Frequently Asked Questions
What do you mean by "family"?
As members of the Association of Family Therapy we are very aware that different cultures and groups of individuals have very different notions of what "family" means. We take "family" to mean any group of people who define themselves as such and care about each other.
Will Family and Systemic Psychotherapists work with individuals?
Yes. We bring an interactional perspective to what an individual client brings to therapy. Sometimes we may suggest some individual sessions within a series of family or couple meetings, should this seem appropriate.
Does Family Therapy work?
There is a growing body of evidence showing the long term benefits of this way of working. Details may be found on the Association of Family Therapy website: www.aft.org.uk
What about confidentiality?
We ensure that any written details and notes we make are held safely and confidentially. It is often helpful to link with others involved with you, but your permission is needed for this to happen. It is only in very exceptional circumstances that others are contacted without your permission.
How frequent will my sessions be?
We use feedback from you to negotiate the course of therapy, whether this is a single session, a limited number of sessions or longer-term work. There is the possibility of arranging longer gaps between sessions, than in some other methods of counselling or psychotherapy, as we believe that what happens between sessions is as important as what happens within the sessions.