Family Therapy & Characteristics Of A Healthy Family

Family therapy is focused on individuals and families to help improve their relationships, their communication and to help them to resolve conflicts. Family therapy is usually provided by a counsellor or mental health professional. Family therapy can help people in close relationships to help each other find ways forward out of difficult situations.

It can comprise of couples therapy, marriage therapy, family systems therapy and psychotherapy that works with families and intimate relationships to nurture positive change and development.

The Importance Healthy Communication Within The Family

Some 80% of marital and family conflict is due to faulty communication. Positive communication skills, including active listening and affirmation, enables couples and family members to share their changing needs and preferences in relation to cohesion and adaptability. The result is a much-enriched relationship.

Research shows that Family Therapy is useful for children as well as for adolescents to adults when they’re experiencing a bad time.

Healthy relationships are probably the leading characteristic of a healthy, functional family system and include the following:

• modelling of a healthy marriage
• good communication between all family members
• recognition of human frailty and weakness
• perfectionism isn’t countenanced
• healthy boundaries
• unconditional love
• trust
• respect
• understanding
• spending time together
• conflicts being resolved through good modelling and communication skills
• consistency and predictability
• expressing appreciation (affirmation) to each other
• children being trained in maturity to take responsibility for their thoughts, feelings and actions
• children being taught to honour their parents
• ability to subordinate personal needs for family needs
• self-discipline being exercised

Read aifc’s blog on How to Resolve Family Feuds

Where to get help

Seek the help of your family doctor
Search for a counsellor near you – a href=”http://www.theaca.net.au”> www.theaca.net.au
Men’s Line Australia – Talk it over with someone who understands – 1300 78 99 78
Lifeline – A free 24 hour Crisis Counselling service – 13 11 14
Kids Help Line – 1800 55 1800