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 Kailua, HI 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 Kailua, HI 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?
Trusted mental health professionals guide many families through unique challenges every day. You and your loved ones may benefit from family therapy sessions at Thriveworks Counseling in Kailua, HI. You can call our office to schedule your first therapy session or use our convenient online booking tool.
Will Family Therapy Help Address My Concerns?
Therapy helps more than just people living with mental illness or extreme relationship issues. Contemplating separation or struggling to get out of bed every morning are not the only reasons to consider scheduling a family therapy session.
Families regularly seek the assistance of a counselor for a number of reasons, including:
- Major life transitions: Changes like moving to a new place, loss of income, and welcoming a new family member can disrupt a family’s harmony.
- Behavioral problems: As children develop, they can experience overwhelming emotions and express themselves in ways that affect the whole family. Bullying or feelings of isolation at school can also change how they act at home.
- Prolonged conflict: Political, spiritual, and moral differences are typical, but not seeing eye-to-eye can drive a wedge between otherwise close family members.
- Divorce or separation: Significant relationship decisions can affect children, resulting in distress, confusion, or unhealthy habits.
- Sudden loss or tragedy: Shared grief can unite a family, but such trauma may also throw off its balance.
Every family system goes through its ups and downs. There’s no shame in seeking assistance for specific issues that affect your ability to grow together as a united front.
Family Counseling: What You Can Expect
The length and format of therapy sessions will be different for every family depending on their unique concerns, needs, and goals. A licensed counselor will listen carefully as you describe your situation and will use that information to help craft a plan to get your family relationships back on track.
You may only need brief assistance to address a pressing issue, or maybe you’ll need regular sessions to work through more complicated problems. Regardless, your therapist will strive to create an inviting and judgment-free zone for everyone.
Family therapy sessions commonly use various techniques to achieve positive outcomes. A therapist may deploy structural, systemic, or strategic therapy to help your family resolve conflict, practice honesty, and set new boundaries. For example, family systems therapy might involve your counselor meeting one-on-one with each family member to determine their role in the family unit and how they influence others’ moods and actions. Knowing this could help them recommend changes to benefit the entire group.
Meet With a Family Therapist at Thriveworks in Kailua, HI
If you’re ready to work with a skilled family therapist, consider reaching out to Thriveworks in Kailua, HI. We offer appointments throughout the week and weekends that fit your schedule. You can call our office or use our online booking tool to schedule a morning, afternoon, or evening appointment. New clients often have their first appointment within the same week.
Our providers accept many different insurance plans and can be contacted between sessions using text or email. Additionally, online therapy options are available through video chat as well. Do you think your family system could benefit from therapy? Call our office at Thriveworks in Kailua, HI to take the first step today.
