HHC Centre Family Therapy: Forget The Blame Game And Solve Co | Page 3

What is Family Therapy?
Family Therapy is a special type of psychological counselling usually termed psychotherapy. The
objective of the therapy is to help family members or close relatives resolve conflicts through
improved communication and understanding. Where Family Therapy differs from other forms of
counselling is that it has a focus on resolving issues at the family unit level. Therefore, Family
Therapy addresses the behaviour of every member of the family and how it affects the behaviour of
individuals and the relationships between family members. As a result family therapy will often be
a combination of individual and group therapy sessions led by a trained Psychologist or licensed
therapist such as a trained social worker. The therapy is designed to be short term and is most
effective if all family members participate but in some cases that may not be possible. However the
goal is to teach those that do participate how to better communicate and understand how the
behaviour of individuals can adversely affect the behaviour of others in the family unit.