Family Therapy
If you’ve been thinking about family therapy, this is where we start
This is a space to come together and talk things through in a way that’s often hard to manage outside of it.
Family situations can be complicated. There isn’t just one relationship to think about, there are several, all influencing each other in different ways.
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Sometimes there’s a specific issue that needs to be worked through. At other times, it feels more like tension has built over time, things haven’t been said, or communication has become strained.
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There are often points in life where these difficulties become more noticeable. That might be after a loss or bereavement, when someone leaves home or goes off to university, or following a separation or divorce.
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It can also show up when families come back together in new ways, around big moments like an adult child getting married, or when separated or divorced parents find themselves needing to be in the same space again.
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At other times, it’s about gradual shifts. Roles begin to change, expectations move, and what once felt understood no longer quite fits. This can happen as parents get older, retire, or need more support, or when responsibilities within the family start to feel uneven or unclear.
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Sometimes it’s not one event at all, but a sense that something has been building for a while. Old patterns can resurface in new situations, and people can find themselves back in familiar roles without quite knowing how they got there.
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You might notice certain conversations never quite land, people stepping into the same positions again and again, or a sense that you’re no longer understanding each other in the way you used to.
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In this space, we take the time to look at what’s happening across the family as a whole. Not just individual experiences, but how those experiences connect, overlap, and affect each other.
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We slow things down and make sense of what’s going on between you… how each person experiences things, what they need, and how those needs are expressed or missed.
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This work is for families where everyone attending is an adult (18+), so that each person can take part openly in the process.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you come. We can start with what feels most important.
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“We can't smooth over hurt feelings in our families. It's too easy for stockpiled hurt to turn into rage, resentment, and isolation. We must talk about it.”
- Brené Brown
What it’s like to work with me
I won’t sit back and let conversations become unbalanced or dominated by one voice.
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I’ll actively hold the space so that everyone has the opportunity to be heard, and so that we can understand how things are working across the family, not just within individual relationships.
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We’ll look at real situations and begin to map out what’s happening between you. That might include how conversations unfold, how misunderstandings take hold, or how different roles have developed over time.
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For example, you might bring a situation where things escalated or shut down. We can look at that together from each person’s perspective, what was intended, what was heard, and how each response affected the rest of the family.
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That often helps to make sense of patterns that aren’t always obvious when you’re in the middle of them.
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I’ll help you stay with those moments long enough to understand them properly, rather than moving past them or returning to the same positions.
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We’ll also look at how roles have formed within the family, who takes responsibility, who steps back, who tries to hold things together, and how those positions affect everyone else.
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Each person will have space to speak and be understood, not just in what they say, but in what sits underneath it.
I will guide the conversation, reflect what I’m noticing, and challenge where it feels important, so the work stays focused and doesn’t lose direction.
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We can also notice what happens between all of us in the room, because that often gives a clearer picture of how you experience each other as a family.
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How we work will depend on what each of you brings and what feels most useful.
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Most families come because they want something to feel different. That might be easing tension, understanding each other more clearly, or finding a way to move forward without things breaking down.
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The work isn’t about taking sides or deciding who’s right or wrong. It’s about understanding how things are working across the family, so that change becomes possible. As that becomes clearer, people often find communication improves, roles begin to shift, and relationships feel less strained.
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What to expect from sessions
We’ll begin with an initial conversation.
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A chance for everyone attending to talk about what’s been happening, ask any questions, and get a feel for whether working together feels right.
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At the start, the work may include one or two sessions together, and where helpful, individual sessions with family members. This helps build a fuller picture of each person’s experience and how things connect across the family.
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During any individual sessions, I work with a No Secrets policy, which we would talk through and agree together beforehand. This means that anything important shared individually isn’t kept separate from the work.
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The aim is to keep the space open and balanced for everyone, so the work doesn’t become divided or held differently depending on who is in the room.
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There’s no pressure to commit straight away. It’s simply a starting point.
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Sessions are usually weekly.
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They last 50 minutes, or longer (around 1 hour 20 minutes) if that feels more helpful. We can decide that together depending on what works best for the group.
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At the beginning, we’ll take time to understand what’s been happening across the family, including any specific issue you want to focus on, as well as anything that feels more ongoing.
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We’ll begin to build a shared understanding of what’s going on, rather than separate versions of the same situation.
As we continue, sessions become a space where you can bring real situations and conversations, and we can look at them together in a way that helps everyone understand what’s happening more clearly.
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Change tends to build gradually, as patterns become clearer and people begin to respond differently to each other.
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This might be right for you if…
You might recognise your family here if there’s a specific situation that needs to be worked through, or if tension keeps building without resolution.
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You might find communication breaks down, becomes difficult, or leads to misunderstandings that aren’t easily resolved.
You might be navigating a change in the family, a loss, a separation, or a shift in roles that has affected how you relate to each other.
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Or it might feel like distance has grown, and you’re not quite sure how to bring things back together.
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This work is for families where all members attending are adults (18+), so everyone can take part equally in the process.
You don’t need to have everything worked out before you come. We can start with what feels most important.
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A note before you reach out
This work is most helpful when everyone attending is willing to take part and be present in the process.
It’s not about taking sides, but about understanding what’s happening across the family.
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I don’t work with families where there is active abuse or where someone feels unsafe. If this becomes clear at any point, I would pause the work and speak with you about more appropriate support, which may include individual work or specialist services.
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This is to make sure that everyone is supported in a way that is safe and appropriate.
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And it’s okay if things feel uncertain at this stage. That’s often where families begin.
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