In family therapy, the family is the client. A family works like a system that must work together in order to function properly, much like the spokes of a wheel needing to be aligned in order for a wheel to turn. If one spoke is broken or bent, it affects the whole system and the wheel does not function. Family therapy includes more than one member of a family in the same session, based on the assumption that problems can best be understood and corrected by observing the interaction of family members. Family therapy can improve family relationships by helping members understand and improve the ways in which they relate to each other.
Families face challenges of many kinds. No family is immune from difficulties that interfere with trust and communication. A professional counselor or psychologist can help you overcome the obstacles that keep you apart. Family counseling brings the family together with a professional who is skilled in overcoming obstacles in communication in order to bring you closer together again.
Family Therapy sees the family as a whole, a system. Any number of stresses, including the natural progression of phases of aging of the children, can impact that system and cause dysfunction or conflict. Family therapy provides a way for the family to adjust to stresses, old or new, and to learn new ways to communicate and function.
Stresses to the family can be caused by many things, but especially changes, including:
- Blended Family
- New Baby
- Adoption transition
- Death in Family
- Shift in Family Structure
- Parenting Issues
- Divorce
- Major Illness
- Addictive behaviors
Here at Family Legacy our therapists can provide family counseling, creating structure and identifying the unhealthy patterns and interactions that lead to conflict. We teach family members how to support one another while taking responsibility for their own actions, in order to nurture and promote an atmosphere of growth, openness, and intimacy.