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What’s the Purpose of Family Therapy?

therapist talking to family members explaining what's the purpose of family therapy

Family therapy sessions are often suggested as a way of supporting a teenager receiving treatment for mental health concerns. Parents are usually willing to do whatever a professional suggests to help a struggling teen. Still, it’s common to feel uncertain about the purpose of family therapy and how it can help. 

Learning about the goals of family therapy helps parents show up to sessions prepared and ready to make the most of their time together. 

Imagine Boise is a teen mental health treatment center. We connect teens and their parents to the skills that can help provide lasting improvements to family dynamics. Call 888.597.2807 today to learn more about the family therapy program at Imagine Boise.

The Purpose of Family Therapy

The primary purpose of family therapy is to help improve family relationships. Depending on current family dynamics, achieving that goal might require different approaches for different families. 

Some families experience limited levels of conflict but have a more challenging time openly communicating and expressing themselves. Other families might more openly communicate emotions, but that communication might come with high levels of conflict. 

Family therapy sessions can help any family build healthier, more supportive relationships. When one family member is struggling with mental or behavioral health concerns, family therapy is a particularly important way of offering education and support to all family members. 

Common Goals of Family Therapy 

The goals of a family therapy session depend on the specific challenges a family unit is facing. Families often seek family therapy for specific reasons, and addressing those reasons often serves as the overarching goal of sessions. 

Some of the most common goals set for family therapy sessions are to: 

  • Receive support for mental or behavioral health challenges
  • Learn to reduce and navigate conflict
  • Increase communication skills
  • Increase levels of understanding and empathy between family members
  • Alter family roles and styles of relating 
  • Learn to set and maintain healthy boundaries

When family therapy sessions involve a child or teenager, there are additional benefits for the parents. Parents learn how to support their child and parent in a way that helps reduce their child’s challenges. 

Parenting a teen struggling with mental or behavioral health concerns places unique stressors upon parents. That can put further stress on the relationship between parents and can lead to additional conflict when there are differences in opinion over how to best support a teen. 

Family therapy helps ensure parents stay on the same page and receive the support they need as they learn to help a struggling teen. 

Understanding the Importance of Family Therapy 

Family dynamics are a central element of lifelong wellness. Families help to lay the foundation for how individuals communicate, relate to others, experience belonging, and handle personal challenges. 

Family therapy can help family members at any stage of life to improve their relationships with one another. When a teenager is struggling with mental health challenges, it’s crucial that parents model healthy relational patterns by taking the time to reassess how they interact with one another and their children. 

The importance of family therapy can’t be overstated when it comes to maximizing the levels of empathy and understanding between family members.

Learn More About Family Therapy at Imagine Boise

Family therapy is highly adaptable. A therapist adjusts sessions to meet a family’s needs, whatever they might be. 

No one sign indicates it’s time for family therapy. However, if you feel that sessions might benefit your family, it’s worth trying a program. Family sessions provide the opportunity to grow into a new type of family dynamic.

Call 888.597.2807 today or reach out online to learn more about supporting teen mental health through family therapy sessions at Imagine Boise.