Family Counseling
It is a fact of life that not all families are stable, happy, and healthy all the time. While fulfilling family or parenting roles can be a huge source of joy and fulfillment, it can also feel like navigating a field of landmines, just waiting to see what crisis will appear next. Managing the stresses of modern life, including combating cultural ideas of what the “perfect family” looks like (not to mention family crises or (mental) health concerns of one family member or another) can feel like an impossible load to bear.
Whether you have identified the need for better work-life balance, are raising children with disabilities or behavioral challenges, encountering financial stresses that seem to be putting a real strain on your relationship, or just dealing with the difficulties that entering a new family life stage can bring, all these represent challenges that may require a little outside help to resolve.
When Might Family Therapy be Right for You?
When family members have difficulty functioning in their daily lives
When the household itself has a high level of expressed emotion, or one or more family members tend to have extreme or uncontrolled emotional reactions
If there is a significant lack of communication; repeated instances of miscommunication
If it seems that family members are withdrawing from family life, or you notice yourself wanting to do the same. Often times this is accompanied by expressed feelings of helplessness or hopelessness.
When there is violence or the threat of violence by one member towards another, or actions meant to intimidate the other
When there are notable changes in the children's behavior at home or school
When the family has endured a traumatic experience and members are having a hard time coping. Whether a divorce, separation, death in the family, or even just a move, all these may be situations appropriate for outside support
If family members have known or suspected substance abuse problems