Most family systems therapy practitioners believe that the client is connected to a living system.  Change is best facilitated by working with the family or set of relationships within the family system.  It is important to consider the individual client’s systemic affiliations and interactions with the family when working with a single client.

Some family therapists will work with any of the members of the family who wish to come to therapy sessions.  Others will only see the family if everyone comes to each therapy session.  I will work with whomever agrees to come to therapy.  I believe that each member has to want to be proactively working on improving things and has to want to be in the therapy session.  I do not believe it is beneficial to force or coerce family members to be in therapy.

I try to take a multicultural approach to family therapy.  I will explore the individual culture of the family, the larger culture to which the family members belong to, and the host culture that is prevalent in the family’s living situation.

My goal with family systems therapy is to help each member of the family to learn to communicate with emotional honesty as to facilitate awareness and desired change.