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Learn about the main types of family therapy, how each approach works, and how therapy can help families build stronger relationships.
Maveirck
Clinical Editorial Team
Learn about the main types of family therapy, how each approach works, and how therapy can help families build stronger relationships.
When stress, conflict, or mental health issues affect home life, family therapy can help people slow down, listen differently, and rebuild trust. The most important types of family therapy are not one-size-fits-all; each family therapy approach is designed for different needs, including communication issues, substance abuse, behavioral issues, trauma, divorce, parenting stress, and mental health conditions.
At its core, family therapy treats the family as an interconnected system where one person’s behavior affects all others. A family therapist helps family members understand patterns, resolve conflicts, and create positive changes that support the well being of the whole family unit.
Family therapy is a form of talk therapy that focuses on relationships, communication, roles, and the way the family operates. Instead of viewing a problem as belonging only to one person, family therapy looks at the broader family system and asks how patterns, expectations, and responses shape daily life.
A licensed mental health professional, mental health provider, or family therapist may meet with parents, children, couples, siblings, or an individual family member. Sometimes one or more members attend at first, and later other family members join when it is clinically appropriate.
Common benefits of family therapy include improved communication, stronger relationships, problem solving skills, and understanding family roles. According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
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Families often begin family therapy when communication feels tense, repeated arguments go unresolved, or loved ones feel misunderstood. Family therapy can also support mental health treatment when an individual family member is living with depression, anxiety, eating concerns, trauma, addiction, or other mental health conditions.
Other reasons include chronic illness, grief, major life transitions, financial strain, divorce, remarriage, blended households, and parenting conflict. Psychoeducation is a crucial part of family therapy, where mental health professionals teach families about mental health conditions, causes, treatment, prognosis, coping strategies, and practical ways to support loved ones.
The major types of family therapy include structural therapy, strategic therapy, Bowenian therapy, systemic therapy, cognitive behavioral family therapy, psychodynamic family therapy, narrative family therapy, functional family therapy, transgenerational therapy, communication therapy, and relationship counseling. These therapy approaches vary significantly in their family therapy theories, goals, and intended outcomes.
The best choice depends on several factors, including the concern, safety, age of children, treatment goals, cultural context, and whether families participate together or in smaller combinations. A trained therapist can recommend treatment plans after learning about personal experiences, past experiences, strengths, and current symptoms.
Structural family therapy focuses on the interactions between family members and aims to improve family dynamics by restructuring these interactions. Developed by Salvador Minuchin, structural family therapy looks closely at boundaries, hierarchy, alliances, and the family structure.
Structural family therapy can be especially useful for families undergoing major transitions like divorce, remarriage, or blending families. A family therapist may observe family interactions, identify where roles are unclear, and help parents strengthen leadership while helping children feel safe and heard.
In structural family therapy, the goal is not to blame anyone. The goal is to improve family function, reduce problematic behaviors, and create healthier relationships through clearer roles and stronger communication.
Strategic family therapy emphasizes the impact of patterns on individual behavior and aims to create healthier relationships by addressing destructive cycles. This form of strategic therapy is usually goal-oriented and practical.
A family therapist using strategic therapy may give specific tasks between meetings, such as changing the way parents respond to conflict or interrupting a cycle where an individual family member acts out to distract from tension. Strategic family therapy is often helpful when a family needs focused action and measurable positive changes.
Systemic family therapy views the family as a complex unit where issues are often rooted in unconscious interactions, culture, beliefs, and wider contexts. Systemic family therapy uses circular questioning to identify relationship patterns and deepen understanding between family members.
Systemic therapy does not ask, “Who is the problem?” Instead, systemic therapy asks, “How does the pattern keep going?” This family therapy approach is especially useful for communication issues, recurring conflicts, and situations where an individual’s mental health is tied to pressure within the family system.
Bowenian Family Therapy focuses on increasing differentiation of self and reducing chronic anxiety. It emphasizes the balance between individuality and togetherness, focusing on differentiation and triangulation.
This type of family therapy often explores how family members react emotionally, when they become over-involved, and when emotional distancing becomes a way to cope. Bowenian work can help a person stay connected without losing personal clarity, which supports emotional health and steadier relationships.
Transgenerational therapy focuses on the impact of traumatic events experienced by previous generations and aims to identify current struggles stemming from those past traumas. Transgenerational therapy is also referred to as family of origin exploration because it examines patterns across multiple generations.
This type of therapy helps individuals understand how unresolved family trauma can manifest in different forms. Bowenian principles are often used here, especially for generational trauma, high reactivity, and repeating patterns that affect mental health, communication, and well being.
Cognitive behavioral family therapy focuses on identifying and modifying negative thinking patterns that affect the family. If family members assume the worst, criticize automatically, or repeat rigid beliefs, the family therapist helps them test thoughts and choose more effective behaviors.
This family therapy approach can be helpful when anxiety, depression, anger, or behavioral issues are maintained by unhelpful thoughts and reactions. It teaches new skills for communication, emotional regulation, and problem solving.
