Family Therapy is a combination of individual psychotherapy and family therapy catered to what the family (system) needs. Each person within the family has a role and is essential to the process of the family. If one person in the family is in pain, the family as a whole will be in pain. Thus, the family as a whole will need to heal. Family therapy supports individuals and the family in addressing conflict, communication and dynamics.

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Family therapy includes many components to improve the family system as a whole. Communication is essential to support the family in coping with conflict and resolution. Effective communication will allow the family to listen to understand rather than listen to respond.

 

Parenting is another component of family therapy. It can be difficult to know the best way to parent due to societal influences on body image, negative coping skills, and bullying. Fostering an environment that raises our children to understand their own worth as well as self-validation can be difficult and the fine line between enabling versus supporting. Ultimately parenting can be trial and error, and it’s helpful to have support, especially if you find yourself repeating patterns that are similar to your childhood.

 

Family Stressors:

• Grief

• Extended Family

• Unresolved conflict

• Divorce/Separation

• Mental or Medical illness

• Addiction

• Military or Employment

 

Goals of Family Therapy

• Improve effective communication

• Identify and improve poor coping skills

• Effective parenting

• Family healing

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Couples Therapy

Couples Therapy is geared towards empowering individuality, while also cultivating and respecting a new identity as a couple. This couples therapy will support the couple in improving communication and trust to allow for a solid foundation. We all bring into new relationships pieces of old relationships. Sometimes, it is necessary to resolve old relationships in order to move forward in our current ones. Those relationships may be previous romantic relationships or even our relationships from our family of origin. We often find ourselves repeating patterns or similar behaviors of our parents, also called “learned behaviors”. A component of couples therapy is to identify learned behaviors or generational patterns and identify new relationship goals.

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Stressors:

• Financial stress

• Mental or Medical illness

• Extended family

• Unresolved conflict

• Ineffective communication

• Addiction

• Infidelity

 

Common Goals of Couples Therapy Includes:

• Effective Communication—Less yelling, more talking, more listening, more understanding

• Empathy—ability to understand and share your partners feelings

• Conflict can be good

• Increase or learn to build trust

• Nurture a safe relationship and bond to allow growth