4 Main Types of Therapy for Families: A Guide to Strengthening Relationships
Family relationships have a major influence on each person’s mental health. While many families are close-knit, there are often areas they could strengthen. Family therapy is designed to help you and your loved ones communicate better and learn how to manage conflicts that naturally arise over time. While you’ll all grow as individuals, you’ll also experience growth as a family unit, which infuses everyone’s life with greater positivity. As you begin to explore family therapy, you’ll learn there are four main types that use different strategies to promote strong relationships among everyone who participates.
1. Strategic Family Therapy
Many families enter therapy to address clearly definable problems, such as difficulty blending two families or managing a family member’s health diagnosis. Strategic family therapy focuses on identifying patterns of interactions that occur between family members. Once the family identifies solvable problems within their relationships, the therapist can guide them through the process of setting goals and developing plans to achieve them. This form of therapy often focuses more on the current situation to solve problems rather than delving deep into the family history.
2. Structural Family Therapy
With this type of therapy, you may hear your therapist use the term “matrix of identity.” This term refers to all the factors that influence one’s perspective and standing within a family unit. Every family has hierarchies, sub-relationship pairings, and established boundaries that influence everyone’s behavior. A simple example of this would be that parents are often viewed as the authority figures within a family, and changes to this system could impact everyone’s relationships. Once a therapist identifies how your family is structured, the professional can then work with you to identify where making changes will have the biggest impact on everyone’s happiness.
3. Systemic Family Therapy
This form of therapy incorporates several essential components to promote healing among the group, and a systemic family therapist takes into consideration the broad cultural context of the family rather than focusing as much on each individual’s behaviors. The therapist will often begin with deconstructing the problems your family presents to begin identifying patterns and behavioral loops that everyone tends to get stuck in, then seek to learn more about your family’s beliefs to find parallels to the situation that influences everyone’s emotional responses and attachments. Diving deep into your family’s system makes it possible for each person to learn how to promote strong relationships.
4. Narrative Family Therapy
As the name suggests, this form of therapy involves storytelling among the various people involved in a session. During this form of therapy, your family’s therapist takes the view that each person comes to the meeting with a unique set of experiences everyone can learn from. Using open-ended questions, prompts, and other strategies, the therapist will invite each of you to open up about your feelings and thoughts about current or past situations. As everyone learns more about their family members, the therapist can guide each person to strategies that bring greater understanding to their relationships.
If you’re ready to transform your family's dynamics, now is the perfect time to explore family therapy. Whether you're struggling with communication, managing conflicts, or simply want to strengthen your connections, the right type of therapy can make all the difference. From strategic to narrative approaches, there’s a method designed to meet your family’s unique needs. Take the first step toward a happier, healthier family by reaching out to Serenity Therapy and Counseling today. Your journey to better relationships starts now.
