What Therapy Can (and Can’t) Do for Families & Couples
🛋️ A realistic look at what’s possible and what needs work beyond the room
This October, we’re shifting focus.
After a month of exploring the body’s role in therapy, we’re zooming out to the wider systems we live in.
If you’ve ever wondered:
“Would family therapy help, or just make it worse?”
“Is couples therapy only for people on the brink?”
“Can therapy actually help our dynamic?”
You’re not alone. These are common and valid questions.
Let’s start this month by grounding ourselves in what couples and family therapy can (and can’t) actually do.
🔍 Therapy Isn’t Magic, It’s a Container
Couples and family therapy is not about choosing sides, assigning blame, or having a therapist “fix” your partner, child, or parent.
Instead, it's a structured space for:
Noticing the patterns that keep you stuck
Learning to listen differently
Practicing new ways to respond
Rehearsing boundaries, curiosity, and repair
But it’s not a miracle solution, it’s a mutual process. One that often takes time, courage, and consistency.
If you’re coming in hoping to “change the other person,” therapy may feel frustrating. But if you’re open to curious co-creation, it can change how you relate to others and to yourself.
🛋️ Tend to it in Therapy
Questions to bring into the room:
“What are the unsaid rules in our relationship?”
“How do we each show up when things get hard?”
“What part of this system am I willing to explore?”
✨ Somatic Practice: Co-Regulation Check-In
Even in conflict, bodies are in relationship. Try this short awareness practice:
Sit near your partner or family member (or imagine them)
Without speaking, notice:
How your body reacts in proximity to them
What changes in your breath, shoulders, or jaw?
Are you leaning in, pulling back, tensing up?
Ask: “What’s my nervous system telling me right now?”
Offer yourself one small cue of safety (ex: a longer exhale, shifting position, placing a hand on your chest)
This isn’t about fixing, it’s about noticing and naming, so repair becomes possible.
📣 Prepared for Action?
Wondering if family or couples therapy could help your system move forward?
Sometimes, the first step isn’t getting everyone on board; it’s getting clear on your own needs and readiness.
