Relationship and Family Therapy

Relationship and Family Therapy attends to a dyads relationship as the “client.” When a couple walks into session, it is not the two partners who the therapist attends to, instead it is the third entity–the relationship– that is the focal point of therapy. Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists are trained to evaluate and assess relational processes through various models. Such models include but are not limited to Bowenian, Symbolic Experiential, Structural, and Narrative. The direction of practice within these models vary, but core elements remain true throughout: 

1. All members of a family or relationship contribute to the problem – all members must change in order for the problem to change leaving everyone accountable to the relational work. 
2. The process of the problem is more essential than the content of the problem – therapists attend to how a conflict unfolds and helps clients gain that awareness
3. A multigenerational perspective is important to understanding current issues – modeling and attachment styles play a key role in how relationships are played out in adulthood
4. All patterns can be interrupted through insight, intentional action, and mutually respectful communication – practicing more desirable behaviors takes courage, risk-taking, and active listening to be successful. 

Together with the therapist, clients bear witness to intimate sharing, unpack relational patterns, explore attachment histories, and learn new communication styles through awareness and practice.  *The use of “Relationship therapy” is intentional in that it widens the scope of relational experiences coming into therapy. That is to say, couples (married or unmarried), polycules, and open relationships are welcome to benefit from the work of Relationship Therapy.