Counseling For …
Families
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“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.”
—Jane Howard
What Is Family Counseling?
Family counseling by definition is counseling with at least two members of the same family system. This can look like a session with a parent and a child, or counseling between siblings. Family counseling can either include all members of the family system or just specific members of the family system.
The goal of family counseling is to create a safe space where each member of the family feels they have a voice, and are able to be honest and learn to be in relationship with one another.
Creating this sort of environment within the family session where each member is able to effectively communicate their needs and desires to one another, allows for a similar process to take place outside of the session.
Family counseling may either be a stand alone type of counseling or part of a specific treatment plan that works in tandem with a family member's individual therapy.
Why Family Counseling?
How do family sessions work?
Family therapy can be thought of as more similar to either group or couple's therapy, in that there are multiple viewpoints represented and the therapist is navigating through how to best address each raised concern.
This approach is geared primarily toward the counselor operating as a facilitator and mediator for the family and teaching them healthy and effective communication skills. The session time is also used to foster a safe place to process through emotions, and learn healthy boundaries with one another.
Family counseling on average tends to have longer sessions to better incorporate time for all parties having a chance to participate.
Is it right for us?
If your family is experiencing difficulty in this season of life, or you’re anticipating difficult challenges ahead, then family therapy may be a right fit. Navigating family relationships whether with your children, your siblings, or your parents can be difficult at times and there is no shame in reaching out for help.
If you feel like your family could benefit from learning healthy ways to communicate and set better boundaries, then family therapy is a good fit for you.
When would I need family counseling?
Here are some common signs to look for to see if family therapy is needed.
Constant arguing
Difficulties in setting and maintaining boundaries
Difficulties in regulating emotions
Times of transition like a move to a new school or city, and as a parent, better learning how to support your child
Trouble in processing through the transition of a divorce
Trouble in blending families together during remarriage
I’m here to help with…
Any event or circumstance that adds added stress to the family system, Behavioral and emotional issues in the family, Blending families, Coping with traumatic experiences, Parent difficulty in setting boundaries and enforcing limits, Death, Divorce, Inability to communicate effectively, Learning to better manage conflicts, Learning how to approach and accept family members’ newly announced sexual orientation or gender identity, Noticeable changes in the children's behavior at home or school, Parenting problems, When family members have difficulty functioning in their daily lives, a high level of extreme or uncontrolled emotional reactions, family members appear to be withdrawing from family life, When there is violence or the threat of violence in the household.
Common Concerns About Starting Therapy
How is family counseling different?
Family therapy is different from regular counseling in that more people are usually present. This may mean as little of two family members present and ranges to the whole family system being present. It also concentrates on the family system as a whole rather than the concerns of one individual person.
While individual counseling may focus more on learning coping skills and processing emotions in a healthy way, the work of family therapy is to foster a safe environment for healthy communication. While there are many concerns that may bring families in for counseling, the focus will be on setting boundaries and teaching families how to state and ask for what they need in a healthy manner.
Is it confidential?
Your privacy is taken very seriously. At The People Place Counseling Center, we maintain guidelines set by HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), as well as maintain ethical guidelines set by the American Psychological Association (APA). These guidelines ensure that what is said in a family session is kept confidential; however, there are some limitations.
These limitations deal with the knowledge of child or elderly abuse, or the possibility of harm to yourself or others. It is important to understand that counselors are mandated reporters, and are required to report certain information, as listed above, to the proper authorities.
If you have any questions about confidentiality, please do not hesitate to ask, and your therapist can clarify your questions directly.
How long and how often will I have to be in therapy?
The frequency and length of therapy that is needed is determined between each family and therapist and will be made clear as you progress. Likely, you will start by meeting for a minimum of one time a week, and adjust from there as needed. The eventual decision to end therapy will be based upon the therapeutic goals that have been expressed for the family and the treatment plan you’re working to accomplish.
You can expect to have regular conversations with your therapist about your perception of your progress, the therapeutic goals that are being met, as well as those that need greater attention. These conversations will help in determining the length of treatment and ensure that you’re on the same page as your therapist about your expectations for your work together.
How does family therapy help?
Individual therapy is helpful in that it can help someone to get to the root of the issue that is holding them back. However in family therapy, we have the opportunity to correct some of those issues and patterns in real-time.
In addition, speaking with a family outsider gives a neutral and objective view of the different dynamics at play and how they can be improved. It can help to ease underlying tensions between family members by allowing a safe place to talk about the issue and resolve it.
Family therapy can also set an example for the future and teaches families how to effectively communicate and solve problems as they move throughout life. It will also help in establishing and practicing setting healthy boundaries with one another and breaking old habits and thought patterns.
What happens during an intake session?
An intake session is the first session with a counselor. The intake session focuses on gathering information about what is bringing you into counseling and any mental health history that may be relevant to the family system.
This includes any prior treatment, current and past medications, family history, and a synopsis of why you have chosen to seek counseling at this moment in time. It tends to run longer than a normal session due to the amount of information that needs to be gathered to help determine the best treatment plan for you.
A treatment plan will also be developed, and it will be assessed who will need to attend the next family session and who can sit out. It is often unrealistic and unnecessary for every family member to be present during all sessions.
Ultimately, this first session helps lay out the foundation for what counseling would look like specifically for your family and what treatment will be necessary to help you reach your therapeutic goals.
I feel like we’re doing all the talking. What is the therapist actually doing?
During each session, it is the job of the therapist to be assessing how the family communicates with one another and attempt to take in each person's perspective of the issue at hand. I will also be assessing what roles each member plays within the family system and how it impacts the whole.
This information-gathering stage cannot be underestimated in its usefulness to the family in future sessions. By learning the language and structure of the family, your therapist will be able to better know how to help you move into a place of healing and understanding.
Initially and at different points throughout therapy, your therapist may choose to break the family into different sub-units to gain more information, not only about the presenting problem, but also about different factors that are influencing the family system in any way. We may also do this to focus in on a “sub-conflict” that is impeding the process of the whole.
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A family member is refusing to come to family therapy, what should I do?
Know that you are not alone in this and it is actually a common occurrence. If one of your family members is refusing to come to family therapy, it may be that they are not properly motivated. For an adult that is unwilling, this means that they don’t yet understand how they may benefit from therapy, and for a child, this is likely a further symptom of the problem that brings you in, i.e. they need more limits and structure.
Your therapist is able to still meet with the family members that are willing to come, even if it is just one person. At that point, we will transition to more individual-style therapy, with the main focus being how we can appeal to the other members to see family therapy as helpful.
“In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Contact Us About Family Counseling in Bentonville
To schedule your first appointment, please give us a call at 479-888-4772 or click the button below to contact us via email.
“Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.”
—Anthony Brandt