Family therapy refers to a variety of mental health treatments used to treat and improve relationships in families. It is an effective therapeutic technique that can be used to help address many psychological issues in families. It has proven effectiveness for many different types of family and relationship issues and is especially useful for addressing the issues that arise when there are conflicts within a family. Family therapy is used to help resolve these conflicts, such as: broken families, domestic violence, parental neglect, sibling conflict, adjustment disorders, and sibling rivalry. It can also be used to help improve communication between siblings and between parents and children.
It can be used to help families deal with the positive and negative aspects of every family member’s life, from childhood to adulthood. There are several types of family therapy interventions available, including: structured interventions, crisis intervention, problem-solving strategies, problem prevention, relational approaches, and goal-oriented interventions. Structured interventions are designed to help families talk through problems in a structured environment, using multiple points of view to encourage open communication. Crisis interventions are designed to identify and treat the most critical issues facing a family at a time when it is experiencing a wide array of negative or difficult emotions, including: loss, grief, trauma, depression, anger, stress, and fear.
Problem-solving strategies are family therapy approaches that teach families how to work together to solve problems, including educational, experiential, and behavioral techniques. Problem-solving interventions also teach families skills and information to increase their effectiveness in coping with issues and improve their mental health. On the other hand, relational approaches focus on encouraging interpersonal bonds and improving interpersonal relationships in families. This type of intervention is best suited for families dealing with complex emotional issues and problems, such as: adjustment disorders, developmental disabilities, child abuse and neglect, family dynamics, single parenting, and marriage and family therapy.