Married at First Sight psychologist John Aiken turns his attention to making over unhappy families

The clinical psychologist, alongside child family psychologist Clare Rowe, has signed up for ABC’s three-part series Making Families Happy.
Over the course of eight weeks, the pair use scientifically-based strategies to help three families in crisis come together and transform their dysfunctional relationships long-term. And in addition, he also hopes to also improve the happiness of all families tuning in.
“When you take on an opportunity to be a psychologist on a TV show it’s not just about how you can help the people in front of you, but also what kind of reach it has to people who are sitting at home,” says Aiken.
“In this eight-week process, there are a lot of take homes for people who are watching.”
From tips on language to use to facilitate better communication to simple tasks and exercises families can do together to create better harmony, Aiken and Rowe bring a wealth of achievable material to the show.

But don’t think that it will be easy. Aiken says while they were almost all parties were keen to be in the project, each family struggled with the process of increasing their happiness score.
However as the weeks wore on, the adults began to notice major changes as they worked on presenting a united front as parents.
“They realised that if they are getting along well as a team — communicating well, supporting each other, no undermining, setting clear boundaries together — then the kids fall into line,” says Aiken.
“A lot of people think that if you fix the child, you fix the family. That’s not what we found. You fix the relationship and the family falls into line.”
Another key tip Aiken says he left families with on was the importance of spending time together.
“Family events on a weekly basis are important,” he advises.
“Ask open ended questions and get to know each person in the family — know what they’re afraid of, what they aspire to, what their likes and dislikes are. Get an understanding of what makes them tick. And always follow through on promises.”