Individual Therapy vs Family Therapy: Which Path is Right for You?
- Kelsey Wilson
- Sep 9
- 4 min read
Quick Answer: If you’re deciding between individual therapy vs family therapy, here’s the short version: Individual therapy gives you one-on-one time to explore your experiences, strengthen your voice, and make sense of the stories you’ve been carrying. Family therapy focuses on the dynamics between people—helping families shift patterns of conflict, silence, or misunderstanding. Both can be powerful, and many people move between them at different points in their therapeutic journey.
When people begin considering therapy, one of the first questions that comes up is whether to pursue individual therapy vs family therapy. It’s not always an obvious choice—sometimes the lines between “my issues” and “our issues” can feel blurry. As a feminist and narrative therapist, I don’t believe problems exist in isolation. They’re shaped by relationships, by culture, and by the stories we’ve been told about who we’re supposed to be. That means the decision between individual therapy and family therapy is not about which one is “better,” but rather about what you’re hoping for and how healing might feel most supported.
What Is Individual Therapy?
Individual therapy often gets described as “one-on-one work,” but that description can be misleading. Yes, you meet with a therapist on your own, but the conversations aren’t just about you in a vacuum. I see individual work as an opportunity to explore the voices, expectations, and pressures that have taken root inside of you. These might come from family, culture, religion, or past relationships. Together, we untangle what’s truly yours from what has been handed to you.
For example, a woman might come in feeling “too sensitive” or “too needy.” When we pause and listen closely, it often becomes clear that those labels come from others—from a partner, from family, from a culture that rewards women for silence more than for expression. In individual therapy, we can ask: Who benefits from me carrying this label? What other stories are possible about me? Individual sessions create a safe and steady place to name these patterns and practice making new choices that align with your values.
What Is Family Therapy?
Family therapy looks at the themes happening in the room between people. The focus shifts from “What’s wrong with me?” to “What’s happening in our relationships?” These conversations help families interrupt cycles of blame, conflict, or silence. Instead of one person being labeled as “the problem,” we begin to see how dynamics, roles, and histories are shaping everyone’s experience.
For instance, if a teen is struggling with anxiety, family therapy may explore how communication styles at home influence the teen’s stress levels, or how generational expectations shape the way parents respond. In this way, family therapy makes visible the forces that might otherwise remain invisible—and offers new ways of relating that reduce distress for everyone.
Feminist, Narrative, and Collaborative Perspectives
From my lens, the choice between individual therapy vs family therapy is not a matter of fixing individuals or fixing families. Instead, it’s about uncovering the stories we’ve inherited and noticing how power operates within them. For example, Feminist therapy asks: Who gets heard in this family, and who doesn’t?
Sometimes people start with individual therapy and later bring in a partner or family member once they feel stronger in their own voice. Sometimes families begin together and then decide that one member could use individual support. Both paths are valid and can complement one another.
How to Decide What’s Best for You
When deciding between individual therapy vs family therapy, I often encourage people to ask themselves:
Do I want space to focus on my own growth, identity, and healing?
Or do I want support in shifting the ways my family interacts day to day?
Would it help me to have time to sort through my own experiences before bringing them into a family space?
Or does the problem feel so relational that it can’t be addressed without everyone in the room?
Neither choice closes the door on the other. Therapy is flexible, and many people move back and forth between these formats as life shifts. What matters most is what feels most supportive and aligned with your needs right now.
The Middle Ground
Something I’ve seen again and again in my practice is that even individual therapy has a family feel to it, because our relationships live inside of us. When we tell stories about a partner, a parent, or a child, those voices come into the therapy room too. Similarly, in family therapy, each person is invited to notice their own stories and identities, even while we focus on the group dynamic. The two formats overlap more than people realize.
The decision between individual therapy vs family therapy doesn’t have to feel final or overwhelming. Both are powerful spaces for growth, each offering its own kind of healing. What matters most is choosing the setting that allows your voice—and the voices of those you care about to be heard in ways that foster connection, clarity, and possibility.
If you’re curious about what therapy could look like for you, I’d love to connect. Reach out today to book a consultation or learn more about working together.
👉 Learn more about therapy costa mesa and how it can support your relationship.
Get in touch:
📞 (657) 339-2672
Comments