What is Family Therapy?
In family therapy the family is treated as a whole. Family relationships are seen as an important factor in psychological well-being of all family members. The therapist assists the family in understanding that, regardless of the origin of the problem, and regardless of whether the clients consider it an "individual" or "family" issue, involving families in solutions is often beneficial.

Goals of family therapy are to improve communication and relationships among family members. Treatment seeks to identify any unhealthy family patterns and interactions and then engage the family members to actively work together to create healthier patterns.

This involvement of families is commonly accomplished by their direct participation in the therapy session. The family therapist influences conversations during the session in a way that focuses on the strengths, wisdom, and support of the entire family.

Family therapy has been used effectively in the full range of human difficulties; there is no category of relationship or psychological problem that has not been addressed with this approach.

There are many situations and occurrences in life that can strain and test the strength of a family. For example, when one member of the family is depressed, it doesn't affect just the depressed person, but everyone around them, too. What makes this a family issue is, that as a depressed person's relationships become strained--to the point where others actively avoid having anything to do with them. This further contributes to a worsening self-image and makes the person feel even more isolated, intensifying the depression.

Depressed individuals can learn to understand how their illness affects other people, and that it might take some time before these relationships can be improved. Consequently, those around them must understand that it is not the person, but the illness, which is an inconvenience. The best thing for the depressed person and the family is to seek therapeutic help. Friends and family must remember that the depression patient did not do ask for this illness, it is not a character flaw, and the patient often doesn't have much control over what he or she does. Friends and family members should remember not to take the symptoms of depression in someone else personally.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_therapy