A family therapist is a qualified and licensed counselor with experience in a variety of fields or designations. Marriage and family therapists (MFTs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), marriage, family and child counselors (MFCCs), psychologists, and psychiatrists are examples of such therapists. Although it may seem self-evident that a family therapist works with families or couples, they can also work with individuals.
Family therapists can practice in a variety of settings. Many of them work in private practice, while others may work in general hospitals or mental health facilities. Some therapists teach or supervise other therapists in addition to providing counseling. Some family therapists may be hired the public health system to provide counseling to low-income families or to help shape public policy and create educational materials for families. A family therapist can do his or her job in a variety of ways.
The title “family therapist” does not accurately describe the profession because few therapists devote their entire practice to counseling groups rather than individuals. Most therapists will provide counseling to a wide range of people, either in groups or one-on-one. They’ve been taught the differences between counseling a group of people and counseling a single person in school and through practice.
The therapist may conduct therapy sessions with all parties at the same time when working with families or couples. If the therapist is truly working with multiple family members, this will necessitate sessions with all of them present. The family therapist may begin talking with the parents to get a sense of what the family is looking for. When working with couples, a family therapist may see each couple member separately at first or work with them together.
The goal of family therapy is to look at how people interact with one another, find ways for everyone in the family to understand each other, and use some instruction to help families communicate more clearly. Essentially, a family therapist looks for dysfunctional areas of interaction in which the family or couple is experiencing problems. The therapist can then assist families in identifying areas where the group is not functioning well together and attempt to address these in a variety of ways during sessions.
A family or couple might seek therapy for a variety of reasons. There could be a specific crisis going on, or the family simply wants to improve their relationship. Because each group or individual client poses different challenges and is unique, the job of the family therapist can be extremely varied.