Structured, collaborative support for families who want to understand the patterns that keep repeating at home. Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW), Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) certified by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA), and other clinicians. In person in Edmonton and St. Albert, and virtual for people located in Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Structural Family Therapy Is Right for Your Family

You may be unsure whether what is happening in your family is serious enough for family therapy. Maybe no single crisis has happened. People still care about each other, and yet the same tensions keep coming back. You might also worry that sitting in a room together will turn into a session about who is to blame.

It might look like the same argument about homework or screen time, ending the same way every time. It might be one person who always ends up enforcing the rules while someone else smooths things over, and both are tired of it. Or it might be a teenager who goes quiet and disappears to their room as soon as voices rise.

Patterns like these usually develop for understandable reasons. Families adjust to stress, change, and loss in whatever ways get them through at the time. Over time, those ways of coping can settle into roles that no longer fit anyone well. That does not mean your family is broken, or that one person is the problem.

You might be reading this because you are ready to book, because you are still deciding, or because you are gathering information for a parent, partner, or adult child. If things at home do not feel safe right now, the crisis resources further down this page are a better place to start. Otherwise, you may wish to read on and see what this kind of support looks like.

Who We Help

Structural Family Therapy may be a good fit for:

• families who want to understand recurring interaction patterns at home
• parents and caregivers who want to get on the same page about how they respond to children or teenagers
• families going through change, such as separation, blending households, illness, or school transitions
• adult family members working through tension across generations
• a parent or caregiver who would like to start on their own before involving others

It may not be the right fit when:

• Someone is in immediate danger or crisis. Please use the crisis resources below.
• There is violence or fear at home. Joint family sessions may not be the safest format. A therapist can talk with you about separate sessions or other supports, and our page on family violence counselling describes another option.
• You need a court report, custody evaluation, or other legal or forensic service. These needs are outside this therapy service. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• Someone in the family has used violence and needs a dedicated intervention program. The admin team can talk with you about whether another service is a better starting point.

If You Need Help Right Now

Family therapy is planned, scheduled support. It cannot respond to emergencies, and messages and booking requests are not monitored for crisis support.

• If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911.
• For suicide crisis support, call or text 9-8-8, any time (Government of Canada, n.d.).
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Family Violence Info Line (Alberta): 310-1818 (24/7, toll-free)

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What Structural Family Therapy Is

Structural Family Therapy is a family-systems approach that explores patterns of interaction within a family. Instead of treating one person as the problem, sessions may explore communication, roles, boundaries, and relationship patterns across the family. There is no single right family structure. Families differ in culture, values, caregiving arrangements, and circumstances, and the aim is not to judge how yours is organized.

Depending on your goals and circumstances, sessions may include family members together, caregivers, or individual meetings. The format is decided with everyone's consent and can change as goals become clearer.

A few boundaries are worth knowing from the start:

• Therapy is not a legal service, an investigation, or crisis intervention.
• This service does not include psychological assessments or diagnosis. Assessments are a separate service with their own process.
• The pace is set by your family, not the therapist. Nobody is asked to share more than they are ready to.
• What you share is confidential, with some legal limits. These are explained in the confidentiality section below and at your first session.
• Clinicians work within the scope of their professional registration and training. If your family needs something outside that scope, they will tell you and talk with you about other options.

Signs Family Patterns May Be Affecting Your Household

You do not need a diagnosis, or one identified "problem person," to consider family therapy. Some families notice experiences like these:

• conversations that go in circles or end in the same standoff
• bracing yourself before family dinners, drives, or holidays
• uncertainty about roles, responsibilities, or who makes which decisions
• caregivers who feel they are working against each other rather than together
• one family member who seems to carry the stress for everyone, or who keeps being cast as the difficult one
• tension between generations, such as grandparents and parents disagreeing about the children
• a child or teenager whose behaviour shifts when tension at home rises
• trouble sleeping or feeling worn out in ways that seem to follow how things are going at home
• strain during big changes, such as separation, a new household, illness, or a move

These experiences are common reactions to stress and change inside a family. They do not mean something is permanently wrong with your family or with anyone in it. Therapy can offer a structured space to look at what is happening together and to explore communication and shared goals.

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match with a Therapist tool or browse profiles on our Our Therapists page. If you are not sure where to start, the admin team at 780-904-4880 can help you explore therapist fit and current availability for family sessions.
• Book your first session. You can book online through our booking system. The first session covers confidentiality and its limits, informed consent (including how consent works when more than one person attends), and what each person hopes may be different. You and your therapist also talk about who should be involved.
• Build your plan together. You and your therapist shape a plan around your family's goals. It may include sessions with everyone, caregiver sessions, individual meetings, or a mix.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly or every two weeks, adjusted as needed. Later sessions may include talking through recent interactions, noticing patterns, and practising different ways of communicating.
• Progress check-ins. Your therapist reviews progress with you regularly, and the plan changes as your family's needs change.

There is no fixed number of sessions. The work is collaborative, and each family member's voice matters at every stage. For a fuller walkthrough, see Getting Started with Therapy.

Evidence and Approaches

The research on Structural Family Therapy available for this page is limited. Below is what the sources show, and where they fall short.

