What is Family and Systemic Psychotherapy?
Family and Systemic Psychotherapy is one of the major evidence based therapeutic approaches provided within the NHS. It refers to a range of psychological interventions for individuals, couples and families based on systemic concepts and theory. These approaches help people make changes in their thinking, behaviour and understandings to relieve distress, improve the quality of their important relationships and make positive changes in their lives.
Systemic Family Therapy includes work with families, couples and individuals of all
ages, and is an important resource for multi-
Systemic Family Therapy recognises that different cultures and groups have different
ideas of what ‘family’ means. It takes ‘family’ to describe any group of people who
define themselves as such, including same-
Inclusive and considerate of the needs of each member of the family and/or other key relationships (systems) in peoples’ lives
Recognise and build on peoples’ strengths and relational resources
Work in partnership ‘with’ families and others, not ‘on’ them
Sensitive to diverse family forms and relationships, beliefs and cultures
Enable people to talk, together or individually, often about difficult or distressing issues, in ways that respect their experiences, invite engagement and support recovery