“It is in the shelter of each other that people live” Irish Proverb
Families that enter into therapy come for a variety of reasons; one member might be struggling with an addiction, depression, an abuse/trauma history, or an eating disorder and the other members are being affected. Other families come together in therapy to work on their relationships, communication, “blending”, or to handle a life transition. Family therapy is for any group of people that want to learn how to effectively communicate, how to support, love, and nurture each other, how to compromise and negotiate, how to heal past hurts, and how to grow.
When I am treating children in therapy, I often recommend family therapy in conjunction with individual therapy for the child. As a therapist I will only see your child for an hour or two each week, but you live with them on a day to day basis; therefore family therapy is specifically designed to meet your family’s individual needs. Our time is usually spent learning and implementing effective communication skills in safe environment, trying out new ways of interacting with each other, and making sure that each member of the family feels valued and included in the family.
Some families only come for a few sessions because they need to address a difficult and/or emotionally charged topic in a safe and structured environment with a trained professional to guide and facilitate a deeper, mutual understanding. Other families come for many sessions as they learn healthier interaction patterns and ways of being a “family”.
Some of the common themes that our counselors/therapists see in Family Therapy are:
- Poor Communication
- Parenting and Discipline Issues
- Blended Families
- New Sibling, Adoption, Stepsiblings
- Grief/Loss
- Supporting a Loved One with a Mental Health or Substance Abuse Issue
- Co-Parenting
- Life Transitions
- Supporting a Loved One after a Trauma
- Parenting an Adult Child
- Estranged Relationships