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.
The journalist Franklin P. Jones once stated, “Love doesn’t make the world go around. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.” Children are born with a huge capacity for love and their parents or primary caregivers are usually the beneficiaries of these profound feelings. As children mature, their love might become more complex as they realize that their parents aren’t necessarily superhuman. They’re also flawed people who make mistakes and have their own shortcomings. But the recognition that one’s family members are fallible doesn’t mean that familial love is any weaker. If anything, it’s stronger because it’s more realistic.
This journey, however, from unquestioned family relationships to deeper inquiry, can be difficult at times. Because someone’s identity is usually so intertwined with one’s family, it can be hard to separate the good and the bad without some growing pains. This is one of the situations where marriage and family therapy can help.
A licensed marriage and family therapist (LMFT) at Thriveworks in Novi, MI can help facilitate discussion between family members on a wide variety of rich and complicated subjects. These therapy sessions can be an effective way for family members to enhance their bonds, advance their communication skills, and create healthy boundaries where they’re needed. Family therapy can also help identify issues in the family that could benefit from more support, like when a sibling has behavioral problems or a spouse is struggling with addiction.
How Does Family Therapy Work?
Family therapy at Thriveworks in Novi, MI works by putting all relevant parties in one room (or on one video conferencing call in the case of online counseling) and giving everyone a safe space in which to be heard. The goal of family therapy isn’t to blame a particular family member for an issue, but to help everyone see issues from each other’s perspectives. That’s when real, open communication can occur.
The licensed mental health professionals who work with families at Thriveworks might help clients address any of the following issues:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Eating disorders
- Grief
- Estrangement
- Financial stress
- Marital stress
- Parenting neurodiverse children
- Juvenile delinquency or crime
- Conflicts
- Emotional or verbal abuse
- Caregiver burnout
- Substance abuse
What Are the Benefits of Family Therapy?
Family counseling can lead to breakthroughs in how family members understand and treat each other. For example, a grown child might learn his mother’s emotional triggers, and his mother might learn how to listen without reacting. But the benefits of family therapy are an outcome of your goals for treatment. A family counselor at Thriveworks in Novi, MI will want to know what everyone in the family wants to achieve before formulating a treatment plan. Possible goals include the following:
- Reconciliation and healing
- Increasing rapport
- Reduction in household conflict and tension
- Forgiving, or asking for forgiveness
- Establishing healthy boundaries
- Managing anger
- Behavioral management
- Reducing codependency
- Referrals for individual therapy
- Long-term maintenance of family bonds
- Building mutual trust
- Exploration of misunderstandings
These goals can be accomplished in long-term therapy, but many families find that they can resolve their conflicts within a small number of sessions, usually fewer than 12.
What Is the Role of the Counselor in Family Therapy?
In family therapy, the counselor’s role is to help make everyone feel safe and comfortable so they’ll speak honestly about their point of view. A counselor might also help guide family members to meaningful insights about their feelings or situation. At Thriveworks in Novi, MI, family therapists are recruited from the top 4% of providers, meaning they have the expertise and training to help family members connect with each other and see underlying dynamics. In addition to these skills, family therapists at Thriveworks also meet the following criteria:
- They’re affordable. All the mental health providers at Thriveworks are fully licensed, thus they accept most major forms of health insurance coverage.
- They’re convenient. Thriveworks providers in Novi, NM offer online counseling sessions and traditional, in-person counseling sessions. This flexibility can simplify scheduling for busy family members.
- They’re diverse. It’s easy to find a Thriveworks therapist with experience in your family’s particular issue. Thriveworks providers work with all kinds of families, including interracial families, families with same-sex parents, and families with special needs children.
Find Premium Family Therapy at Thriveworks in Novi, MI
Family therapy is a meaningful way to show your family members that you care and that you’re committed. Sensitive family issues can be dealt with lovingly instead of combatively. Parents and children can grow together, instead of apart. And bonds can be maintained and nurtured instead of neglected.
When you call the Thriveworks office, our staff can match you to a top-rated, fully licensed family therapist quickly. Most clients have an initial session in fewer than 24-48 hours. As an additional benefit, Thriveworks clients can reach their provider by phone or email between sessions.
Don’t wait until your family is in crisis. Get help connecting now with Thriveworks in Novi, MI.