Family therapy is based on a theory of human behaviour that views the family as a complex interdependent emotional unit. It is the nature of a family that its members are intensely connected emotionally. This is so even when family members are distant, detached, estranged or cut off. Whether they like it or not, families profoundly affect their members’ thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Changes in one person’s functioning affects the functioning of other family members. For example, when one family member feels anxious or is functioning poorly, this can effect to varying degrees other members of the family. Some people take too much responsibility in family matters while others may give up responsibility. Certain family members may be vulnerable to carrying the weight of family anxieties and problems.
How I work with families
When families present for therapy, it is not always the case but often, that one family member is seen as ‘the problem’.
In family sessions I listen carefully and attend to what each person in the family is saying. I seek to understand each person’s experience while at the same time seeking to understand how the family system works as a whole unit.
I aim to create a respectful safe space for each family member to be heard and listened to. I support the family in making meaning and understanding of their difficulties. In the belief that in so doing the family will find solutions to the issues that brought them to therapy.
Nada Lane 