Family Therapy
Armchair Psychology offers therapy for families dealing with a range of issues and circumstances. Families may experience challenging interactions and individuals may harbour hurt and resentment resulting in an impact on family life or in the family dynamic. Helping families improve their relationships, heal wounds, and better understand each other is at the core of our work.Armchair Psychology’s focus is to provide space for each family member to be heard, encourage the setting of boundaries, and to equip families with the tools to resolve conflict and discuss issues in a positive and proactive manner.
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is a specialised type of psychotherapy designed to help family members improve communication, resolve entrenched conflicts, and build healthier, more resilient relationships. Our psychologists view the family as an interconnected system. Rather than focusing solely on one individual’s struggles, we can focus on the dynamic and the relationships between family members to foster a more supportive home environment.
What Families Seek Therapy?
Therapy provides a neutral ground to navigate challenging circumstances and build collective resilience. Common reasons families visit our Edgecliff clinic include:
Life Transitions: Adjusting to major changes such as a move, divorce, remarriage or the complexities of blending families.
Behavioural and Mental Health: Addressing a child’s behavioural issues, supporting an adolescent through HSC exam stress or helping the family unite to support a member with a mental illness or addiction.
Grief and Loss: Coping with the death of a loved one or navigating a significant shared trauma.
Relational Issues: Breaking the cycle of constant disagreements, healing hidden resentments and repairing breakdowns in trust and communication.
Here’s a comprehensive list of what we can work on with you and your family in our sessions:
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- Separation, divorce
- Grief and loss
- Managing conflict
- Blended family adjustments
- Managing co-parenting
- Engaging children and teenagers in family life
- Substance abuse
- Behavioral issues and academic concerns in children and adolescents
- Supporting a family member with a mental health issues
- Supporting a family member with a chronic illness
- Financial issues
- Extended family conflict
What to Expect at Armchair Psychology
In our practice, “family” means whoever cares for and supports the unit—whether that includes parents, children, partners, grandparents or kinship caregivers.
1. The Process: One of our experienced psychologists will hold sessions with all or various combinations of family members, depending on what the situation requires.
2. The Approach: We focus heavily on the “here and now.” We help you identify unhealthy behavioural patterns, improve communication styles, and provide practical tools to express unvoiced emotions safely.
3. The Goal: Our ultimate aim is to create a safe, non-judgmental space where every voice is heard, allowing family members to empathize with one another, leverage the family’s inherent strengths, and establish healthy, lasting boundaries.
Our Psychologists
Frequently Asked Questions About Family Therapy
Who needs to attend the therapy sessions?
There is no single rule for who must be in the room. Depending on the challenges your family is facing, your psychologist might ask to see the entire household, just the parents, or specific siblings. We tailor the attendance to whatever combination will be most effective for resolving the core issues. We are flexible and will discuss the best approach with you during the intake process.
What if a family member refuses to participate?
It is incredibly common for a teenager, a reluctant partner, or a specific family member to refuse therapy. Do not let this stop you from seeking help. You can still begin sessions with the family members who are willing to attend. Because a family is an interconnected system, when even one or two people learn to set healthy boundaries and communicate differently, it naturally forces the entire family dynamic to shift.
Will the psychologist take sides or blame the parents?
Absolutely not. A core principle of our family therapy is that we do not look for a “bad guy” or point fingers. We view the family as a team facing a shared challenge. Our focus is purely on understanding the communication patterns and behaviours that keep you stuck, and giving you practical tools to move forward together without judgment or blame.
How does family therapy differ from individual therapy?
Individual therapy primarily focuses on a person’s internal world—their personal thoughts, feelings, and past traumas. Family therapy focuses on the space between people. We look at the relationships, the daily interactions, and the communication loops that occur within the household, treating the family unit as the client.
How long does family therapy usually take?
Family therapy is often short-term and highly goal-oriented. While every family’s timeline is different based on the complexity of their situation, many families see significant improvements in their home dynamic within 6 to 12 sessions. We focus on giving you actionable skills you can use immediately, rather than keeping you in therapy indefinitely.
Are family therapy sessions covered by Medicare?
Under standard Medicare rules, pure “family counselling” or “relationship counselling” is not directly eligible for a Medicare rebate on its own. However, if one family member has a diagnosed mental health condition and a Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) from their GP, family members can sometimes be included in their sessions if it directly supports the individual’s treatment. Additionally, many Private Health Insurance funds provide rebates for family therapy under their “Extras” cover.
General FAQs
Why should I see a psychologist?
If you want to find out how to move your life forward, and achieve happiness – you should see a psychologist.
By being empathic but independent, the psychologists at Armchair Psychology can give you a crucial understanding of how to achieve your personal and emotional goals.
How many sessions will I need?
After our first few sessions together, we should be able to evaluate how much time you will need. However, there is no hard and fast rule, and this is a process that is a part of your journey.
Life’s important journeys can take time – it’s important to remember that.
How often will I have sessions?
However, sometimes more frequent sessions, or spacing them further apart, makes more sense in terms of your growth. That is something which can be discussed during your sessions with your psychologist.
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