In-law and extended family therapy helps couples and families work through tension with parents, in-laws, and other relatives, including disagreements about boundaries, holidays, parenting, money, and time. Our clinicians help you and your partner get on the same page and practice ways to set limits that keep family connections respectful. Sessions are available in person and online.
Family ties matter, which is part of what makes these conflicts hard. You may feel caught between your partner and your parents, or between what you want and what your family expects. Therapy gives you a neutral place to sort out those loyalties, understand where the patterns come from, and decide how you want to handle them.
How In-Law & Extended Family Therapy Works
We start by understanding the situation: who is involved, what keeps happening, and how each of you experiences it. Often the first step is for you and your partner to talk openly about where you agree and where you see things differently, so outside pressure does not divide you.
From there, your clinician helps you understand the family patterns behind the conflict, clarify the boundaries that matter to you, and practice communicating them with warmth and clarity. Some sessions focus on specific events, such as an upcoming holiday, a visit, or a decision about childcare.
What We Help With
Boundary Concerns
Disagreements about privacy, unannounced visits, or how much say relatives have in your home and decisions.
Holidays and Family Events
Planning gatherings, travel, and traditions when partners or families expect different things.
Parenting Advice and Involvement
Unsolicited advice, differing views on raising children, or questions about how involved grandparents should be.
Feeling Caught in the Middle
Struggling to balance loyalty to a partner with loyalty to parents or siblings.
Cultural and Family Expectations
Differences in traditions, roles, and expectations between two families or cultures.
Money, Caregiving, and Time
Tension about financial help, caring for aging parents, or how much time to spend with relatives.
Approaches We Use
Exploring Family Patterns
Looks at the family history and loyalties that make it hard to say no, and how they affect your relationship now.
Staying Aligned as a Couple
Helps you and your partner agree on shared priorities, so pressure from outside the relationship does not pull you apart.
Boundary Setting
Separates pushing family away from setting a limit you can keep, so boundaries protect your relationship without ending connection.
Communication and Planning
Practices the words you want to use with family, and builds a plan for gatherings, including what to expect and how to step away if needed.
What to Expect
You don’t need to have it all figured out before you reach out.
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1
A Free Consultation
We will talk briefly about what is happening with your family and what you hope will change, then match you with a clinician.
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2
Getting to Know Your Situation
Your clinician meets with you and your partner, or with you individually if your partner is not ready to join, to understand the history, the current tension, and your goals.
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3
Building and Practicing Your Approach
Sessions are usually weekly to start, 45–60 minutes. You work on boundaries and communication in session, try them with family, and adjust as you go.
Care That Connects Across Specialties
Extended family stress often affects the couple relationship, parenting, and individual well-being. When it helps, your clinician works with colleagues across the practice, so you do not have to start over.
- If the strain is affecting your partnership, couples therapy can help you strengthen your connection.
- If you want to work on your own responses to family, individual therapy for adults is available.
- If the extended family would benefit from working together, family therapy offers a shared space.
- If parenting differences are part of the conflict, parent-focused therapy offers support.
- If the tension is centered on behavior and routines at home, parenting support for behavior and routines can help.
- If your children are struggling with the tension, child and adolescent therapy is available.
