Family systems therapy

Couple and Family therapy (sometimes called family systems therapy) aims at helping people solve family problems. Family therapists consider a family as a system of interacting members. As such, family problems are seen to arise as an emergent property of systemic interactions, rather than blaming individual members. See also systemic coaching.

Methodology
A family therapist usually meets several members of the family at the same time ("conjoint family therapy" is used in the approach of Virginia Satir.) This has the advantage of making differences between the ways family members perceive mutual relations as well as interaction patterns in the session apparent both for the therapist and the family. These patterns frequently mirror habitual interaction patterns at home, even though the therapist is now incorporated into the family system. Therapy interventions usually focus on relationship patterns rather than on analyzing subconscious impulses or early childhood traumas of individuals as a Freudian therapist would do.

Family therapy is really a way of thinking, an epistemology rather than about how many people seat in the room with the therapist. Family therapists are relational therapists, they are interested in what goes between people rather in people.

Depending on circumstances, a therapist may point out to the family interaction patterns that the family might have not noticed; or suggest different ways of responding to other family members. These changes in the way of responding may then trigger repercussions in the whole system, leading to a more satisfactory system state.

Founders
Some key developers of family therapy are:
 * Nathan Ackerman (psychoanalytic)
 * Walter Kempler (gestalt)
 * Murray Bowen (systems, Bowen Theory)
 * Salvador Minuchin (structural)
 * James Framo (object-relations)
 * Jay Haley (communications)
 * Virginia Satir (Communications and experiential}