Narrative family therapy draws from narrative therapy, which encourages individuals to create their own narratives to address problems. Narrative therapy helps people process experiences, identify strengths, and separate the person from the problem.
For example, instead of saying, “Our child is the problem,” narrative therapy might help the family say, “Stress has been pushing us into blame.” This shift creates room for support, compassion, and change. Narrative therapy can be powerful after trauma, loss, stigma, or long-standing mental health issues.
Psychodynamic family therapy explores unconscious thoughts, early attachments, and how old wounds shape current relationships. A therapist may help family members notice projections, unmet needs, and the emotional meaning beneath conflict.
This therapy is often deeper and more reflective. It can be useful when current arguments seem connected to past experiences, unresolved grief, or painful relationship patterns that repeat across time.
Functional family therapy focuses on improving communication and parenting skills in families with teen conflict, substance abuse, delinquency, or behavioral issues. It is usually structured, strengths-based, and practical.
A family therapist helps parents and children reduce blame, build motivation, and practice safer responses. This kind of support can be especially important when substance abuse, school problems, or legal concerns are affecting the entire family unit.
Communication therapy focuses on resolving conflicts and improving understanding and trust between family members. This type of therapy can help individuals express feelings and needs more effectively, especially where communication barriers exist.
Communication therapy typically involves creating a safe environment for discussing feelings, desires, and expectations. A family therapist may teach listening, validation, repair attempts, and boundary-setting so relationships can improve.
Relationship counseling helps couples cope with life changes such as marriage, parenting, job loss, and retirement. It provides a safe and respectful setting to address difficult issues and work together on finding solutions.
Common issues addressed in relationship counseling include chronic illness, ineffective communication skills, infidelity, emotional distancing, trust-mistrust issues, and financial issues. Relationship counseling can also be part of wider family therapy when couple stress affects children or other family members.
Family psychoeducation helps family members learn about mental health disorders, treatment plans, medication support, coping strategies, and ways to support loved ones. Organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offer credible information on mental health and recovery.
A mental health professional can explain symptoms without shame, reduce fear, and help family members respond more effectively. A mental health provider can also coordinate care when treatment includes medication, individual therapy, school support, or higher levels of care.
Choosing the right therapist matters. Look for a licensed mental health professional with experience in the concern you are facing, whether that is substance abuse, trauma, parenting, marriage conflict, or mental health conditions.
Ask a potential family therapist about training, supervision, cultural humility, safety planning, and which therapy approaches they use. The right therapist should make room for every voice while keeping sessions structured and respectful.
Family therapy sessions may include everyone together, smaller groups, or occasional individual meetings. Ethical therapists explain confidentiality, goals, and how family therapy work will be measured.
An LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, while an LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Neither is automatically “better.” An LMFT is often deeply trained in family therapy, relationships, and systems, while an LCSW may bring broad mental health, case management, and community-resource expertise.
The best mental health provider is the one with strong experience in your concern, a clear treatment plan, and a style that helps your family feel safe enough to do honest work. You can also review credential information through state licensing boards or the American Psychological Association.
The phrase types of family can describe household structures rather than therapy models. The seven common types of family include:
Different types of family have different strengths, stressors, boundaries, and support needs. Family therapy can be adapted to each structure, including blended homes, multigenerational households, and chosen family networks.
The best type of therapy for family issues depends on the situation. Structural family therapy may help with roles and boundaries, cognitive behavioral family therapy may help with thoughts and behaviors, and systemic family therapy may help with repeating patterns. A family therapist can assess your needs and recommend the most fitting approach.
Neither credential is universally better. An LMFT usually has specialized training in family therapy and relationship systems, while an LCSW may offer broad mental health and community-based expertise. Choose the mental health professional whose experience matches your goals.
The “2 year rule” commonly refers to ethics rules that restrict or prohibit romantic or sexual relationships between a therapist and a former client for at least two years, with many professional standards warning that such relationships may still be unethical after that period. Rules vary by license and location, so check your state board.
It depends on the goal. Sometimes all family members attend; sometimes the therapist meets with parents, siblings, a couple, or an individual family member. The format should support safety, honesty, and progress.
Yes. Family therapy can improve support, reduce enabling patterns, address communication issues, and help loved ones understand treatment. It is often used alongside individual counseling, medical care, recovery groups, or specialized substance abuse programs.
Yes, it can be helpful. Even when only one person starts, therapy can change responses, boundaries, and communication patterns. Over time, other family members may decide to participate.
Some families need only a few sessions for a focused concern, while others benefit from longer support. The timeline depends on safety, goals, mental health concerns, motivation, and the complexity of relationships.
The therapist usually asks about concerns, goals, history, strengths, and what each person hopes will change. The first meeting often establishes expectations, communication guidelines, and an initial plan for treatment.
The many types of family therapy give families more than one path toward healing. Whether you choose structural family therapy, systemic therapy, strategic therapy, narrative therapy, or another model, the goal is similar: stronger relationships, healthier communication, and better mental health support.
If your family feels stuck, starting family therapy with the right therapist can help you resolve issues, provide support for loved ones, and build a more connected life together.
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