families
Systemic Family and Couples’ therapeutic sessions are designed to help families and couples who are in difficulty. Your family does not necessarily have to consist of relatives but can involve whoever is most important to you, and you can bring whichever relationship you would like to work on. The focus of the sessions is not on who is at fault or to blame, but on how the family group is experiencing a problem.
I will facilitate a safe environment which will allow everyone to hear each other’s views, learning to understand each other’s needs and looking for solutions together. This work is based around building on the strengths that already exist in the family. Negative interactions are identified and de-escalated, making way for new, positive interactions. Systemic therapeutic work is very effective in helping families to communicate better with each other and can reduce or resolve conflict. Families are often seen together but can be seen individually or in combinations of different members depending on what the difficulty is.
Couples
Systemic Family and Couples’ therapeutic work can be very effective for couples experiencing relationship difficulties and progress can usually be seen within a relatively short period of time. By learning how to better meet each other’s needs, partners can create emotional safety within their relationship. This greatly improves communication and the couple can begin to experience each other as a source of pleasure. As with family work, the emphasis will not be on blame, but on the strengths and resources in your relationship that have become overshadowed by difficulties.
In some cases, the sessions allow the couple to decide that it would be best for them to end their relationship. If this is the case, I will help you to plan how to manage the break up in the least destructive way possible, especially if you have children who will be affected. This work can prevent rifts and conflict in the future and allow the couple to move on in mutual respect of each other and even friendship.
Please be aware that this intervention will not be appropriate for you if you are currently experiencing physical, emotional or sexual violence/ abuse within your relationship. In this case, individual therapy would be more suitable.
Family and Couples’ sessions typically last for 50 minutes. My fee is £75 per session.