Structural Family Therapy

What it helps with: Families who want to understand recurring interaction patterns, including communication, roles, and boundaries.

Evidence summary: Structural Family Therapy is described as a family-systems approach that explores how family members interact. One published study has examined a combined structural-strategic family therapy approach with adolescents receiving mental health services and their families ("Effectiveness of Structural-Strategic Family Therapy," n.d.). That study's findings have not yet been reviewed for this page, so no conclusions about effectiveness are drawn here.

Limitations: The study looked at a combined structural-strategic model, not Structural Family Therapy alone. Outcomes vary from family to family.

Family-Focused Support for Children and Young People

What it helps with: Families where a child's or teenager's behaviour is part of what brings them to therapy.

Evidence summary: A clinical guideline addresses how antisocial behaviour and conduct disorders in children and young people are recognized and managed (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.). This page does not attribute any specific recommendation to that guideline. Structural Family Therapy should not be read as a NICE-recommended treatment.

Limitations: NICE guidance is developed for the United Kingdom, and some recommendations may not map directly onto Canadian services. Its contents have not yet been reviewed for this page.

If you are comparing approaches, our pages on Family Systems Therapy and Strategic Family Therapy describe related ways of working with families.

What Results to Expect

Change in families rarely happens in a straight line. Some weeks may feel like progress, and others may feel like old patterns are back. That is a common part of the work.

Some families notice shifts within a few months, while others benefit from longer-term work. Outcomes depend on many things, including what your family has been through, what is happening in your lives now, who is able to take part, and how well the therapist fits your family.

No therapy can guarantee a particular result. Many people who engage in therapy experience meaningful changes, but outcomes vary. Fit matters too. If the therapist or the approach is not working for your family, you can change either one.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in therapy is kept confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists. Other clinicians follow the professional and ethical standards that apply to their credential.

In Alberta, private clinics are generally governed by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA sets rules for how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, and kept. The Health Information Act (HIA) governs health information held by designated custodians, such as Alberta Health Services, and by people working on their behalf. Your clinician can explain which rules apply to your file.

Family therapy adds one more layer. When more than one person attends, your therapist will explain how information is handled between family members, including information from any individual meetings.

Confidentiality has legal limits. A clinician may need to share information without consent when:

• there is a risk of serious harm to you or someone else
• a child may be experiencing abuse or neglect (reporting is mandatory under Alberta law)
• a court orders the release of information

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly during the first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy before you share anything personal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we have to describe everything that has happened in detail?

No. You and your family decide what to share and when. Structural Family Therapy looks at how family members interact, so much of the work can focus on present-day patterns rather than detailed accounts of the past. If something feels too hard to talk about with others in the room, you can say so, and your therapist can adjust the format.

Is what we share kept private?

Yes, with some legal limits. Exceptions include a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. When more than one family member is involved, your therapist will also explain how information is handled within the family. The confidentiality section above has more detail.

How many sessions will we need?

There is no fixed number. Some families find that short-term work covers what they came in for, while others benefit from longer-term support. Your therapist will review progress with you regularly so you can decide together whether to continue, change focus, or pause.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, especially when several people need to feel comfortable with the same therapist. If it does not feel right, you can tell your therapist or contact the admin team, who can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can we do family therapy online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available for people located in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply. Whether a virtual format suits your family's situation can be discussed when booking or at the first appointment. You can read more on our online counselling page.

Do all family members need to attend?

No. Who attends is discussed with your therapist based on your goals, consent, and circumstances. Some families begin with caregivers, while others include several family members from the start. If someone is not ready to come, the work can begin with whoever is.

What if things at home do not feel safe right now?

If you are worried about safety at home, start with safety rather than therapy. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 911. The Family Violence Info Line (Alberta) at 310-1818 is available 24/7 if you want to talk through options. Joint family sessions may not be the right format when there is violence or fear at home, and a therapist can talk with you about separate sessions or other supports.

Can a family therapist write a report for court or a custody matter?

This service is therapy, not a legal or assessment service. Court-related evaluations, such as parenting assessments, are a separate kind of service with a different process. If your family is involved in a legal matter, let the admin team know so they can explain what this service can and cannot provide.

Meet Your Clinicians

Our team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists. Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students.

Training and areas of focus vary by clinician, so it helps to check before booking. Individual profiles on our Our Therapists page describe each person's experience. You can also use the Match with a Therapist tool or call the admin team at 780-904-4880 to explore who may suit family work and who has current availability.

Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young people, as well as family work. Therapists who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches. Clinicians also work with parents and caregivers to support the home environment a child returns to after each session.

In family therapy, that may mean some sessions with caregivers on their own. Parents looking for support in their own role may also find our parenting support page useful.

Taking the Next Step

If you would like to learn more, you can take the next step in whichever way feels most comfortable:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist using our matching tool
• Call the admin team at 780-904-4880
• Email info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read Getting Started with Therapy to see what the first sessions look like

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Effectiveness of structural-strategic family therapy in the treatment of adolescents with mental health problems and their families. (n.d.). [PubMed record].
• Government of Canada. (n.d.). [Suicide prevention crisis-support information]. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/warning-signs.html
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Antisocial behaviour and conduct disorders in children and young people: Recognition and management [Clinical guideline].