What Is Family Therapy?

Family therapy is a form of counselling that focuses on the relationships between family members. It looks at the family as a system, exploring how patterns of communication, behavior, and connection affect everyone involved.

It helps families, couples, and parents improve communication, rebuild trust, and navigate challenges together. Family therapy can be especially valuable during times of conflict, separation, or when you feel unheard, misunderstood, or disconnected.

Sessions may involve the whole family or only those most affected.

Why Families Seek Therapy?

Families reach out for support for many reasons. Common areas include:

Family Crisis or Major Changes

Life events such as illness, job loss, grief, or trauma can affect the whole household.

Challenges Faced by One Family Member

A child, teen, or adult may be experiencing emotional or behavioral difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, ADHD, or challenges with substance use. Therapy helps families respond in healthier ways.

Couples counselling

Whether communication feels stuck, trust has been shaken, or life changes like parenting, finances, or blended families are adding stress, counselling helps you understand each other better, rebuild closeness, and create a healthier way forward together.

Separation, Co-Parenting & Blended Families

Therapy can reduce conflict, support children through transitions, and help parents improve communication and routines.

Child-Inclusive Mediation

Child-inclusive mediation is an evidence-based approach that helps parents in separation hear and understand their child’s experiences in a safe and supported way. A trained Child Consultant meets with the child and brings their perspectives, not their “wishes” or choices, into the mediation process in a developmentally appropriate manner.

The aim is to help parents:

• Understand their child’s emotional world

• Reduce conflict and improve cooperation

• Make parenting decisions that support their child’s wellbeing

• Strengthen co-parenting communication and stability

Research over many years shows that child-inclusive mediation can improve:

• The durability and stability of parenting plans

• Parents’ ability to manage conflict

• Children’s emotional adjustment during and after separation

At its core, child-inclusive mediation helps parents shift their focus from the dispute to what their child needs most, promoting healthier outcomes for the whole family.

About

Every family has a story, and sometimes it reaches a turning point. At Golden Path Counselling, I offer a safe space where couples, parents, and children can feel understood, even when words are hard to find.

I am a registered counsellor with the ACA and a professional member of the Australian Association of Family Therapy (AAFT), drawing on evidence-based tools to support meaningful change. For couples, I use The Gottman Method – About | The Gottman Institute, a research-based approach to building trust, improving communication, and navigating challenges together.

As a child-inclusive mediator, I ensure children’s voices are heard in family decision-making. My years working with children and young adults taught me how to connect with those who often feel misunderstood or caught in difficult positions.