What is family relationship work?

Sometimes it can be useful to think about the problems that affect us individually. And sometimes, we can experience difficulties that impact our relationships. Family relationship work is based on this idea; that sometimes problems can live in our interactions with those closest to us. Mapping out these interactions can help us to understand their origins and provide the space to consider what we would like to do about them.

Family relationship work usually starts by trying to get a sense of what everyone thinks is the problem, along with what they think about this problem. Family relationship work is based on the idea that our life experiences shape the understandings we make of our current relationships. Because of this, it is more about exploration and discovery than figuring out what is ‘right’ or ‘wrong’. Differences of opinion are welcome, because they can often be a rich place to discover more about the problems affecting our relationships. This can make it feel a little strange and daunting to begin with, especially if problems have been around for a while. My role is to support you to feel comfortable and confident enough to talk about whatever might be affecting your relationships.

Everyone and anyone who might be important to understanding the problem is welcome. I have worked with couples, whole families, and parent-child teams to think about what might be tricky in their relationships and how they would like them to be. I also have experience of adapting family relationship work to meet the needs of neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Condition, ADHD and Learning Disability.

I am a systemic practitioner and have completed my Intermediate Level in Systemic and Family Therapy with the Association of Family Therapy (AFT). You can find out more about family relationship work here: aft.org.uk/page/whatisfamilytherapy