When communication difficulties arise within a family, it can often be beneficial to bring the family members together in the art process.

Members of a family do not exist independent of one another; rather, a family is a part of a system of specified relationships, adopted roles of behaviour and unconscious and conscious rules of communication.

This applies to a wide variety of family types including gay and lesbian, single parent, blended and nuclear families. This complex interaction of invisible rules and behaviour form the family functioning or dysfunction and maintains the "family dance."

By bringing a family together to create a group mural or a joint art activity, the art therapist can facilitate awareness to each member regarding family roles, alliances, communication patterns and group cohesiveness. This individual awareness can facilitate the family members to not only recognize the patterns of existing behaviour when they arise but can also empower the family to initiate change.