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 West Des Moines, IA 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 West Des Moines, IA 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?
You want what’s best for you and your family, and sometimes what’s best is a little outside help. Our licensed professionals can help mediate conflict and ensure that every voice feels heard. Call us at Thriveworks in West Des Moines, IA to schedule a family counseling appointment today. We offer convenient evening and weekend sessions, online counseling options, and we accept most major insurances.
Why Do Families Choose Therapy or Counseling?
Families seek therapy for the same reasons individuals do: to address problems or strengthen certain areas of their lives. Because of the interconnectedness of family systems, small problems can easily snowball into more complicated matters. A licensed family therapist can solve these kinds of problems and ensure that every family member’s needs are heard and attended to with compassion and empathy.
Some of the different needs that can be addressed during counseling include:
- Bickering siblings
- Behavioral problems
- Abuse
- Bullying
- Divorce or separation
- Mental illness
- Physical illness
- Life transitions
- Loss and grief
- Anger management
- Differing parenting styles
- Differing political views
What Can Therapy Teach My Family?
We never stop learning even after we complete our schooling. Every day, we encounter new situations that force us to process information differently than the day before. Therapists and counselors, like teachers, encourage us to approach life’s problems with an open mind.
A mental health professional will team up with you and your family to help you work through whatever life problems you’re facing. Some of the types of therapy that may be used during family therapy sessions include:
- Narrative therapy, where family members focus on changing the stories they tell themselves about their experiences.
- Transgenerational therapy, which involves multi-generational communication.
- Structural family therapy, which focuses on boundaries and power dynamics.
- Psychoeducation therapy, which uses educational information to promote healthy practices and cope with illness.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy, which encourages the reframing of negative thoughts in a more accurate or positive light.
- Strategic family therapy, or short-term therapy that focuses on child behavioral problems.
- Play therapy, which allows children to use games to express their needs and concerns.
Meet With a Family Therapist at Thriveworks in West Des Moines, IA
When you’re ready to give your family a little extra care and attention, please set up an appointment with one of our providers. We know that syncing schedules can be difficult, and that’s why we offer weekend and evening sessions, both in-person and online. As new clients, you may even be able to meet with one of our providers within the same week as scheduling.
Family relationships are invaluable. To get started with family counseling, give us a call at Thriveworks in West Des Moines, IA.
Stress, Relationships, Anxiety, Grief / Loss, Depression, +1 more 
