Overview of Family Therapy UK

Family, as important as it is, may face multiple issues. Studies report that around 40% of the families in the US take therapy at some point. Their reasons can vary from communication issues to mental health concerns. Family therapy was brought to the UK in the mid-20s by therapists like Bateson and Minuchin. Now, most family psychologists recommend this therapy for improved results. This blog covers all aspects of family therapy.

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy UK is a form of group psychotherapy. It is a type of talk therapy that helps family members interact better. It helps resolve the issues that cause mental and physical problems. Here, family means a group of people who are a part of the family unit. The key point is that these people should have a relationship of care with each other. Family can, thus, include:

• Parents
• Children
• Partners
• Grandparents
• Siblings
• Aunts
• Uncles
• Cousins
• Friends
• Carers
• Other Close Professionals

“Family therapy is systemic in that it utilizes different parts of the system in which the problem is occurring. Rather than depending on one persons’ experience and point of view to conceptualize or solve problems, family therapy includes brothers, sisters, parents, step-parents and step-siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.”

D. Russell Crane et al. 

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Purpose of family therapy

The aim of family therapy UK is to help each member understand and support one another. It can be valuable when people feel overwhelmed, sad, or angry. It also helps when they are unsure how to move forward or keep repeating harmful conduct. The primary goal of this cure is to sustain household bonds. This approach uplifts sympathy and harmony in the home.

Here are the reasons family therapy can be used for:

1. Communication issues

You might often argue with your family over and over. This suggests a problem in how you all speak and perceive each other. Family therapy can help you in the following ways:

• Creating a safe space to talk
• Finding out the hurdles
• Teaching better ways to speak and listen
• Looking at the underlying issues
• Assisting you to understand each other’s feelings
• Teaching ways to solve problems calmly

2. Blended family dynamics

About 16% of the children aged 18 live in stepfamilies. If this is your case, you may find it hard to figure out the dynamics. You may face fighting among siblings or the parenting styles being different. A  family therapist helps you by:

• Helping you communicate better
• Setting clear family rules
• Defining each person’s role
• Understanding feelings
• Building trust
• Starting new family traditions

3. Mental health issues

Mental health difficulties affect the entire family, along with individuals. The balance of the family, be it emotional, social or functional, can be disrupted. Some family members may feel their needs are neglected, while others may have to take on extra roles. If the family member with mental issues cannot work, there might be financial stress. Family therapy ensures that the person recovers and the family balance is restored. Here is how it supports such families:

• Providing psychoeducation
• Changing enabling behaviours
• Setting boundaries
• Promoting responsibility
• Supporting open communication

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4. Life Transitions

The treatment can assist during times of change, such as illness, no job, moving, ageing, divorce, trauma, or grieving. These situations can be hard on families since every member is feeling the impact. This may lead to conflicts and issues, such as blaming each other. Family therapy in this case can enhance communication and promote active listening. Here is how it can support such families:

• Strengthening relationships
• Building coping strategies
• Spotting barriers to communication
• Encouraging regular discussion
• Promoting accountability

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As per NHS report, In the 2021-22 period, there were 1.76 million referrals to NHS Talking Therapies, with 49.9% of referrals moving to recovery.

How does family therapy work?

It depends on your therapist how they want to administer this therapy. They also take your family’s specific issues into account while deciding the approach. Some common elements are described below:

1. Building relationships

The first step of family therapy is building trust. Your therapist makes an effort to make a rapport with each family member. You need to trust them because trust promotes honesty, openness and teamwork. You are also more likely to take part in the process if you feel heard and supported. The therapist can take the following actions to build trust:

• Listen carefully
• Show zero judgment
• Create a calm and respectful space
• Show empathy

2. Assessment and understanding

After your therapist has built trust, they move towards the assessment stage. In this stage, the therapist learns more about the problem that you are facing. They do this by taking the following steps:

• They gather information about your family background and structure
• They speak to family members together and individually
• They use tools such as questionnaires or forms to better understand your situation

Learn more about Mental health assessments for Adults in UK. 

3. Set therapy goals

After the problem is assessed in detail, the therapist works with you and your family to set clear goals. These goals are based on what your family needs from therapy. It indicates the change that should occur to fix your problem. This step is crucial to give direction to your therapy. It helps you stay motivated and focused. Every member has to take part in the goal so that they feel personal. Some common goals can be as follows:

•  Improving communication
• Solving frequent arguments
• Changing negative behaviour patterns

4. Activities

This is the stage of therapy that contains action. Therapists suggest different methods and activities to help you. They may take ideas from many different therapy styles. For instance, they can take inspiration from the family system theory. This theory explains how different family members affect each other. The therapist may change their methods based on how you are responding. They can suggest the following activities:

• Communication exercises
• Role-playing
• Working through specific situations
• Visual maps to spot issues
• Miracle questions
• Scaling questions
• Home assignments

5. Evaluation

Throughout the therapy process, the therapist monitors progress. This allows you and your therapist to assess what parts are working well and what should be changed. Every member can express their thoughts and feelings. They may also request any change they think is necessary. If you feel you need additional support, you can ask for that. This stage is beneficial for the following reasons:

• Therapy remains on track and effective.
• Minor revision plans can be brought up as new issues arise.
• Initial goals can be adjusted

Family therapy UK doesn’t have to take long. On average, it involves about 12 sessions. The number of meetings and sessions will depend on the issues you choose to focus on.

