family therapy

American  

noun

1. the psychotherapeutic treatment of more than one member of a family simultaneously at the same session, based on the assumption that problems can best be understood and corrected by observing the interaction of family members and identifying methods for improving their interrelationships.

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family therapy British  

noun

1. a form of psychotherapy in which the members of a family participate, with the aim of improving communications between them and the ways in which they relate to each other

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Etymology

Origin of family therapy

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Adopted children who have been moved first into foster care, and then into an adoptive family, struggle to feel safe, says Emma, and the family therapy was aimed at addressing that.

From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025

Larry Barlow, assistant professor of marriage and family therapy at Capella University, recounts a personal episode that brought him and his wife up short.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 23, 2025

“We’re going through family therapy, and that’s what this should be, a family matter,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 15, 2024

He received his bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Cruz and earned his master’s in marriage and family therapy from the Phillips Graduate Institute.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2024

“We’re going to start seeing a marriage counselor and probably try some family therapy, too. It’s going to be a little weird for a while, but things will feel normal again pretty soon.”

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen