Family Therapy
I love working with complex families!
I believe that every person’s behavior is a symptom of what is happening within the family system, and often the unresolved tension and anxiety trapped within that family system is the “impulse” behind these undesired behavior patterns. By experiencing the family as a whole system, I can help you address the underlying root of the problem(s) and attend to patterns of behavior that contribute to your current family challenges—so that your family can resolve conflicts and build stronger relationships.
When you are ready to start, contact me for a free 20-min consultation. :)
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy is systemic approach and collaborative process that involves the entire family system (or whichever members are willing to attend), and intentionally considers the interconnectedness of each family member's experiences and behaviors. The therapist will help create a safe and supportive environment for all members to express their thoughts and feelings. By directly attending to your family dynamics, we can work together to foster a functional and supportive family environment—leading to improved communication, mental health, and overall well-being for all members.
In general, family therapy is most effective when all family members who are relevant to the issues being addressed are involved in the therapy process. A family therapy session may involve the entire family (even multiple generations) or just specific members/subgroup, depending on the progress, needs, and concerns of that family. Yet it is important to note, that the decision to attend therapy should be made together as a family, and all members should be willing to participate and collaborate towards resolving their issues. (Please do not trick your family members into attending with “Oh, by the way we are going to attend a family counseling session after we eat lunch.” Nobody likes getting tricked into therapy.)
Contact me for a free 20-min consultation. I’m here to help. :)
10 benefits of family therapy
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Family therapy helps families develop better communication skills, which can lead to reduced conflict and deeper understanding among family members. Family therapy also provides a platform for family member’s voices to be heard (and respected) and a space to facilitate discussion regarding sensitive topics that are in dire need of being addressed.
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Family therapy provides a safe space for families to address and resolve conflicts and misunderstandings, leading to healthier family dynamics. It is easy to get stuck in old, inefficient patterns of conflict, without finding a path to resolutions. But by challenging and changing these well-trodden patterns, we can discover new outcomes and possibilities.
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Family therapy can help families identify and address old (or new) unpleasant patterns of behavior that may be contributing to their current problems. Sometimes we feel triangled into other people’s problems—while at other times we have difficulty getting out of our own self-sabotaging way! By identifying, challenging, and changing these patterns, the family can experience lasting change and a refreshing & new way of being together.
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Family therapy can help individuals and families work through and address mental health issues, leading to improved mental well-being for all involved. We can address substance abuse and related issues within the family system, and address how that affects each family member (in different ways).
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Family therapy can help families identify and address negative/dysfunctional patterns of behavior—while also understanding the root causes, motivations, and family “rules” that inadvertently enable these patterned behavior—in order to build stronger and healthier family relationships.
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Family therapy can teach families new coping skills for dealing with stress and challenging situations (e.g. the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) wellness skills), which can have a positive impact on overall well-being. I want to help you bolster your resilience!
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Family therapy can increase understanding and empathy among family members, leading to a deeper sense of connection and safe relationships. The safer the environment, the more we are able to grow and thrive.
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No family stays the same, and natural life transitions, traumatic experiences, diagnoses of chronic illness, achieving developmental milestones, important graduations, losses/separations, or the reconfiguration of the family constellation can all be potential seasons of difficulty. I can work with you through these life transitions in order to help you intentionally reweave the fabric of your family in a way that works better for everyone involved.
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Family therapy can involve extended family members such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, to address issues that may be affecting the larger family system. Often times the stress we experience in our immediate family is related to our connection (or lack of connection) with these extended family/friends. Whereas for other families, it is the blending of two different families (with their different rules, routines, and boundaries) into one that causes tension. How we navigate these relationships and patterned interactions directly affects our sense of belonging, our outlook, and our well-being. Family therapy can also be beneficial for single parents and their children, as it can provide support and guidance for navigating the challenges of single-parenting.
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To help families cope with the loss of a loved one and navigate the grieving process together. Most people don’t grow up in families who are comfortable with feeling and dealing with loss—and it can be assuring to have a safe place to process, remember, heal, and restore—in order learn how to live with dignity in spite of losing loved ones.
By directly attending to your family dynamics, we can work together to foster a functional and supportive family environment
What does the flow of family therapy look like?