6. Termination

The final stage of this therapy is termination. This stage indicates that you have achieved your therapy goals, so the therapist helps you prepare to finish the regular sessions. The therapist helps you create plans if there are any troubles in the future. This stage is handled very carefully so that each family member can move on. This stage allows the family to:

• View their progress
• Celebrate their successes
• Discuss their learning

7. Follow-up support

After the therapy ends, you can still take follow-up sessions. These sessions give you a chance to review how things are going. You can get extra help if you need it. Follow-up sessions ensure that the learning that happened in therapy continues. This step gives the family confidence to move forward.

2. Strategic Technique

It is a short-term method that spots patterns causing problems. It then works by changing them. It’s solution-focused and often used for social matters in kids and teens. It also caters to issues around power struggles and communication issues.

How does it work?

In this therapy, your therapist pinpoints the exact reason your family dynamic isn’t working. For instance, they can check the following:

• Who makes the decisions
• Who supports the decisions
• How arguments play out

After identifying issues, your therapist gives you homework between the sessions. For example, they may ask you to change the way you respond to arguments. These tasks are designed to change the way you behave, so they are helpful.

3. Systemic Therapy

This method views the family as a system, where each member’s actions affect the others. It explores beliefs and emotions to realise issues within the members. Your therapist not only observes your behaviour, but they also check the patterns and unspoken meanings. Specifically, they look for repeated behaviours.

How does it work?

Since your therapist has to observe patterns and change them, they do the following:

• Stay neutral and observe the interaction
• Spread awareness among the family of their unconscious communication
• Identify the long-standing rituals in the families
• Shift the perspective by using creative tools such as stories or metaphors

4. Bowenian therapy

This therapy would work for you if you want to work on family issues without bringing your family members. Here is how it works:

How does it work?

This therapy works on two main ideas. They are described as follows.

Triangulation:

When you feel stuck in a relationship or anxious because of it, you may bring in a third person to ease the tension. This process is called triangulation. For instance, when the two parents argue, the child may get stuck between them. Your therapist helps you identify when this is happening. They teach you better ways to deal with the conflict.

Differentiation:

It refers to staying calm and thinking clearly in family situations. You have to stay connected to your family but you should not be controlled by their emotions. Instead of reacting, you have to respond.

5. Psychoeducation

It is also known as family psychoeducation (FPE). This type provides you with details about mental health conditions to help you understand and support affected relatives. This therapy also helps you understand the treatment plan and how to understand it. It equips you to handle difficult situations.

How does it work?

In this therapy, you’ll learn the following:

• How drugs, alcohol or mental issues affect the brain or behaviour
• How the medication (if applicable) works and how it helps
• How to support your family member without enabling them
• How to support yourself(support groups, education material, self-care, etc.)

6. Narrative therapy

This therapy allows you to understand and change the stories you tell about yourself and your family. These stories come from your past, and they may hurt or limit you. Your problems are seen as a different entity from you.  Here is how it works:

How does it work?

This therapy works using the following tools:

Deconstruction:

Using this tool, your therapist breaks your story into smaller parts. The story can be big and overwhelming on its own. In smaller parts, it is easier to understand. In this way, your therapist helps you find out the root of these ideas and if they are really true.

Externalisation:

This tool helps you see your problem separate from yourself. It helps you understand that your problem is not who you are; it is something you are experiencing.

Story rewriting:

This tool helps you and your family shift your perspective. You can reword your story in a way that highlights your strength and resilience.

4. Process grief

In some cases, you take family therapy to process your grief. Loss of any family member can change the family dynamics. It can affect all members of your family. There can be rifts between everyone. After this therapy, you may process your grief in a healthy way. You can also support your family in their grief.

5. Confront marital problems

When there are problems between a couple, their entire family is affected. They can go to couples therapy, but if their kids are getting affected, family therapy is very beneficial for them. It can give voice to the kids about how they are feeling about the entire situation. It can also give a chance to the parents to explain what is happening.

Case study of family therapy

This case study is focused on Damien, an 8-year-old boy. He was feeling anxious and angry. His parents, Sally and Terence, were separated, but they worked together to make him feel better.

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The family participated in eight weeks of online therapy. The idea was to assist Damien deal with his emotions while also improving his parents’ relationship. The therapy aimed to assist parents in providing better emotional support and understanding their own feelings.

Every week, they attended a session. In each one, they learnt new strategies for dealing with tough times. They also worked on improving their communication and listening skills.

The outcomes were very positive. Damien had fewer issues with anger and anxiety. His parents felt more reassured and supportive. In addition, they improved their teamwork skills.

This case demonstrates how online family therapy can help families become stronger and feel better.

Challenges of Family Therapy

Here are some of the challenges that one can face in family therapy:

1. Privacy issues

If you are a very private person, it might be hard for you to open up to a therapist and family together. In some cases, you may even feel your boundaries were breached. As a result, you might not entirely disclose what you feel. This is also a very crucial issue for adolescents. This makes it harder for the therapist to address the issue.

2. Uneven participation

This kind of therapy requires all family members to take part. Some of the family members might not engage in the process completely. This implies that even if you try your best, therapy might not work as expected because of any other family member.

3. High level of commitment

This therapy requires you to clear your schedule at the same time as the rest of the family. You have to commit to it till your family issues are resolved. This can be a burden if your family is large or has limited means.

Finding a Family Therapist

Family therapy UK can greatly improve relations within a home. Working together on problems helps each other. They learn to talk, solve matters, and strengthen their bonds. Another option is to contact reputable mental health experts. Such as Concise Medico. This way, you can see if their technique fits your home’s needs. In the UK, this method is common. Our experts lead in supporting therapists and upholding high standards. They provide resources to help families. Contact us to book your appointment.