What is a family? Pope John XXII stated that “The family is the first essential cell of human society.” The comedian George Burns said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family in another city.” Every family is different, of course, but they’re usually made up of adults and children who are united by blood, marriage, love, adoption, or some other bond. Immediate families often live under the same roof. And all families have conflicts, no matter what Hollywood tells you. Some disturbances in the family equilibrium require more TLC than others, which is where family therapists enter the picture.
Family counselors at Thriveworks in Boulder, CO have the necessary skills and training to approach even the most formidable family problems. These licensed family therapists can serve in a variety of roles during therapy sessions. They can act as educators, challengers, mediators, champions, and more. They use evidence-based therapeutic techniques to help families work through hardships and confusion. And they’re highly effective and solution-oriented.
If you think that you and your family might find value in talking to a family therapist, don’t hesitate to reach out to Thriveworks in Boulder, CO. We’re here to help you work through your unique challenges – give us a call today to get started or use our online booking widget to schedule an appointment.
What Do You Learn in Family Therapy?
The sky is the limit for what family members can learn in family therapy at Thriveworks in Boulder, CO. What clients get out of the process is all about what they put in—honesty, commitment, etc. And of course the exceptional quality of the Thriveworks family counselor helps a lot!
Licensed marriage and family therapists (MFTs) are trained to avoid focusing on what caused family difficulties, because that could be perceived as assigning blame to individual family members. Rather, Thriveworks counselors seek to deepen everyone’s understanding of relationships and dynamics within the family unit. In practice, that can produce real, noticeable results in just a few therapy sessions. For instance, in relationship therapy, family members might learn how to do the following:
- Reduce conflict and distress between family members
- Analyze a past conflict to diffuse lingering tension
- Manage anger
- Listen to each other’s points of view
- Establish healthy boundaries
- Recognize when a family member needs additional interpersonal or professional support
- Build trust
- Use neutral language to improve communication
- Deescalate conflicts
- Learn their emotional triggers
Family therapy can also help show you when individual members need extra professional support. It’s not unusual for a family therapist to refer a mom or dad, brother or sister, to follow-up appointments with their own psychotherapist or psychiatrist.
Domestic Problems That Can Prompt Family Therapy
At first, some family members may feel uncomfortable opening up to a therapist at Thriveworks in Boulder, CO. Why would they want to air their dirty laundry to a professional? But it can actually be incredibly beneficial for families to talk to a highly qualified, experienced, licensed professional who is trained to be impartial and try to see everyone’s perspective.
As for your dirty laundry, you can rest assured that you’re in a safe, secure, confidential environment when you speak to a Thriveworks family therapist, either online or in-person. Your counselor will closely protect your family secrets. After all, they have already heard pretty much everything and their job isn’t to judge; it’s to help.
Families come to counseling for an infinite variety of issues. Some may face a disruption like the following:
- Psychological disorders like depression or anxiety, which can afflict the whole family, even if only one member has been diagnosed
- Eating disorders
- Anger management issues
- Physical or emotional abuse
- Nightmares or bed wetting
- Chronic illness
- Caregiver burnout
- Bullying at home or school
- Multiracial family issues
- “Coming out” issues
- Multicultural issues in immigrant families
- Financial struggles
- Alcohol abuse
- Grief from the loss of a family member
What Exactly Do We Do in Family Therapy? 3 Popular Family Counseling Activities
Even the activities that a distempered teenager might perceive as “cheesy” can actually help massage the therapeutic process. But family therapists try to gear their evidence-based practices toward the maturity levels and expectations of their clients. For example, young kids might respond well to art- and play-based activities, while young adults obviously won’t. Some popular family counseling activities include:
- The miracle question, where your counselor asks every family member what miracle they would wish for if one could be granted overnight. It’s a way of gaining insight into everyone’s wishes and pain points.
- Scavenger hunt, where your counselor sends everyone to collect an object of their choice with a broad instruction like, “Choose something that makes you feel safe.”
- Icebreakers like the colored candy go around game, where you pass around candy and each color is coded for a prompt, like red might mean you talk about a favorite family memory.
A family counselor can also adapt these games to be played online if you opt for virtual therapy sessions as opposed to in-person.
Become a Thriveworks Client Today and Meet Your Family Therapist
When you enroll at Thriveworks in Boulder, CO, you can meet your family therapist in as few as 24-48 hours. Our scheduling team works long hours to respond to your calls personally so you don’t have to hear a voicemail.
Our top-rated, licensed, fully qualified mental health providers are ready to help you and your family members on your journey toward lasting harmony—or at least improvements. Call Thriveworks today!
