Family Therapy
- Table of Contents
- What is Family Therapy?
- Why Families Seek Therapy
- Our Family Therapists – Formats & Approaches
- Multicultural and Blended Families in Thailand
- When Children or Teens are Struggling
- Collaboration with International Schools
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Online and In-Person Options Across Thailand
- Getting Started With Family Therapy
Family Therapy: Support to Overcome Challenges Together
Family therapy is a supportive and structured process that helps families address challenges, improve communication, and strengthen their relationships. At Counselling Thailand, we understand that every family is unique, and it is entirely normal to seek professional guidance when difficulties arise. Taking this step is not a sign of failure, but a proactive choice to build healthier and more connected relationships.
Rather than focusing on blame, family therapy looks at the family as a whole — exploring patterns of interaction, shared experiences, and the ways members support one another. Sessions provide a safe, neutral space where everyone’s voice is valued and respected, enabling families to work through misunderstandings, reduce conflict, and foster stronger emotional bonds.
Families may seek therapy during times of transition, such as relocation, changes in household structure, or significant life events, as well as to address ongoing tensions or behavioural concerns. Whatever the reason, the aim is to create a more harmonious home environment in which each member feels understood, supported, and valued.
Why Families Seek Therapy
Families come to therapy for a wide variety of reasons. Some attend following a specific crisis, while others seek support for matters that have developed gradually over time. Common concerns include:
- Ongoing communication breakdowns
- Unresolved conflicts
- Parenting disagreements
- Tension following separation or divorce
Therapy can be especially valuable during significant life changes, such as:
- Welcoming a new family member
- Becoming new parents
- Coping with bereavement
- Navigating adoption within the family
- Adapting to a relocation
- Offering guidance and understanding around gender and sexuality
Also, blended families may encounter challenges around:
- Loyalty conflicts
- Different household rules
- Step-parenting dynamics
In Thailand, families may also face unique pressures such as balancing traditional and modern values, adjusting to cultural differences, and raising children in a multicultural environment. When a child or teenager is struggling with matters like school refusal, mood changes, self-harm, or risk-taking behaviours — the underlying causes often affect the whole family.
Addressing these concerns together can strengthen understanding, improve emotional support, and create more resilient relationships.
Our Family Therapists – Formats & Approaches
How Family Therapy Works
Family therapy at Counselling Thailand provides a confidential, non-judgemental environment where every family member has the opportunity to be heard.
- The family therapist acts as a neutral facilitator, guiding discussions so all perspectives are acknowledged.
- Sessions focus on creating a safe space where concerns can be expressed openly without fear of blame or criticism.
- Respectful dialogue is encouraged, helping to clarify misunderstandings and build mutual understanding.
Structure and Participation
We offer flexibility in how therapy sessions are arranged so they suit your family’s needs:
- Whole family sessions to address shared concerns and foster collective problem-solving.
- Smaller group sessions such as parents only, siblings only, or a parent with a child to explore specific dynamics.
- Individual sessions where one family member may benefit from private space to reflect.
- Discussions are structured to promote goal-setting that is achievable and agreed upon by all involved.
Building Skills for the Future
Our work goes beyond immediate problem-solving by developing skills that strengthen relationships over time:
- Effective communication to ensure everyone feels understood.
- Empathy and emotional awareness to deepen family connections.
- Conflict resolution techniques to manage disagreements constructively.
- Identifying and replacing unhelpful patterns with healthier ways of interacting.
Family Therapy – Formats and Approaches
Our family therapists draw from a variety of evidence-based approaches, tailoring each session to your family’s unique circumstances:
- Systemic family therapy – exploring relationship patterns and their impact on each member.
- Narrative therapy – helping families reframe and reauthor their shared story.
- Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) & Attachment-based approaches – strengthening emotional bonds between family members.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – addressing specific challenges through practical strategies.
- Solution-focused work – building on strengths and identifying achievable next steps.
Cultural and Linguistic Relevance
Every family is different, and therapy is adapted to ensure it feels relevant and comfortable:
- Respecting cultural values and traditions.
- Adapting communication styles to suit family preferences.
- Providing therapy in multiple languages, always ensuring English fluency for clear communication.
Multicultural and Blended Families in Thailand
In Thailand, many families include members from different cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds. This diversity can be enriching but may also bring challenges, particularly around parenting styles, communication, and expectations. Mixed-culture households, Luk Khrueng (ลูกครึ่ง) families, and expatriate families often navigate differences in traditions, values, and education systems. Children who relocate from another country, often referred to as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), may also need extra support as they adjust to new environments and balance their identity across multiple cultures.
Family therapy provides a neutral space to explore these differences, improve mutual understanding, and develop strategies that respect the perspectives of all family members. Our Family Therapists are experienced in cross-cultural work and can offer bilingual sessions where needed, ensuring that therapy remains accessible and culturally sensitive.
