Family units are living, breathing systems: each member’s life is interwoven with every other member’s life, for better or worse. When families are in balance, each person contributes and each person receives in a unique, valuable way. But it is no secret that families experience dysfunction. Life is almost never perfectly balanced, and all families, at some point, will experience a crisis or on-going challenge that could introduce tension and strife.
Sometimes, couples have trouble agreeing upon parenting styles, and their children are confused about expectations. Sometimes, one family member’s depression or anxiety affects other family members. Sometimes, family members have grown cold and distant as communication has broken down.
It takes time and effort, but families can establish healthy ways of connecting. Individual family members often receive the benefits as families grow healthier. Therapy offers families a safe place where they can explore how their family could face its challenges and grow closer together.
The particular circumstances your family faces are unique, but it is normal for family units to experience times of challenge. That’s why Thriveworks Cambridge offers family therapy, led by family therapists and psychologists. We know that every family needs help from time to time, and we have seen many families bond through the adversity.
What Is Family Therapy?
The key idea of family therapy is that people’s behaviors, beliefs, and identities are shaped by their family of origin. Even when people react against their families, understanding the individual must include understanding their family context. Oftentimes, a family’s coping mechanism, roles, and expectations shape an individual’s coping mechanisms, roles, and expectations.
Furthermore, individual family members are interwoven. What affects one, often affects all to some degree, and when the family as a whole grows healthier, the individual members usually receive the benefits of increased health. A skilled therapist may explore the family’s birth order, personality types, and love languages to increase understanding. Often, families will begin to see patterns of behavior that can be adjusted so that everyone’s gifts and needs are respected.
When families are in balance, they often experience the benefits of their hard work. Strong families often have…
- Fewer cases of abuse and neglect
- Less anxiety and depression-related conditions
- More potential income as parents are shared earners (bonus: this reduces children’s risk of poverty)
- Better coping skills for handling stress and adversity
- Secure relational attachment between parents and children
Why Start Family Therapy?
What challenges is your family facing? Are multiple people affected? Will multiple people have to adjust in order to address the challenge? If yes, family therapy may help your family stay on the same page and potentially even grow closer.
More specifically, here are just a handful of reasons clients have chosen to start family therapy at Thriveworks Cambridge…
- Overbearing parenting with rebellious children.
- Overly-indulgent parenting with uncontrollable children.
- A family member who has special needs.
- Hormonal fluctuations within adolescents or parents that may be causing or making a conflict worse.
- A marriage relationship that lacks intimacy.
- Family members with unmet needs.
- A family member facing a mental illness.
- Inadequate or no premarital counseling and/or marriage maintenance therapy.
- Hostility/tension in any relationships.
- Unforeseen crises as a job loss or family death.
There is no quick-fix for any of these problems, but therapy may give the guidance families need when each member is ready to contribute. When families are willing to grow and work together, they can break out of harmful cycles and learn healthy ways to connect.
The therapists and psychologists at Thriveworks Cambridge are ready to help families establish loving, peaceful relationships.
Setting Up Family Therapy
Many families have clarified their challenges and found feasible steps forward through therapy at Thriveworks Cambridge, MA. Our therapists understand how…
- Every family member has a voice.
- The challenge is the challenge—not the people raising the concern or seeking help.
- Kindness and listening can help solve many problems.
- Each challenge has the potential to bring families closer together.
Has an on-going challenge or an unforeseen crisis knocked your family off balance? If you are ready to re-establish equilibrium, know that Thriveworks Cambridge offers family therapy. We have appointments available in the evenings and weekends, and many first-time clients see their counselor within 24 hours. We also work with most insurance providers. If it is time for your family to make a change, call Thriveworks today to set up therapy.
