Family and Systemic Psychotherapy
My training enables me to work with families and caring systems in all the different beautiful complex constellations which they come in.
Families and caring systems typically come to see me when there has been a difficulty or dilemma experienced by one or multiple members. I am a registered member of the Association of Family Therapists who have a comprehensive leaflet about family therapy which I will link below:
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.aft.org.uk/resource/resmgr/considering_therapy/what-is-family-therapy-.pdf
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 life isn’t always easy...
Families can be very complicated because everyone is unique. Each person thinks and talks about things in a different way, and each person has different ideas, feelings, worries and strengths. All kinds of changes can make family life more stressful, such as an illness, unemployment, moving home,
new family members, getting older, divorce, death and trauma. Some families find their own ways to manage these changes, and some families find it much harder, for all kinds of reasons.
Family therapy can help families at all stages of life when they’re feeling overwhelmed, sad and angry; when they’re not sure what to do for the best; or when they feel stuck in repeating patterns of hurtful or harmful behaviour.
Does everyone have to attend or take part?
No, sometimes part of the family or caring system attends whilst others do not for lots of different good reasons. It can be helpful to bring everyone together at points in our work together where we agree it is appropriate but it could be that different combinations of the family and caring system attend. It might only be necessary for that part of the family to attend. We will always try to hold in mind the wider family and their thoughts, feelings and possible ideas when we meet.