FAMILY THERAPY THROUGH OPEN DIALOGUE
When Family Conversations Have Broken Down
A place where you can have the conversations your family needs to have, but hasn’t been able to.
Start with a free 15-minute clarity call to discuss what your family needs and explore whether this is the right fit for you.
AHPRA Registered Psychologist | Psychology Board of Australia | Private Telehealth Australia
When The Space Between You Feels Heavy
You might be here because conversations at home keep turning into arguments. Or perhaps the opposite has happened. People have simply stopped talking to avoid the tension.
Families reach out to us for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it is because a specific crisis or a mental health struggle is impacting everyone. Other times, it is a slow build-up of conflict, communication breakdown, and a feeling that you are constantly walking on eggshells around each other.
There are things your family has never quite talked about. Hurts that got shoved down. Fears no one voiced. Misunderstandings that keep showing up in different ways, in tension, in distance, in the same fights. These things don’t go away. They show up in your relationships, whether you talk about them or not. They are the elephants in the room, always there.
Arguing doesn’t fix it. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. You need a space where every single voice can actually be heard, without the fear of it turning into another fight.
And this is a space for that.
What’s Different Here
We believe that genuine recovery happens in relationships. Not in isolation, but in understanding, in finally being heard, in connection. When families are given safe space to speak and listen to one another, they have the capacity to find their own way forward. You know your family better than any expert ever could.
We do not diagnose. We do not prescribe treatment. We do not position ourselves as having the answers. Instead, we create the conditions for understanding and connection to emerge. We hold the space while your family finds its own way forward.
Two trained practitioners are always present. This ensures the space remains balanced and safe for everyone. Every voice has room to exist.
We sit with you in the uncomfortable, messy, and uncertain moments. We do not rush toward tidy solutions. When a family is finally given the space to sit safely in that uncertainty, things shift.
Understanding Our Approach
Our work is grounded in Open Dialogue and dialogical practice. Open Dialogue was developed in Finland in the 1980s in response to high rates of psychosis and acute mental health crisis. A team of clinicians asked a radical question: what if, instead of treating the person in isolation, we brought their whole family and support network into the room?
What they came to believe was that people make sense of what is happening to them within their relationships, not apart from them. When families and networks are part of the conversation, and every voice is heard, something different becomes possible.
Open Dialogue is now globally recognised, yet hard to access in Australia, and has been associated with:
- Reduced hospital admissions and psychiatric crises
- Less need to return to crisis services
- Stronger engagement with work, study, and social connection
- People rating their own recovery and their care more highly
This isn’t about fixing individuals in isolation. It’s about families healing together when they finally have the space to truly understand each other.
Who This Works For
Families Dealing with Daily Tension, Conflict, or Communication Breakdowns
The same arguments on repeat. Or silence that has grown heavy. You feel like you are all trying but somehow still moving further apart.
Families Trying to Support a Loved One Through a Mental Health Challenge
Someone you love is carrying something heavy and everyone feels it. You do not know how to reach them safely, and the family system feels stuck around it.
Parents and Adolescent or Adult Children Navigating Difficult Transitions
Relationships shift as people grow. Sometimes those shifts create distance or conflict. You want to understand each other differently as you both change.
Adult Siblings Looking to Resolve Long-Standing Disconnects
Sibling relationships carry years of history. Sometimes that history gets in the way of genuine connection. You want to find your way back to each other.
Blended Families Struggling to Find Their Footing
Step-families, re-partnered families, and complex family systems need space to build understanding and connection on new ground.
Any Support Network That Wants to Communicate More Safely and Honestly
Friends, extended family, community groups, teams. If there are three or more people who want to understand each other better, this space is for you.
What It Costs
FAMILY MEETING (60MIN)
$480
Family meetings involve two practitioners. While our standard sessions are 60 minutes, we recommend 90 minutes if the family needs more space to work through complex dynamics. We will discuss exactly what length and structure your family needs during our free initial chat so there are no surprises.
A Note on Medicare & Health Funds: Please note that family and network sessions are generally not eligible for Medicare rebates under a Mental Health Treatment Plan. However, depending on your private health insurance fund and level of extras cover, a rebate may apply.
