Liz works a busy, full-time job and lives about four hours away from her family. After her first job out of college, she knew that she needed to get out of her hometown and away from her family who is constantly fighting. When it is time for her to come home for the holidays, she has to mentally prepare for the arguments that will come up. They argue over everything from her finances, the tattoo on her forearm, why she isn’t in a committed relationship yet, the dent that still has not been fixed on her bumper, and why she does not come home more frequently to visit them. She feels exhausted and is tired of having to explain to them her feelings because she just will not listen. This year, she decides to talk to them about seeking the help of a family therapist.
There comes a time in your life when you have to choose to turn the page, write another book, or simply close it.” – Shannon L. Alder
You may be in a similar situation as Liz or maybe your family is struggling financially, going through a divorce, is grieving the loss of a loved one, or working through the diagnosis of a chronic illness. Stress within your family is normal and almost every family, if not all families, deals with it at some point in their lives. However, that does not mean it has to be like that forever. The Family Therapists at Thriveworks Vermont Counseling support families of all structures and backgrounds. Our goal is to help you and your loved ones fix problems and help you start on a path of healing and love. Call us to get started.
Can Your Family Benefit from Family Therapy?
Perfect families do not exist, and things are bound to happen that cause turmoil within your family unit. But how do you know when it is time to reach out for help? It depends! Consider these few questions:
- “Have we tried communicating better and working through our problems to the best of our abilities?”
- “Have we tried everything we can on our own to fix our obstacles?”
- “Is everyone exhausted and ready to make a real change?”
If you answered yes to any of those questions, you and your family may be ready to get started with a family psychologist. We commonly see families for things such as:
- A career loss or shift
- Divorce
- Loss of a loved one
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Academic problems
- Financial strain
- Empty nest
- Parenting disagreements
- Welcoming a new family member
- Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression
- Poor communication
- Eating disorders
- Relationship issues between siblings and/or parents and their siblings
This list is just to highlight some of the more common reasons why families seek the assistance of a Thriveworks Vermont therapist. What you and your family is going through might not be on this list and that is more than fine! Our psychologists are highly-trained in helping people of all different ages and backgrounds work through the challenges that are holding them back.
What Is Family Therapy All About?
The main goal of family therapy is to help you and your loved ones work through the obstacles you are facing and better prepare you for how to handle things in the future. Family therapy is broad and we understand that every situation is unique. Once you and your loved ones decide to start working with a counselor, a series of assessments will be performed to better gauge where the problems lie and what the needs of each individual family member are.
Most families are able to work through their concerns in as little as nine sessions. Each session may vary depending on who is present, and the topics being discussed. In addition, your family therapist will use a variety of different methods and tools to help address the problems at hand and work to find relief. A few of the focuses of a family therapy session may include:
- Strengthening communication
- Building on strengths and create new bridges
- Learning how to handle conflict in a healthy manner
- Identifying rolls
- Working through individual concerns such as mental illness, stressors, fears, and goals
The goal of family therapy is to build and strengthen your relationships. At Thriveworks Vermont, we believe everyone can thrive on their own after being given the appropriate tools and skills to tackle future conflicts.
Get Started with a Family Therapist at Thriveworks Vermont Counseling
Making the decision to work with a counselor is not always an easy one. It takes a lot of courage, understanding, and commitment. However, once you and your family do decide to seek the help you need, you will all feel more at ease and closer together.
At Thriveworks Vermont, you can choose between phone counseling or video chat counseling. Both options are proven to be effective and offer the same amount of meaningful progress as in-person counseling. Online counseling also has great benefits such as ease, comfortability, reliability, and affordability.
Alongside those added bonuses, Thriveworks Vermont also has flexible scheduling options to include days, evenings, and weekends. When you are ready to get started, call us to be connected with a scheduling specialist or go online to our booking portal.
We can’t wait to help you and your family make strides in your relationships and get back to what really matters: love and understanding.
