This answer often looks different to each family that starts family therapy. However, some signs that your family might need to consider family counseling include frequent fights or misunderstandings, constant tension, experiencing loss, behavioral issues, marital issues, divorce, and blended family issues, among others.
In family therapy, therapists will often start by asking questions and assessing individual and family dynamics. From there, they may employ therapeutic techniques such as structured family therapy, CBT, strategic family therapy, and more depending on the present concerns and conflicts. From there, a therapist will work to open lines of communication between family members and facilitate emotional healing and growth.
The writer Alex Haley once stated, “In every conceivable manner, the family is a link to our past, a bridge to our future.” Family dynamics, both positive and negative, can be handed down through generations. Someone who grows up in a household where feelings aren’t talked about or expressed may reflexively raise his children very differently from someone who grew up in a more emotional ecosystem. Until you actually stop to analyze patterns of communication and behavior, the same unspoken habits may continue through the family tree, even if they’re maladaptive.
When you’re a kid, you often believe that every family must be like yours. Then you grow up and discover how differently they all operate. And that’s exciting, because it means that things can change.
The licensed family therapists at Thriveworks in Conroe, TX can help families identify their strengths and weaknesses. They can assist family members to modify what isn’t working under their roof and enhance practices that are working. The expert family therapists at Thriveworks in Conroe, TX can address everything from long-standing grudges and estrangements, to regular squabbles over whose turn it is to do the dishes. In every therapy session, the primary focus is on helping families achieve their goals.
What Are the Benefits of Family Therapy?
Every family is different, so family therapists at Thriveworks in Conroe, TX are first going to want to hear from their clients about what their motivations and objectives are for therapy. And those goals can vary widely, but family members may strive to do the following:
- Be emotionally honest in a “safe zone”
- Reduce overall conflict
- Forgive, or ask for forgiveness
- Listen to each other’s perspectives
- Establish healthy boundaries
- Use neutral language to enhance communication
- Learn emotional triggers
- Reinforce a family’s strengths
- Learn to manage anger
- See the points of view of other family members
- Recognize implicit rules of behavior
- Build trust in each other
- Handle a difficult situation
- Live more harmoniously in general
Sometimes family therapy can help identify a participant who could benefit from extra help. For example, a therapist treating addiction in a family might refer the addict for substance abuse counseling at Thriveworks while continuing to treat the family as a whole. Or a therapist might recognize that someone in the family is depressed and could benefit from individual depression counseling or a prescription antidepressant from a Thriveworks provider.
When Are the Signs That We Should See a Family Therapist?
There’s no definitive answer to when it’s time for family members to see a family therapist. All sorts of reasons can bring parents and children and stepchildren and grandparents to Thriveworks in Conroe, TX. But a good rule of thumb is to see a family therapist when something is disturbing the family equilibrium. Maybe the equilibrium needs to change because someone wasn’t happy and they began acting out. Or maybe everything was harmonious and the family just needs help solving a problem so they can go back to the way things were. Some of the issues families face that may require professional intervention include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Lack of communication
- Grief
- Bullying
- Financial stress
- Constant conflict
- Emotional or verbal abuse
- Chronic illness
- Caregiver burnout
- Special needs children
- Anorexia or bulimia
- Behavioral problems (acting out)
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Blended family issues
- Constant misunderstandings
Is Online Family Therapy Effective and Affordable?
At Thriveworks in Conroe, TX, family therapy clients have the option of meeting their therapist in-person at the modern office, or virtually through a secure telehealth connection. For large families, it can sometimes be easier to get everyone together virtually when people have to juggle school and work schedules. Fortunately, online family counseling works just as well as in-person. Many of the games and exercises that family therapists have been doing for decades can be adapted to work online. And Thriveworks family therapists are all fully licensed, which means they accept most health insurance, minimizing your out-of-pocket expenses.
Heal Your Bonds with Family Therapy at Thriveworks in Conroe, TX
Because families are so essential to one’s lifelong relationships and behaviors, it’s critical to give them the TLC they deserve. Children can grow up with healthy communication habits instead of passive aggressiveness or self sabotage. Parents can save themselves years of grief by learning how to talk to their children without antagonism. Family therapy at Thriveworks in Conroe, TX is a vital investment in your family’s enduring health.
When you call the Thriveworks office, our staff can make you an appointment with an exceptional family therapist right away. You and your loved ones may be able to meet with your therapist for the first time in as few as 24-48 hours. You also get added benefits like email and phone access to your therapist between sessions.
Don’t neglect the mental health of your family. Give Thriveworks a call today.