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The therapist will get to know each member of the family, and as a family we collectively assess the family's dysfunctional patterns, needs and goals for therap. By gathering information about your history, relationships, supports, communication patterns, coping skills, strengths, mental health, and other relevant information we highlight the narratives that hold the family together. I try to make sure that every family member gets a chance to weigh in on their perspective of the family issues/problems that need attention. Sometimes there are varying perspectives of what/who “the problem” is! And these “differences” often provide some of the most helpful information about what is happening in the family.
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I am an expert on noticing patterns, and you are an expert on your family, so we will collaborate together to set specific goals for your family therapy, such as improving communication, resolving conflicts, changing entrenched family patterns, or repairing relationships. Again, this is a collaborative endeavor, and I will work closely with you to help you become a healthier and more resilient family.
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We will have discussions and activities aimed at resolving conflicts, changing patterns, challenging certain members, and improving relationships within the family. Sometimes previous relationship injuries (i.e. attachment injuries) may be inhibiting family growth, because one (or more) family member(s) is still struggling with unresolved pain. By gently listening to, attending to, and repairing this pain, we can help unlock new pathways to family growth.
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Throughout our sessions we will learn new communication and problem-solving skills that you can use outside of therapy. We will practice the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) and learn how these biologically based well-ness skills can help us develop more resiliency, so that ya’ll can be more ready to face adversity—individually and as a family.
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We will review progress made in therapy, help the family reflect on what they have learned, and how they can continue to improve their relationships.
Family therapy has several unique strengths
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Family therapy considers the entire family system, rather than just individual members, which can lead to a more comprehensive and effective approach to addressing problems. Usually one person’s behavior is simply a symptom of the family system. Often families discover there are hidden (or purposefully ignored) thematic pressures/experiences/perspectives that inadvertently enable certain undesired behaviors or outcomes.
By working with the whole family, we can work toward improving the dynamics of the family and adjusting the maladaptive family rules that might be partially responsible for the “stuck-ness” of the undesired behavior. By working with the whole family, we can focus more on becoming a healthy family instead of narrowly fixating on “behavior modification” for one person.
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Family therapy can help families improve communication and resolve conflicts, leading to a healthier and more functional family dynamic. Often times, where there’s a reaction, there’s a wound—which can influence the way we communicate. So we have to know where the wounds are, and how to begin to repair them.
Ever wonder why your family is so good at pushing your buttons? It’s because they installed them! And we can work together to heal the emotional and relational injuries that might be underlying the disruptive and dysfunctional communication patterns—so that we can replace those unwanted patterns with more desired interactions. This way everyone can feel safer and more respected.
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Family therapy encourages active participation from all family members, which can lead to a sense of empowerment and ownership over the therapy process (especially for those family members who may often feel silenced, ignored, or misunderstood). Just because we belong to the same family, does not mean we experience that family the same way. There are undoubtedly varying perspectives, prejudices, slights, grudges, confusions, passive-aggressive tendencies, domineering entitlements, etc. within the same family—and sometimes it is difficult to know how to handle all this complexity alone. I’m here to help.
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Family therapy can be a cost-effective approach, as it allows multiple family members to receive therapy at the same time, reducing the need for separate individual therapy sessions. Obviously, there are real and important benefits to seeking individual therapy, but individual therapy cannot directly address the family dynamics. When the whole family attends therapy together, we can address these family dynamics directly—which is much better for understanding all perspectives in the room—instead of just talking “about” the family dynamics and trying to change them indirectly during individual therapy sessions.
These strengths, among others, make family therapy a valuable and effective approach to improving the well-being and relationships of families.
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Family therapy can initially feel intimidating or scary for some people, especially if they know they are partially responsible for contributing to the challenges within their family. However, it's important to remember that the goal of family therapy is to improve relationships and promote healing and growth—including a potential shift in roles, rules, and expectations in the family—so that you can get more of what you want, and less of what you don’t want. With a skilled and compassionate therapist, family therapy can be a safe and supportive environment where family members can work through challenges and learn new skills for improving their family relationships.
In fact, I would expect you to feel at least some anxiety or discomfort at the beginning of therapy, but this often diminishes as the counseling process progresses, and family members begin to feel more comfortable and empowered. A good therapist will make sure that everyone feels heard and respected (and challenged at times too!). I am committed to creating a supportive and non-judgmental environment, so that family therapy becomes a valuable and rewarding experience—leading to lasting positive change for your family.
My Rate
My therapy hour rate (50 min) for family therapy is $200. Visit my FAQ page to learn more.
Contact me today for a free 20-min consultation. I’m here to help.