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.
Family therapy or counseling can be a great option to help you work through issues and bring your family closer together. Even the best relationships need work, and a trained mental health professional can help you solve problems, open up lines of communication, and keep your relationships going strong.
Family dynamics can be complicated. Despite your best efforts, unforeseen circumstances or lingering tension can disrupt your family’s emotional ties. Family therapy and counseling are available at Thriveworks Counseling in New Orleans, LA. Call our office today to get started with a mental health professional.
When Is The Right Time to Seek Family Therapy?
Needing help to improve your family relationships is no reason to be ashamed. But, unfortunately, even the closest families with healthy communication systems and strong personal bonds can be affected by sudden tragedies or behavioral problems.
Families attend therapy or counseling sessions for many issues such as:
- Relationship problems
- Financial strain and stress
- Divorce or separation
- Mental illnesses
- Substance abuse
- Parenting challenges
- Political differences
- Major life changes
- Behavioral problems in children
- Trust issues
- Inability to compromise
- Coping with grief and loss
- Living with a chronic illness
You don’t have to wait for tensions within your family to reach a breaking point before reaching out for support. If you’ve identified a concern in your family’s relationship that needs to be addressed, consider reaching out to Thriveworks Counseling in New Orleans, LA.
How Does Family Therapy Work?
Thankfully, help is available for families who want to work on the problems they’re facing. Many families find that maintaining a long-term relationship with a licensed counselor or therapist can provide stability in children’s lives, guide their families through rough patches, and establish trusting and open communication between family members.
Every family therapy session is tailored to a family’s specific needs, but you may encounter some more common types of therapy and counseling. This might include:
- Structural therapy: This method focuses on altering and strengthening established family systems to make sure that parents are in a position of authority. Additionally, both parents and children should be able to set reasonable boundaries around their personal space and time.
- Strategic therapy: A therapist or counselor may assign “homework” or tasks to family members in strategic therapy. These tasks help members reflect on particular behaviors, events, and dynamics within a family.
- Bowenian therapy: If it’s challenging to directly discuss emotional or financial needs with one of your family members, Bowenian therapy allows a trained therapist to act as an objective third party. The therapist or counselor listens to each family member’s concerns and helps the group navigate difficult situations.
- Systemic Therapy: This refers to a therapeutic model that centers the unconscious communications between family members (i.e., body language, tone, and defensive tendencies) and provides a space for families to dive deeper into their issues.
No matter what type of therapy or counseling is used, your provider will get to know your family individually and as a group before developing a treatment plan for your specific needs. You and your loved ones can build happier, healthier relationships. Take a step towards nurturing those bonds by reaching out to a mental health professional from Thriveworks Counseling in New Orleans, LA.
Schedule Family Therapy or Counseling at Thriveworks in New Orleans, LA
When your family is ready to take the next step in strengthening your ties, consider consulting with a mental health professional from Thriveworks Counseling in New Orleans, LA. Call our office today or book an appointment through our convenient online scheduling tool.
We offer sessions in the evening and on weekends to best fit your family’s packed schedule. In addition, you can choose from in-person or online appointments, depending on what works for you. Many of our new clients often have their first appointment within the week of reaching out, so you can get started quickly. Thriveworks also prides itself on accepting many different forms of health insurance and providing flexible cancellation and rescheduling services.
We look forward to meeting you and your family! Call our office today or use our online booking tool to schedule your first appointment at Thriveworks Counseling in New Orleans, LA.
