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1,142 people sought family therapy help at Houston in the last year

Discover how starting therapy with a family can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

Good news! We have 89 therapists in Texas available for an online or in-person session.

Hear from our clinicians

What is your go-to approach for family therapy?

Alejandra: My go-to approach for helping people in family therapy is an eclectic approach. I find the best benefit in an eclectic approach is the flexibility it provides me to adjust to each family’s needs. Each family unit has its own set of roles, values system, experiences, and traditions. I pull tools from Cognitive Behavioral, Structural, Emotionally Focused, Collaborative, Psychoeducation, Positive Psychology, and Solution Focused therapies to help families achieve their goals.

Victoria: My go-to approach for helping people in family therapy is motivational interviewing. I find the best benefit in meeting one on one periodically because I feel sometimes you do not get the most honest answer for fear of what others might think or say.

What tools do you teach in family therapy?

Alejandra: I teach the following tools in family therapy:

  • Emotion regulation and distress tolerance via mindfulness practice, videos, and worksheets. I work with families to attune to each other physically, emotionally and mentally so they can build insight and confidence in being able to navigate conflicts or disagreements.
  • Self-care tools to reinforce emotion regulation skills
  • Cognitive challenging/reframing/refocusing via the use of cognitive triangles and understanding unhelpful thinking patterns. I encourage families to use worksheets/ handouts to practice their skills daily, and build new habits
  • Exploration of individual roles within the family, and exploration of values (especially with blended families)
  • Healthy communication skills to create positive/supportive relationships, advocate for needs, and build conflict management skills
  • Healthy boundary setting skills that fit within the client’s personal values and family system (work on compromising skills)
  • Positive affirmation and appreciation skills
  • How to repair effectively after an argument or conflict

Victoria: I teach the following tools in family therapy:

  • How to recognize and sustain Healthy Relationships
  • Recognizing signs of anxiety and depression
  • How to support each other during anxious/depressed moods
  • How to recognize triggers of anxious/depressed moods

How do you know when a client is making meaningful progress in family therapy?

Alejandra: I know a family is making meaningful progress in therapy when they can actively listen to one another, and validate each other’s emotions. These skill sets can help a family to navigate when there is a difference of opinion, or other types of conflict. A family can also make meaningful progress by demonstrating vulnerability, openness, and/or self-awareness. Each person in the family unit is unique, brings their own sense of individuality, and plays a role in the family. The more each person is aware of their role in the family system, and how it impacts others, the more progress the family can make.

Victoria: I know a client is making meaningful progress in family therapy when they are able to identify times they recognized their dysfunctional behaviors and thought patterns and changed their responses to those triggering situations.

What can clients do in their personal time to supplement family therapy?

Alejandra: Clients can supplement their time in family therapy with daily skills practice, readings or reflections. I try to make a habit of giving my clients small, manageable tasks to practice each day. I spend time with my clients to build these tasks into their current habits or routines to help establish a new pattern/ healthy habit.

Victoria: Clients can supplement their time in family therapy with journaling their thoughts and feelings and having open discussions with each other about recognizing dysfunctional patterns in their family relationship.

What should someone do to prepare for starting family therapy?

Alejandra: A first family therapy session can come with so many different emotions. In a first session, I will typically meet with the family as a whole group for the first few minutes and ask about the last few weeks. After that, I take time to meet with each member individually to get individual perspectives and get to know them/understand how they view the world and others around them. It’s important to share as much information as honestly as possible, but my first priority will always be my client’s safety and comfort level. If I ask a tough question, I don’t expect anyone to share every detail- just what they are willing and able to. I encourage my clients to always ask me questions in return because I want my clients to get to know me and feel safe/comfortable. Therapy is most effective when each person can connect with their therapist. You can prepare for therapy further by thinking about your top goal, or what it is that you hope to gain from therapy. This helps me to create a more effective approach that fits the family’s needs.

Victoria: To prepare for their first family therapy session, an individual can prepare a list of problems/concerns they want addressed. Also bring a list of medications and other medical issues they may be dealing with as well.

Starting Family therapy

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 Houston, TX 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 Houston, TX 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?

People often say that stable families are the bedrock of mainstream society, and perhaps they are. Turmoil in the home doesn’t always spill out into personal life, though sometimes it can. Family instability and mayhem are not always anyone’s fault. It can come about by all kinds of conditions and events; things that can affect the best of us at the worst of times.

People who have an unhappy home life are usually unhappy in other areas of their life too. They may put on a brave face, but deep down they’re not having a lot of fun. In situations where a household cannot settle their differences, perhaps family counseling can help. Family therapists have been working with troubled families for generations, and with good results in many cases.

If your family might benefit from a professional’s caring intervention, consider reaching out to Thriveworks Counseling in Houston, Texas. Our team would be happy to set you up with a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and we can get started as soon as today. Call our office to schedule your first family counseling session.

Types of Family Therapy

Family counseling is a division of psychiatric therapy. It’s one of a number of approaches that work closely with families and couples in intimate relationships. The systemic model is the most widely performed for addressing family issues, but therapists do use other models too. What model is right depends on the situation and the therapist.

A lot of family problems materialize as a result of disruptive behavior of an individual or a group. What a family therapist does is step back to look for the root cause of the problem. For example:

  1. When is the family member or family members most likely to be disruptive?
  2. What or who is making them act the way they do?
  3. When did these relationship difficulties start and what events played a part in it?

There are many other questions, but this gives you some idea of the path a therapist follows. Regarding the second point above, there could be underlying physical or mental conditions that trigger disruptive behaviors. Some of these could be:

  • Addictive behaviors (alcohol and drug abuse)
  • ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder)
  • Behavioral disorders (delinquency problems)
  • Schizophrenia and other psychotic conditions
  • Various eating disorders

These are just a few examples but you can see how potentially complex family issues can be.

Schedule Family Therapy at Thriveworks Counseling in Houston

If you think you may need some help with your own family, call our Houston, TX office today to make an initial appointment. Our providers are here to help their clients improve and maintain their mental health. A huge part of this work involves improving and maintaining the health of our relationships.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Houston therapists and counselors accept 45 insurance plans

  • APEX Memorial Hermann

  • ARIA | Covenant Management Systems

  • Aetna

  • Ambetter by Superior Health Plan

  • Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program (FEP)

  • Auto Club Enterprises (Employers Health Network)

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas HMO

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas PPO

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Buist Byars and Taylor (Employers Health Network)

  • Carelon

  • Christus Health Plan Exchange

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Self-pay costs at Houston
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

Thriveworks Houston has no reviews yet, but check out these reviews from locations in Texas.

4.5 Thriveworks Houston reviews are collected through Thriveworks.com.
★★★★★
Thriveworks helped me realize that I do believe people can change. I’m not the person I was three months ago, broken and fearful. I’m healthy and happy and for the first time being kind to myself. Thank you for giving me my life back.
Read more Thriveworks helped me realize that I do believe people can change. I’m not the person I was three months ago, broken and fearful. I’m healthy and happy and for the first time being kind to myself. Thank you for giving me my life back.
Anonymous Thriveworks Client
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Houston is located off Allen Pkwy at the intersection of Rosine St and D’Amico St. We currently share the building with URBN Dental Montrose. Across the street you will find The Gordy Theater Company and Stages parking garage.

Phone number

(281) 789-6829

Languages spoken by TX providers

  • English
  • Spanish
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm

Shown in CT

Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm

Shown in CT

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