Systemic therapy for families, parents and relationships at Harley Street
Family Therapy
Difficult times in a family don’t sit inside one person. When a child is struggling, when a teenager is disconnecting, when parents are exhausted, or when relationships between siblings, partners or generations feel strained — the pattern lives in the whole family. Family therapy helps everyone involved understand what’s happening, what’s keeping the difficulty going, and what can change. Our therapists work with families as a whole, gently and respectfully, so no one is blamed and no one is left carrying the difficulty alone.
What is family therapy?
Family therapy — sometimes called systemic therapy — is a way of working with difficulties that looks at the relationships and patterns within a family rather than focusing on one person as ‘the problem’. It doesn’t mean anyone is to blame. It means recognising that families are systems, and that change in one part of the system can shift everything else.
Our therapists are trained in systemic and family therapy, an approach with a long evidence base and roots in some of the UK’s most respected training institutions. Sessions are conversational, respectful, and paced to what feels manageable — not a series of confrontations, and not focused on assigning fault.
What family therapy can help with
Family therapy can support a wide range of difficulties, including:
- Communication problems and recurring arguments
- A child or teenager whose mental health, behaviour or school life is causing concern
- Sibling relationships that feel strained or difficult to manage
- Separation, divorce, blended families, and step-parenting
- Bereavement, grief and family loss
- Reconnecting after a period of estrangement or distance
- Illness affecting one family member and its impact on everyone
- Cultural or generational conflict within the family
- Adult children with difficult family dynamics — including parenting your own parents
- Families supporting a member with a mental health difficulty or diagnosis
You don’t need all members of the family to attend for family therapy to help. Some sessions may involve everyone, others may work with a smaller group. What matters is that the pattern is being understood as a whole rather than reduced to any one individual.
Family therapy when a child or teenager is struggling
When a child or young person is going through a difficult time — with anxiety, low mood, school avoidance, difficult behaviour, disordered eating, or something else — the whole family often feels it. Parents may feel frustrated or exhausted. Siblings may feel overlooked or affected. Well-meaning attempts to help can sometimes make things harder.
Family therapy can help by understanding the difficulty in context — not as something wrong with the young person, but as something the family is working through together. Sessions help parents feel more confident in how to respond, help young people feel heard and less isolated, and help everyone find a way forward that works for all of them.
Our therapists have significant experience working with children and adolescents across NHS CAMHS and private practice, and we adapt the approach carefully depending on the age and developmental stage of the young person.
What happens in a session
Your first appointment (90 minutes)
The first appointment is longer so we can understand what's brought you to therapy, who's involved, and what everyone is hoping for. Depending on the situation, this may be with one person, with parents, with a couple, or with the whole family. There's no pressure to have all the answers — the first appointment is about getting to know each other and planning what would work best.
Ongoing sessions (50 minutes)
Follow-up sessions are 50 minutes and typically happen every one to three weeks, depending on what suits the family. Sessions are collaborative — your therapist may ask questions designed to help everyone hear each other differently, or invite one family member to reflect while others listen. This approach, called reflecting practice, is central to systemic therapy and can be surprisingly powerful. Not every session needs to include everyone. Sometimes the whole family attends. Sometimes parents come without the children. Sometimes one family member has a session alone to work on how they'd like to engage differently. Your therapist will plan the sessions with you.
How long does family therapy take?
This varies with what you’re working on. For a specific difficulty — like navigating a particular family transition, or repairing a specific rift — six to twelve sessions can be enough. For long-standing patterns or more complex situations, family therapy may take longer, and you’d typically review together every few sessions to see how it’s going.
Some families come for a defined block of work and then finish. Others use family therapy as ongoing support during a particularly difficult period. Both are valid, and your therapist will help you plan what works for you.
How we deliver family therapy
Family therapy can be delivered virtually (via secure video) or in person at 10 Harley Street. Both formats work well — virtual can be easier when family members live in different places or have busy schedules, while in person can feel more grounded, particularly for younger children.
Session Fees
Session type
VIrtual
In-Clinic
Initial appointment (90 minutes)
£230
£280
Ongoing session (50 minutes)
£150
£190
The fee covers the family session as a whole, regardless of how many family members attend. We accept self-pay clients and are recognised by all major UK health insurers including Vitality, BUPA, AXA, Aviva and Cigna. Some insurers require families to name one ‘principal client’ for insurance purposes — we can help you navigate this with your insurer.
family therapy FAq
FAQs
- Can family therapy help if we've separated or divorced?
Yes. Family therapy can help separated or divorced families navigate co-parenting, manage difficult conversations, support children through change, and reduce ongoing conflict. It's not couples counselling — you're not being asked to reconcile — but it can help you function well as a family across two homes.
- Do I need a referral from my GP?
No. You can book directly with us as a self-pay client, or through your health insurance if you have cover.
- Does everyone in the family have to attend?
No. Family therapy is about working systemically — understanding the family as a whole — but that doesn't require every family member to be in every session. Some sessions may involve everyone, others may work with just parents, or a couple, or one individual who wants to change how they engage with their family.
- How is my family's privacy protected?
Harley Mind Care is CQC-registered, ISO 27001 certified for information security, and Cyber Essentials certified. What's shared in family therapy stays confidential. Where children are involved, we discuss the boundaries of confidentiality with everyone at the start — including how safeguarding responsibilities work.
- My teenager doesn't want to come. Should we start anyway?
This is a common situation. It's often useful for parents to start family therapy on their own — you can make real changes without your teenager attending. Sometimes, when the parents work through things and the atmosphere at home shifts, teenagers become willing to join later. Your therapist will discuss the best approach with you.
- What if I need to bring my parent or adult sibling?
Family therapy for adult family dynamics is one of the areas we work in. Whether you come with a parent, an adult sibling, or by yourself to work on family patterns, we can support that work.
- Will my child be blamed for the family's difficulties?
No. A core principle of family therapy is that difficulties belong to patterns and relationships, not to individuals. Your therapist will make sure that no one — including your child — feels blamed. If anything, family therapy often takes pressure off the young person who has been carrying the difficulty.
Ready to talk to us?
Reaching out about family difficulties can feel like a big step. Our admin team is used to first conversations that feel tentative, and we’re happy to talk through what family therapy might look like for your situation before you commit to a first appointment.
Related therapies
Depending on your situation, one of these approaches may work alongside or instead of family therapy:
Couples Therapy
For relationships between partners or spouses
Systemic Individual Psychotherapy
For individuals who want to work systemically without other family members involved
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
For a family member who would benefit from individual therapy alongside family work
