What is family therapy?
Family therapy helps families resolve conflicts and strengthen their relationships. It is led by qualified mental health professionals like psychologists, licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) who have extensive training in family dynamics and group communication.
How does family therapy work?
Thriveworks family therapists in Fredericksburg, VA usually begin by asking what everyone’s goals are for family counseling. Family members may need help with very specific issues or with general relationship functioning. But there are three main purposes in family counseling: to educate, to counsel, and to strengthen. Thriveworks also offers online family therapy and in-person services, so you may all meet in an office together or join a video call from your home depending on everyone’s location and availability.
What is the most effective family therapy?
The most effective form of Family therapy will often depend on the family itself, as there are many types of family therapy for therapists to use as they see fit in order to best meet the needs of their clients. However, one of the most commonly used types of family therapy is structural family therapy (SFT). SFT focuses specifically on family dynamics and interactions, looking at how they shape the relationships and structure present in the family. It can be effectively used to treat a variety of concerns.
How do I know if my family needs therapy?
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.
What is included in family therapy?
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.
What is the success rate of family therapy?
Family therapy can be incredibly successful, with some studies reporting a success rate of almost 90% for improving participants’ emotional and mental health, and around 66% for improving their physical health.
Is family therapy conducted in person or online?
Thriveworks therapists in Fredericksburg, VA offer both online family therapy and in-person family therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
How long does family therapy last?
Family therapy is usually short term and solution-focused, with most families accomplishing their goals in 12 sessions or fewer. However, it can also last for longer if the probles at hand are more complex — and that’s okay, too.
Need more help deciding?
Family Therapy and Counseling – Counselors and Therapists in Fredericksburg, VA
Family therapy is a unique form of treatment. It’s one that lets the family therapist evaluate diverse problems at a systemic level. What this means is that they get to explore the framework surrounding the disharmony.
For many, family therapy is a better approach than targeting individuals who others think are the cause of the upsets. Quite often, other people can influence the way someone behaves, disruptive or otherwise. This is why family problems are never as cut and dried as the finger pointing suggests.
When it’s Time to Rejuvenate the Family
When problems persist and intensify with time, therapy might be the best option. There are other contributing factors that can add to disharmony in the home:
- Addictions
- ADD/ADHD
- Autism
- Codependency
- Divorce
- Domestic abuse
A qualified family counselor can get to the root cause of the problem(s). They can then look at the bigger picture before proposing workable solutions. A trained family therapist is also someone who:
- Sees the problem as the actual “problem,” not the individual or family presenting it
- Has genuine empathy and understanding
- Aligns themselves with every member of the family to give them a voice
- Finds opportunities for workable compromise
Fredericksburg, VA family therapists have worked successfully in the state for years. They can often offer workable solutions to families with major problems. Call us today at 540-322-5424 and see if we can help you and your family resolve conflict and confusion amongst family members.
Stress, Life Transition, Anxiety, Grief / Loss, Depression 
