members who have experienced financial strain may pass down the values of work ethic and financial stability in order to protect their children from the stressors they experienced. Imagine that one family member is a makeup of all of the generations that came before, in combination with the experiences of the other family members. This can be emotionally complex to analyze and understand on your own.

Family therapy is a particular type of therapy that explores various dynamics within a family and strives to identify which behaviors are creating healthy connections and which behaviors are harmful. Family therapy can be sought out for various reasons not limited to the death of a loved one, changes in medical or mental health in the family unit, major transitions for anyone in the family, or simply hoping to explore ways in which to create healthier family patterns. (In the context of family therapy, family is anyone we are connected with long-term, chosen, or biological.)

Family therapy encourages us to view individual members’ problems in the context of the larger family unit–both present and past–to create insight into differing perspectives and how each family member is impacted by the individual’s problem. For example, a parent is experiencing financial stress, which means that they might be short-tempered with their partner,  who, in turn,  is experiencing other stressors due to picking up daily tasks that the first parent isn’t able to fulfill, and the children are experiencing less 1:1 time with each parent due to one simple individual situation. A family is like a table: if one leg is a little wobbly, the whole table is tilted and struggles to hold anything. The only way to solidify the table would be to have all legs on the same length, able to support the other legs.

In family therapy, anyone who is considered a part of the family is able to be invited; however, the usual makeup of family therapy members includes parents and children, the people who are typically most impacted.

Family therapy can utilize various therapeutic interventions including cognitive behavior therapy, behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy, play therapy, attachment therapy, trauma-focused therapy, and many other options.

Family therapy will open the opportunity to explore dynamics and work through issues together as a family unit. The therapist will support each family member in voicing their perspectives and problems while identifying ways in which the family is able to support each other.

Family therapy is an opportunity to rebuild or improve your family connection, communication, and overall functioning. Family therapy can show ways in which a family excels and aspects that would benefit from growth and support. Families are so complex, family therapy can be a way to carefully unpack the layers of relationship dynamics in a safe supportive space.

Many families will attend family therapy as a way of rebuilding and strengthening the connection between parents and children. Maybe there have been arguments, physical altercations, ruptured relationships, or other common difficult dynamics between parents and children. Seeking family therapy can help reframe and translate the messages that parents want their children to know and vice versa.