Family Counseling

Family Counseling Q & A

What is family counseling?

Family counseling deals with issues that affect the mental health and functioning of the entire family. It’s important to know that the concept of family includes anyone who has an ongoing, supportive role in your life. In other words, family counseling is not limited to blood relations or members who share the same household.

The goal of family counseling is to help everyone better understand each other, improve communication, and develop a healthy, functional family. To do this, therapy teaches you how to collaborate and work together to solve the problems faced by one or more individuals.

If one person has an issue, whether that issue is an addiction, a mental health disorder, or a behavioral problem, it impacts the entire family. 

As a result, family counseling focuses on helping everyone understand how they contribute to the problem. Then your therapist helps you create a proactive plan to make changes and overcome the challenge. 

When might I need family counseling? 

Family counseling can help with a wide range of issues, including: 

• Behavioral problems in children and teens

• Trouble at school

• Communication problems

• Parent-child conflict

• Sibling conflict

• Domestic violence

• Death of a loved one (grief)

• Divorce or separation

• Traumatic experiences

• Major life transitions (moving, the birth of a baby)

• A child with developmental disabilities

• Mental health disorders in family members 

During your therapy, you learn to improve family communication and support one another. 

What should I expect during family counseling? 

Your therapist may use any of the standard types of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and dialectical behavior therapy. However, family specialists also use several different approaches. 

Though each technique involves much more than the following descriptions, you can get a general idea of the unique approaches: 

Bowenian therapy

Bowenian therapy works when individuals can’t or won’t involve other family members. 

Structural therapy

Structural therapy focuses on ensuring that the parents are in control and that everyone in the unit respects boundaries. 

Systemic therapy

The systemic approach focuses on unconscious communication and the meaning behind each person’s behaviors. 

Strategic therapy

During strategic therapy, your therapist may assign homework that helps family members evaluate the way the family communicates. Then the information is used to improve their interaction.

Your therapist chooses the approach that will work best for helping your family solve problems, create a cohesive family unit, and reduce family conflict.

If you have questions about family therapy or would like to schedule an appointment, call High Desert Psychological Services, or book an appointment online today.