Family therapy emphasizes family relationships as a critical factor of psychological wellbeing. By working with groups in close relationships, counselors are able to nurture change and development amongst the parties involved. This can include systems of interaction between family members, and focuses on the belief that regardless of the issue, involving families in solutions is often times beneficial.
While family therapy used to refer mainly to the relationships between parents and their children, it has now broadened to include strongly supportive, long-term relationships between people who may or may not be related by blood or marriage.