Family counseling is a discipline of therapy focused on finding solutions for the challenges and complexities that may arise in family life. Also called marriage and family therapy (MFT), clinicians work to improve communication among family members and adjust the dynamics between members of the family that may result in dysfunction. The terms “family counseling” and “family therapy” are often used synonymously, but it is important to note that family counseling, like other forms of counseling, may be defined by some clinicians as shorter in duration and more solutions-focused than family therapy.
Family counseling began in the 1950s and ‘60s with the work of psychiatrists and theorists Salvador Minuchin, Murray Bowen, and others. Minuchin began his career as a psychoanalyst, but after working with children, he departed from the process-oriented discipline in favor of a results-based approach.
Minuchin wanted to address families as a unit, which bucked the individual-centric approaches of therapy to date. Further, he emphasized pragmatic changes that a clinician could help families make, as opposed to simply focusing on the origin of the family’s issues.
Family counseling has evolved and developed over the decades and now incorporates practices and methods from several schools of therapy:
Family Systems Therapy: This modality, pioneered by Bowen, visualizes the family as a complex, interconnected system and seeks to identify and make clear how the behavior of any individual in the familial group affects the other members.
Structural Family Therapy: This method examines the rules and power dynamics of the family. In structural family therapy, the therapist may be more involved than other types of treatment and help to reorganize the structures of the family to improve how people feel in the family and create a more cohesive unit.
Cognitive Behavioral Couples Therapy: Applying the same principles as cognitive behavioral therapy, this modality encourages couples to identify and name the patterns of behavior causing them or their partner distress in the relationship, with the clinician teaching skills to help confront and change these patterns. 1
Couples and Marriage Counseling: This approach focuses on relationship problems. Therapists typically meet with both partners at the same time to identify the challenges they face and disagreements they may have and help the couple find better solutions for how to communicate, find mutually acceptable solutions, and work as a team.
THE BASICSA licensed marriage and family therapist (MFT or LMFT) is a mental health practitioner with a master's or doctoral degree. MFTs typically train under a supervisor for two years, or 3,000 clinical hours, and must pass an exam to receive licensure.
When seeking a family counselor, it’s important to choose someone with whom you and your family members trust and feel comfortable talking about what can be difficult topics. Studies have shown that the quality of the relationship between client and therapist is one of the most important factors for a successful outcome.
During an initial screening, consider asking the following questions:
It’s useful to be upfront about expected outcomes and to hear what the clinician's expectations are.
Therapy Essential ReadsFamily therapy has expanded in popularity significantly in recent years. One study found that as many as 70 percent of psychotherapists now offer treatment to couples or families.
Research has also found family counseling to be one of the most effective forms of therapy. According to researcher Jay Lebow, writing in 2022 2 , 70 to 80 percent of those in couples therapy felt better at the end of treatment compared to those who did not attend couples therapy, “an improvement rate that rivals or exceeds the most effective psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for individual mental health disorders.”
Family counseling has expanded recently to encompass more than heterosexual, nuclear families as the composition of families has evolved. Many practitioners now specialize in treating LGBTQ+ couples and families with an emphasis on cultural competency.
Whatever the makeup of the family unit, learning and practicing the skills of respectful communication, mutual understanding, and harmonious conflict resolution have made a difference in the lives of many families across the world.
Norman B Epstein, Le Zheng, Cognitive-behavioral couple therapy, Current Opinion in Psychology, Volume 13, 2017, Pages 142-147, ISSN 2352-250X.
Lebow, J., & Snyder, D. K. (2022). Couple therapy in the 2020s: Current status and emerging developments. Family Process, 61(4), 1359-1385.