When Children or Teens Are Struggling
Difficulties faced by a child or teenager often ripple through the entire family. These challenges may be emotional, behavioural, or social, and can create tension and worry at home. Recognising the signs early can be the first step toward positive change.
Common challenges may include:
- Sudden changes in mood or behaviour
- Declining academic performance
- Withdrawal from friends or social activities
- Self-harm or expressions of hopelessness
- Risk-taking behaviours
Family therapy offers a safe and supportive setting for everyone to work through difficulties together. By involving the young person alongside parents and siblings, the process focuses on uncovering underlying issues, improving family communication, and building practical coping skills.
Benefits of a collaborative approach include:
- Identifying the root causes of challenges
- Improving communication and mutual understanding
- Developing healthy coping strategies
- Ensuring the young person feels supported
- Equipping parents and siblings with constructive tools to respond
For families seeking more focused support for young people, Counselling Thailand also offers dedicated services for adolescents. You can find more information on our Teen Counselling in Bangkok page.
Collaboration With International Schools
We work closely with many international schools throughout the country, providing specialist family therapy services that enhance and complement the support already available within the school setting. While school counsellors play a vital role in supporting the children and young people in their care, their remit typically focuses on the individual student and does not extend to working with the wider family unit. This can mean that certain home-based dynamics and relationship situations remain outside the scope of the school’s counselling provision.
Our collaboration bridges this gap in a professional and seamless way. With the family’s consent, our therapists maintain open communication with the school’s pastoral or counselling team, ensuring that the therapeutic strategies we develop align with the support the child receives in school. This integrated approach provides continuity, strengthens outcomes, and ensures that both the child and their family benefit from cohesive, well-coordinated care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What topics can family therapy help with?
Family therapy can address a wide range of concerns, including communication breakdowns, conflict, parenting disagreements, adjusting to life changes, and supporting children or teens with emotional or behavioural difficulties. It can also help blended and multicultural families navigate differences in values and expectations.
Q: How many sessions will we need?
The number of sessions varies depending on the nature of the topic and the goals you set together with your therapist. Some families find a few sessions are enough to make positive changes, while others benefit from longer-term support.
Q: Can we have therapy in more than one language?
Yes. We usually offer sessions in Thai or English, or a combination of both, ensuring that all family members can communicate comfortably and effectively. Other languages we offer are Mandarin, Korean, Indonesian and Vietnamese.
Q: Do all family members need to attend every session?
Not necessarily. While some sessions may involve the whole family, others may focus on smaller groups or individuals, depending on the topics being addressed and the most effective way to work toward your goals.
Online and In-Person Options Across Thailand
We offer flexible access to therapy so the whole family can receive consistent, high-quality support wherever you are in Thailand. In-person sessions are available exclusively in Chiang Mai, providing face-to-face care in a comfortable, private setting.
For families in all other areas, including Bangkok and Phuket, online therapy is an effective and convenient option. Using trusted, private video call platforms, children can meet their therapist from the comfort of home or another familiar environment — often helping them feel more relaxed and open.
Online sessions remove the need for travel and fit easily into busy family schedules. They are ideal for families living outside major cities, homeschooling families, expats, or those who travel frequently. Therapy can continue uninterrupted during school breaks, moves, or holidays, and sessions can be arranged during school hours or after work to suit your family’s needs.
Getting Started With Family Therapy
We offer a free initial consultation to help you feel confident about your choice before committing to ongoing sessions. During this meeting, you can discuss your goals, understand the therapy process, and decide together on the best approach for your family.
Counselling Fees
We believe that accessing therapy should be straightforward, fair, and transparent. While some counselling practices charge higher fees for couples or family sessions—or increase prices for evening or weekend appointments—we take a different approach.
At Counselling Thailand, all fees are charged per session, not per person, and are the same regardless of whether your appointment is on a weekday, evening, or weekend. We believe this reflects our commitment to making therapy accessible and to supporting relationships without adding financial or scheduling barriers.
We accept international payments in both Thai Baht (THB) and US Dollars (USD) to accommodate clients living both in Thailand and abroad.
Please visit our fees and appointments page for more information.
How to Get Started with a Free Initial Consultation
At Counselling Thailand, we understand the importance of finding the right therapist for addressing your concerns and needs. That’s why we offer a free initial 15 minute consultation for individuals and 30 minutes for couples and families before booking your first therapy appointment.
First, complete our online client enquiry form. This will give a little extra information to help us select whom we believe the most suitable therapist would be and then we can email you a list of available appointment times for the free initial call.
During this consultation, we will discuss your specific situation and determine whether our approach aligns with your needs. We will also answer any questions you may have. If you decide to proceed with counselling, we can then schedule the first full session(s) at a mutually convenient time.
If you have any questions before booking the free initial call you can either visit our Frequently Asked Questions Page, or mention these whilst completing the online enquiry form.