The goal of family therapy is to help family members improve communication, solve family problems, understand and handle special family situations, and create a better functioning home environment. In addition, therapy can be helpful for families that would like to improve communication and reduce conflict.
Common Family Problems
All families are different and have unique challenges and difficulties. When there is a problem in a family, everybody is affected. Here are some of the more common family problems that people come to me for help with:
- When a child is having a problem such as too much screen time, adolescent developmental issues, or problems in school
- A major change that impacts the entire family such as moving to a new city, divorce, or remarriage
- Loss of a family member
- Adjustment to a new family member in the home such as birth of a sibling or adoption
- Unresolved conflict between siblings or between parents and children
- Serious physical or mental illness
What Is A Family?
Family can refer to anyone who plays a long-term supportive role in one’s life, which may not mean blood relations or family members in the same household. Familial relationships are viewed as important for good mental health. Therapy can help you improve troubled relationships with your children, parents, siblings, or other family members. Your family may pursue family therapy along with other types of mental health treatment such as couples therapy, individual therapy, or group therapy.
What Happens In Family Therapy?
Many families have challenges expressing difficult emotions effectively which blocks communication. For instance, some people tend to be too eager to express their feelings which can be overwhelming to their partner and others bury their emotions which can cause resentment or depression. You will bring longstanding problems into the open and learn to talk about your concerns constructively so you can more effectively deal with your issues. As a family you will start to identify and change unhelpful relationship patterns so that everyone can get their needs met. By constructively working on problems together you can reconnect as a family and establish a new way of functioning effectively together.
Benefits of Family Therapy
Family therapy can be helpful on many levels. Here are some of the improvements that you can work towards in therapy:
- Improved communication among family members
- Effective problem solving through understanding of family patterns and dynamics
- Development of healthier boundaries and stronger bonds within the family
- Greater empathy and understanding
- Better functioning outside the home including school and work
- Reduced family conflict
Feel free to contact me to discuss the possibility of starting family therapy and to set up an initial consultation.
