While family relationships can be among the most rewarding relationships in our lives, they can also be the most frustrating. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably had some form of disagreement (or two or three) with a family member at some point in your life.
It’s completely normal for family members to disagree with one another. However, if you’re in constant conflict with a family member, feel like your family has too much influence over your life, or find that another family issue is affecting your mental health, it may be time to speak to a licensed family counselor.
When it comes to family issues, it sometimes feels like the easiest choice is to simply avoid everyone. Of course, this isn’t much of a long-term solution if you want to still maintain a positive and healthy relationship with your family going forward.
Instead, consider seeking out family counseling as a more effective way of addressing the problems you’re facing. While visiting a marital and family therapist may seem intimidating at first, it can be incredibly rewarding and lead to improved relationships with family members.
If you want to resolve long-term conflicts and improve communication, Thriveworks Counseling in Munster, IN is here to offer the support and guidance you need.
When Should I Consider Family Therapy?
No two families are exactly alike. However, here are some common reasons people seek out a family therapist:
- Long-term conflicts and grudges
- Separation, divorce, or remarriage
- Parenting issues
- Substance abuse
- Abuse or trauma
- Mental health issues or physical illness
- Loss of a loved one
- Blended families
- Behavioral problems
- Major life transitions
You don’t need to be personally facing a crisis to benefit from family therapy. In fact, each family member’s habits and behaviors can often impact the rest of the family, too. For example, if one person has an issue with their mental health or substance abuse, it can change the way the rest of the family system operates. This makes visiting a therapist together helpful.
If you’re ready to improve your family relationships, Thriveworks Counseling in Munster, IN is ready to help.
What Benefits Can I Expect From Family Therapy?
You may have dealt with a family conflict for so long that you’ve simply accepted it as your reality. However, many issues between family members can be resolved if you are willing to speak honestly about them and make a valiant effort to reconcile differences.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is an effective tool often used in a family context. Discussing your thought patterns with a trained therapist can help you understand how those thoughts might be impacting your moods and behaviors. This is often extremely helpful in unearthing the reasons behind certain conflicts.
In many cases, the details of how a conflict began may be buried deep in the past. You may argue over day-to-day matters so frequently that you forget those smaller matters are actually masking a key underlying issue. A marriage and family therapist is trained to help clients get to the heart of these issues so they can be addressed and resolved.
There’s no doubt that it can feel difficult to talk about times you were hurt by someone close to you. Perhaps they didn’t know and you didn’t say anything at the time and now it feels strange to bring up. Family counseling provides a non-judgmental and neutral territory to voice your feelings and begin to take the first steps in the healing process.
Marriage and family therapists are trained to help their clients improve their communication skills and learn problem-solving techniques to strengthen their relationships. You may even find you have a new appreciation of your family members after attending therapy sessions.
If you’re interested in experiencing the benefits of family therapy, consider reaching out to our team at Thriveworks Counseling in Munster, IN today.
Ready to Schedule Family Therapy at Thriveworks in Munster, IN?
Taking the first steps toward conflict resolution may feel intimidating but we’re here to offer an experience that’s as stress-free as possible. You’ll find we are highly flexible when it comes to scheduling thanks to the availability of weekend and evening time slots. Plus, our online therapy appointments make it easy to juggle multiple calendars — you can speak to a licensed professional about your problems without having to ever set foot in an office.
Whether you find this idea more comfortable or you’re limited by physical illness or transportation issues, you’ll find that virtual therapy is a convenient and highly effective way to conduct family therapy.
If your family is ready to take steps towards healing, the mental health professionals at Thriveworks Counseling in Munster, IN are here to offer the help you need. Get in touch with us today to get started.
