Family counselling or therapy

What is family counselling or therapy?

Family counselling or therapy happens when a whole family decides to work through their relationships to improve family communication. The family looks at how to solve a problem or to adjust to a new situation. The whole family goes along to the initial appointment with a counsellor or therapist.

Where do I find a family counsellor or therapist?

If you decide as a family to work through an issue or problem you need to find a counsellor or therapist who specialises in working with families.

Look up 'Family counselling' in the White Pages or the Lifeline service finder to find out where family counselling might be available. You may also want to ask your local GP if they can recommend anyone.

It is a good idea to ask whether the service is free or find out how much you will have to pay.

Asking questions

When you call to make your first appointment, or when you go to your first session, it is also important to ask any questions you may have about the counsellor's, or therapist's, working style.

If you feel comfortable enough, you may want to ask:

• What training or experience they have.
• Do they belong to a professional association.
• How many sessions they want you to commit to.
• How often they want you to make an appointment.
• Do they feel comfortable discussing your family's particular dilemma or concern.
• Will they be discussing your case with anyone else.

At the first appointment it is usual for both the family and the counsellor or therapist to talk about what the family wants to gain from a series of sessions together. You may discuss how realistic this is from the counsellor's or therapist's point of view.

Deciding to continue

Families will be encouraged to talk about their relationships with each other. Each person's impression of the situation will be discussed, and whether they feel if their needs are being met at present. The counsellor or therapist will probably also want to know what made the family decide to have counselling.

During your first session, you need to decide whether you want to see this counsellor or therapist or not. In many instances counsellors or therapists will suggest a short-term contract with you. For example, your family will see the counsellor or therapist every week for a short period of time, and then review the situation.

Make sure you all feel comfortable enough with the person you are seeing. Most counsellors/therapists will be very professional and trustworthy. If the counsellor or therapist does anything that makes anyone in the family feel uncomfortable, you may want to talk about it to the other family members first. Then talk about it at the next session with the counsellor or therapist.

Check out the I think I may need to see a new counsellor fact sheet for more info and questions to ask yourself to work out whether you've found the right counsellor.