Family Therapy · New York
Family Therapy in Manhattan, NYC for Adult Families
Family therapy and counseling for adult families in Midtown Manhattan and online across New York - a space where every voice is heard, and change feels possible again.
The basics
What Is Family Therapy With Me?
I work with adult families - every participant is 18 or older. That might mean adult children and their parents, siblings finding their way back to each other, or any grouping of adult family members who want things to feel different. We meet as a family, so the relationships themselves get the attention, not just one person's side of the story. Many of the families I see are bicultural or immigrant families, including the adult daughters and sons of high-expectation families, where love and pressure arrived together.
What it helps with
What Family Therapy Helps With
- Conversations that keep turning into the same argument
- Distance or estrangement you don't want to accept as permanent
- Transitions that shift the whole family - marriage, loss, caregiving, moves
- Cultural and generational gaps, including bicultural and multiracial family dynamics
- Family of origin roles that no longer fit who you've each become
- Boundaries between adult children and parents that never got set, or keep getting crossed
If boundaries are the sticking point, start with my article on how to set boundaries with parents as an adult. If a parent never quite met you emotionally, my article on emotionally immature parents is a good next read.
The lens
No One Person Is the Problem
I work from a family systems perspective: dysfunction is rarely one person's fault. Every member contributes to the patterns a family repeats, including the peacekeepers whose smoothing-over can keep a conflict from ever resolving. Naming that together, without blame, is often where things start to shift.
My job is to make room for every perspective in the room while holding steady hope that things can change - because they can.
On your own
Family of Origin Therapy: Working on Your Family on Your Own
Your family of origin is the family you grew up in: your caregivers, your siblings, and the role you learned to play among them. Many of the wounds we deal with as adults come from those early experiences, and from feeling stuck in a role that followed us into adult life.
You do not need your family in the room to work on this. Maybe they are not willing to come, or you would rather not ask. In family of origin therapy we meet one-on-one, and you can still shift how you relate to yourself and to the people in your life.
Family of Origin Issues We Can Work On
- The old role you still step into on every visit home
- Guilt when you say no, or when you put yourself first
- The same argument, with the same ending, year after year
- Deciding what kind of relationship you want with your family now
What Family of Origin Work Involves
- Reparenting yourself: learning to give yourself, as an adult, what you were missing as a child, or finding it in other relationships
- Shifting the boundaries in your family, even if you are the only one changing
- Changing how you show up when the old patterns start again
- Thinking through distance, estrangement, or rekindling a relationship
When the pattern is rooted in something older, such as family of origin trauma or relational trauma, we can bring in EMDR therapy as part of relational trauma therapy. Some people call this family of origin counseling. Whatever name fits, you can start on your own and decide later whether to invite anyone in.
How we work
Functional Family Therapy: Strengths-Based and Time-Limited
I practice Functional Family Therapy (FFT), a strengths-based model that moves through three phases. It is intentionally time-limited - most families work with me for about three months to a year, not open-ended.
1. Trust and hope
We start by building trust - with me and between you - and restoring the sense that positive change is genuinely possible.
2. Concrete strategies
Together we practice specific tools to improve communication and address the stuck patterns that keep repeating.
3. Life beyond sessions
We make sure the skills hold up where they matter most - in your relationships outside the room, long after we finish.
Who it's for
Is Family Therapy Right for Your Family?
- Adult children and parents who want to talk honestly, maybe for the first time
- Siblings working through old hurts or new tensions
- Any grouping of adult family members - the more willing voices, the better
- Families where not everyone is on board yet - we work with whoever is present
- Adults who want to work on their family of origin on their own, without bringing family members in
About Samantha
Meet Samantha, a Family Therapist in Manhattan
I'm Samantha, an Asian American therapist in NYC. Family is where identity, culture, and history live closest to the surface, and I bring a warm, culturally-attuned approach to all of it. Your family's strengths stay in view the whole way through - there is room for humor here, too.
I see families in person in Midtown Manhattan and virtually across New York, and I welcome families of all shapes, backgrounds, and identities.
Sessions & fees
Family Therapy in Midtown Manhattan or Online Across NY
- Office at 286 5th Ave (NoMad), Midtown Manhattan - in-person Mon-Tue
- Virtual sessions the rest of the week, for families anywhere in New York
- Free 15-min phone consult to see if we're a fit
- Out-of-network; I provide superbills for possible reimbursement
Questions
Family Therapy: Common Questions
Do you work with children or teens?
No - I work exclusively with adult family members, everyone 18 and older. Family work with minors involves consent complexities and specialized training that sit outside my scope, and I'd rather you have the right fit. I'm happy to point you toward child and adolescent family therapists if that's what your family needs.
What if one family member refuses to come?
That's common, and it doesn't have to stop the work. My goal is to involve as many willing family members as possible, and we work with whoever is present. Families often find that when some members start showing up differently, the whole system shifts. You can also start on your own with family of origin therapy.
How long does family therapy take?
FFT is intentionally time-limited - typically somewhere between three months and a year, depending on what your family is working through. This is focused work with an end in sight, not open-ended therapy.
Will you take sides?
No. In a family systems approach, dysfunction is rarely one person's fault - every member plays a part in the patterns, and every perspective gets space in the room. My role is to hold all of it, and to hold hope for the family as a whole.
Can we do family therapy online?
Yes. I see families virtually across New York State, which also helps when members live in different parts of the state.
Do you take insurance?
I'm out-of-network, which keeps your family's care private and fully tailored to you. I provide superbills you can submit for possible reimbursement.
What is family of origin therapy?
Family of origin therapy is individual work on how the family you grew up in still shapes you: the roles, the rules and what you learned to expect from other people. You come on your own. We look at those patterns, practice new boundaries, and work on giving yourself what was missing, whether or not your family ever joins.
Is this family counseling for adult children and their parents?
Yes. Adult children and parents are the most common grouping I see, often when a conversation has been circling for years without landing. Siblings, partners of adult children, and grandparents are welcome too, as long as everyone is 18 or older.
Reaching Out Is the Hardest Step
The most difficult step in the healing process is often the very first one. Book a free 15-minute consult and let's talk about your family.