Family Therapy and Counseling
What is family therapy or counseling?
Family therapy or counseling is a type of psychological counseling designed to work with and help family members improve their relationships and resolve issues or conflicts. Family therapy may include all family members or just those able or old enough to understand and be involved. Family counseling is usually short term and the specific treatment will depend on your family situation.
What should you expect?
Family counseling usually involves several of your family members and typically takes about 45-50 minutes per session. The number of session can vary, but family therapy is usually short-term, not lasting longer than 6 months, but this depends on the issues that need to be resolved and the clinician’s recommendations. During family therapy, the clinician or therapist will get to know each family member, and may do this with everyone as a group or individually. The therapist will usually take a thorough family history, even asking questions about extended family like grandparents, uncles, cousins etc. Questions will be asked about the family structure, how the family communicates, roles of each member and the quality of relationship between each family member. The family therapist will also want to get a very detailed description of the main issues that brought the family to therapy in the first place. And initially will take as much of an objective position as possible regarding the interactions of each family member
Common concerns or issued addressed in family therapy
Why would you choose family therapy?
Family therapy or counseling can help you, your spouse and your children repair and improve difficult relationships. Family therapy can help patch strained relationships, teach new coping skills and improve how your family works together. Whether it’s you, your spouse, or your children who are in crisis, family counseling can help you deal with these issues and help strengthen new behaviors for the entire family. Family therapy can help identify your concerns and then address exactly how each family member is handling them. Guided by your family therapist, your family will learn new ways to work together to overcome old issues and problems. Family therapy can be helpful in almost any family situation that causes anger, struggles, conflict, or stress. It can help build stronger family bonds by addressing issues so family members understand each other better
Benefits of family therapy
The biggest benefit of family therapy is bringing the family together and helps build strong, healthy and happy families. Family therapy helps parents and children deal with problems, trauma, or other major life transitions and changes, by providing counsel and support when everyone is feeling a bit overwhelmed by their situation. The counseling of family members together helps improve communication within the family and it fosters togetherness and a sense of purpose. Family therapy also helps to create peace of mind with the parents, boost self-esteem of children and family members and helps to foster good relationships outside of the home. The goal of family therapy is to promote understanding among all family members on how to solve the problems of one or more members. For example if a child is having school or relationship issues, therapy can identify family patterns that may cause a child or teen to act out, rather on just focusing on the child behavior. Together, as the family discovers the source of the issue, they can learn how to support the child and other family members and work together to change the undesired behavior.
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At MidWest Center For Personal & Family Development
We have 30 therapists/clinicians spread across all 4 of our Twin Cities locations that offer family therapy, so there should be a convenient locations for you and your family. Some of the issues that we specialize in include: