FAMILY THERAPY AT RESILIENCE
Family therapy can be a useful form of treatment when one individual in the family experiences particular difficulty and can benefit from familial support and understanding. In these cases, therapy works to improve communication while also developing skills on how to best help and support the loved one.
There are many situations when family therapy is both appropriate and preferred over individual therapy. Family therapy is also an appropriate intervention in cases of concerning child behavior or in cases of blended families in which children and adults are adjusting to their lives in a new setting, with a new family, and within a new family culture. Conversely, children and parents can benefit from family therapy leading up to, during, and after divorce or the dissolution of the parental relationship. The therapeutic setting can serve as a place to discuss sensitive topics and as a place where children can ask questions which they may not feel comfortable asking in their home environment.
Others find family therapy useful when coping with major life transitions, such as establishing care for an aging parent, adopting a child, parenting a teenager, or processing a major health diagnosis. One final area of family therapy that we’ve practiced regularly includes helping individuals with special needs to develop positive behaviors and improved communication skills. Family therapy offers a respectful, open forum for multiple family members to practice hearing one another and being heard.
Family therapists don’t have favorites—each member of the family is treated as an equal voice at the table. The therapist listens carefully to all members of the family and helps the group to collaboratively identify patterns of behavior, expression, or response that may be producing difficulties. We work together to understand what is at the root of those patterns, and how, with a set of specific goals in mind, we might begin working to change them. At your initial appointment, we’d seek to explore more about each of you individually and as a unit, as well as the nature and severity of the challenges you’ve been experiencing together. We pride ourselves on the culturally competent care we provide to both individuals and families.
We’re here to help
Family therapy can provide critical support to you and your loved ones at life moments that feel uniquely stressful or when challenged by very difficult behaviors on the part of one or more family members. We honor the experiences and feelings of each member of the family, allowing the space necessary for each individual to air their feelings in an environment free from judgment. At the same time, we support the family in the collective act of outlining a vision for how they might relate to and care for one another in more positive, authentic, and mutually respectful ways. We invite you to contact us for a free consultation to learn more about how we can best support your family on this journey.
