Family therapy can help with a wide range of challenges families are experiencing including: ​ • Family relationship difficulties • Child and adolescent mental health issues • Adult mental health issues • Child, adolescent and adult behaviour difficulties • Parenting issues • Illness and disability in the family • Separation, divorce and step-family life • Fostering, adoption, kinship care and the needs of ‘looked after’ children • Domestic violence and abuse • Self-harm • Drug and alcohol misuse • The effects of trauma • Physical illness, death, dying and bereavement • Difficulties related to ageing and other life cycle changes Please bear in mind that this is not an exhaustive list. If you are unsure if family therapy can help you with the challenges you are facing at home, please contact us here. (https://www.rainbowfamilytherapy.co.uk/contactus)

There is no fixed timeline. Some families experience meaningful change within a relatively short number of sessions. Others may need longer time to consolidate deeper shifts and work through the challenges. The work is reviewed regularly so it remains purposeful.

The short answer is No. At the beginning of the process, we establish clear therapeutic goals. That might relate to reducing conflict, improving communication, rebuilding trust, or addressing a specific behaviour such as school refusal or aggression. Yes, we will talk about emotions — because they shape how people respond to one another — but we are also looking at patterns, roles, expectations, and how interactions repeat over time. We explore questions like: • What happens just before things escalate? • Who tends to step in, and who steps back? • How are past experiences shaping present reactions? • What keeps the same argument returning? It’s a guided, relational process that helps families understand the dynamic they are living inside — and shift it deliberately. The aim is not endless discussion. The aim is meaningful, observable change.

Not always. Family therapy looks at the relational system, but that doesn’t mean every person is present every time. Sometimes we meet as a whole family. Sometimes with parents. Sometimes with a particular family member. It depends on what the work requires and it is a collaborative process.

Most people who attend family therapy sessions find 2 weekly appointments work well but this can be flexed to reflect the needs of you and your family and will be agreed with the therapist when we first meet and can be changed to suit your needs.

If children or teenagers are involved, we usually begin the work with the parents first. That isn’t because the young person is being excluded — it’s because understanding the full relational picture is essential before inviting them into the process. The early sessions focus on helping parents: • Clarify what’s happening in the current dynamic • Think carefully about how to introduce therapy to their child How family therapy is explained to a young person is vital. If it’s presented as “you’re the problem and this is to fix you,” resistance is almost inevitable. If it’s framed as “we want to understand how things have been feeling for everyone and find a better way forward together,” the tone shifts entirely. There is always invitation. Family therapy is not about forcing participation. It’s about creating the right conditions for engagement. And often, as parents begin responding differently and the atmosphere at home steadies, young people become more open to joining the work.

Family Therapy sessions are £195 for 60–70 minutes. Most families attend fortnightly. The work is focused, purposeful, and reviewed regularly — not open-ended or indefinite. Family therapy with Pei-I is not simply a weekly conversation. Families are investing in over 30 years of experience working with complex family dynamics — including high-conflict situations, teen aggression, school refusal, self-harm, and long-standing relational strain. Families are investing in specialist training in Family & Systemic Psychotherapy, alongside deep grounding in child development, psychology, and psychoanalytic thinking. Families are investing in: • Goal-oriented therapeutic work • Careful assessment of relational patterns — not surface symptoms • A process that is thoughtful, contained, and purposeful • Clear therapeutic direction rather than open-ended discussion This work is about understanding what is happening beneath the behaviour and shifting patterns at their root — so change is not temporary, but sustainable. The fee reflects the depth of training, experience, responsibility, and containment required to do this work safely and effectively.