Family Therapy

Family therapy in Canberra

Families come to Tidyminds when the same argument keeps happening, when a child or teenager is struggling and no one is sure how to help, or when a diagnosis has changed how the household works. Family therapy is not about finding who is at fault. It is about understanding the pattern the family has fallen into and building a way of relating that works for the people actually in the room.

We work with parents and carers, children, teenagers, siblings, blended families and separated co-parents. Sessions may include the whole family, part of it, or parents on their own — whatever is most useful at that stage.

What families come to us for

• Conflict that escalates quickly and repeats — the same fight, different day
• Parenting a child or teen with ADHD, autism or a PDA profile
• School refusal, school avoidance and morning meltdowns
• Anxiety, low mood or withdrawal in a child or adolescent
• Separation, blended families and co-parenting after conflict
• Grief, illness or another change that has shifted the family’s balance
• Communication that has broken down between a parent and a teenager

Our approach

Tidyminds is a neuro-affirming practice. If someone in your family is ADHD, autistic or otherwise neurodivergent, we do not treat their wiring as the problem to be fixed. We look at the fit between how each person is built and what the household is asking of them, and we adjust the system — routines, demands, communication, expectations — rather than asking one person to mask their way through.

We draw on family systems therapy, attachment-based work, and structured parenting approaches, and we keep the work practical. You should leave a session with something to try, not just something to think about.

What to expect

The first session is about understanding the situation from each person’s point of view and agreeing on what would make the biggest difference. From there we usually meet fortnightly. Most families notice a shift in the first few sessions; more entrenched patterns take longer. We will be honest with you about which one you are in.

Family sessions are 60 minutes and are $300 (GST inclusive). Individual and couples sessions are also available if part of the work is better done separately.

Common questions

Does everyone have to attend? No. Useful change often starts with the people who are willing to come. We will advise you on who is most helpful to include at each stage.

Will my child be blamed? No. We work with the family pattern, not with an identified patient. Children and teenagers are told plainly that they are not in trouble.

Do you offer telehealth? Yes — in-person in Forrest or online, and we can mix the two where that suits a separated or busy family.

Ready to start? Request an appointment or call 02 6106 9707.