Types of Family Counseling

Different Types of Family Counseling

Whether you’re seeking support for an in-person or online family therapist, it’s always a good idea before you get started to have an open and honest conversation about your situation and possible therapeutic practice. There are many different types of counseling techniques when it comes to family therapy, and these techniques are often dictated by the challenges that you’re experiencing. Read on to learn more about the different types of family counseling available for you and your loved ones.

Strategic Family Therapy

Strategic family therapy is a type of brief therapeutic intervention with the goal of shifting the interactional patterns amongst family members. This type of therapy is not meant to be continuous but is limited to therapeutic intervention of around 12 to 16 sessions. Often it will specifically target problematic symptoms or behaviors.

Functional Family Therapy

This type of therapy normally focuses on families who have members with complex behavioral or emotional challenges. The goal of sessions which utilize functional therapy techniques is to develop strategies to help family members navigate these behavioral or emotional challenges to improve the overall functioning of the family unit.

Transgenerational Family Therapy

When employing transgenerational therapy, the goal is to improve communication and interactions across generations, say between parents and children. It’s particularly valuable when there are behavioral differences that appear to be generationally bound, and can vastly help improve communication and understanding.

Structural Family Therapy

Structural family therapy targets challenges that may occur due to the family structure, for example blending families or dealing with divorce. The goal of this therapeutic technique is to achieve balance in the family unit and focus on the structure of the family as a whole rather than specific behavioral challenges.

Multisystemic Family Therapy

This type of therapeutic intervention seeks to address behavioral and emotional challenges with young people, however also includes a broader focus on how this young person is also interacting with the world. It can include impacts of behavior in school or communities, and how this, in turn, impacts the family unit. 

Get Online Family Therapy

If you’re seeking support to help you and your loved ones navigate some of the challenges in your family unit, get in touch with us today at ACT Teletherapy. Our mental health practitioners are highly trained in a number of different therapeutic techniques and will work with you to determine which approach is best for your online family therapy session.