Systematic family therapy is centred on the relationships and their quality of persons closest to one another. The aim of family therapy is to support understanding between people, emotional support and intimacy.
Often people need support, when coping with changes that occur during life (birth of a child, going to kindergarten/school, adolescence, independence of a young adult, divorce, loss of a family member, grief etc.). Such developmental crisis may cause problems, for example, anxiety and depression, overworking, stress, eating disorders, different addictions, domestic violence, problems related to sexuality, as well as psychic, behavioural and educational problems of children and youths.
Passing through these stages in life, creates a need for redistributing roles and duties, as well as changes in care and emotional intimacy. Children and youth are especially sensitive. Family therapy treats a family as a system, where changes in one part cause changes throughout the system. A family therapist helps provoke change in the system to be cured. Changes may occur in the behaviour of family members, emotional or psychic conditions, relationships or the general functioning of the family.
Good to know
- Family therapy takes place predominately in the form of conversation, in which all family members have the possibility to express themselves openly and make themselves heard.
- The therapy often includes, for better results, all close ones of significance.
- We recommend that children turn to family therapy first with their parents or that all other closest relatives turn together.
- It is important to go through the entire therapy process, in order to achieve lasting change. The required number of sessions depends on the aims set and may vary from one time per week to one session per one to two months.
