Family Therapy is a type of counseling in which the whole family is engaged in treatment to promote change and development. Family counselors view the relationships within the family as “systems” and observe the interaction between them. This type of counseling evaluates the interaction of problems that affect the entire family, rather than focusing only one individual.

     Family counselors look at different patterns of communication between family members. This type of counseling can be effective with families who experience or suffer a crisis (such as divorce) and resulting stressors which affect the family.

     There are many different approaches that can be used with family counseling. For example, all members of the family may be seen in one session, or different systems of the family (i.e.: parents, children, siblings) may be seen separately. The therapist assesses each family, including the presenting problem, and works with family members to encourage growth and development.