Family therapy is not just for parents with young children. I work with families across and within generations, adult children with parents, step-families, adult siblings, and any family configuration navigating communication difficulties, transitions, or systemic patterns.
Note: I do not provide individual therapy for children under 16.
Who I Work With
Family Configurations
Systemic Approach
Family therapy looks beyond individual challenges into patterns and dynamics within the system, with respect and care for the strength of emotions and habits that a family of origin can generate.
Communication & Misattunement
When communication has broken down or become destructive, family members often feel unheard or misunderstood. Systemic work examines not just what is being said, but the patterns of misattunement underneath, who speaks, who withdraws, who mediates, and what remains unspoken.
Roles, Boundaries & Transitions
Ongoing conflicts and estrangement rarely exist in isolation. They are sustained by roles and expectations within the family, by boundaries that may be too rigid, too loose, or inconsistent, and by alliances and coalitions that shift beneath the surface. Grief and loss can quietly reshape a family system, as can life transitions such as retirement, divorce, illness, or a child leaving home.
Secrets & Intergenerational Patterns
Family secrets carry particular weight. What one generation conceals, the next often acts out. Understanding intergenerational patterns, how families pass down ways of relating, coping, and communicating, helps members make conscious choices about what to preserve and what to change.
Adult Children & Parents
The relationship between adult children and their parents often requires renegotiation, moving from hierarchical parent-child dynamics to adult-adult relationships.
This work addresses:
- Establishing adult boundaries whilst maintaining connection
- Processing childhood wounds or unmet needs
- Navigating ageing parents' needs
- Differences in values, lifestyle, or beliefs
- Inheritance, care responsibilities, and family expectations
- Repair attempts after estrangement
Sibling Relationships
Adult sibling relationships carry the weight of childhood dynamics, rivalry, favouritism, role assignments, that may no longer fit who people have become.
Family therapy for siblings addresses:
- Ongoing conflicts or resentments
- Unequal care responsibilities for ageing parents
- Inheritance disputes
- Processing childhood experiences differently
- Rebuilding connection after distance or estrangement
Blended Families & Step-Families
Blended families face unique challenges integrating different family cultures, parenting styles, and loyalty conflicts.
This work supports:
- Establishing new family structure and roles
- Step-parent and step-child relationship building
- Managing relationships with ex-partners
- Navigating loyalty conflicts
- Creating shared rituals and identity
Intergenerational Patterns
Families pass down patterns of relating, coping, and communicating across generations. These patterns might include:
- Unprocessed trauma affecting multiple generations
- Communication styles (conflict-avoidant, aggressive, indirect)
- Roles and expectations (caretaker, scapegoat, golden child)
- Attitudes towards emotion, vulnerability, or help-seeking
- Cultural or religious traditions and their meanings
Understanding these patterns helps family members make conscious choices about what to preserve and what to change.
What to Expect
- 1. All relevant family members are invited to attend sessions together, though individual sessions are sometimes useful for processing particular issues.
- 2. The first session focuses on understanding each person's perspective and identifying shared goals for the work.
- 3. Subsequent sessions address patterns, develop new communication strategies, and work towards meaningful change. Not all families achieve perfect harmony, sometimes the work is about establishing functional communication or respectful boundaries rather than closeness.
When Family Therapy Helps
You do not need to wait until things are in crisis. Family therapy can help when communication has broken down, conflicts keep escalating without resolution, or family members are estranged and want to reconnect.
It is also useful when individual therapy stalls without systemic work, when secrets or revelations have disrupted family dynamics, or when generational patterns are affecting members' wellbeing.
Professional Network & Referrals
I work collaboratively with a network of specialist therapists and practitioners. When your needs extend beyond my areas of expertise, I can refer you to trusted colleagues who specialise in:
- Children's therapy (individual work with under-16s)
- Specialist addictions treatment
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy
- Holistic and somatic healing modalities
- Integrative psychotherapy for individual work
This ensures you receive the most appropriate support for your specific situation, even when that means connecting you with another practitioner better suited to your needs.