Family therapy is designed to address specific issues that affect the emotional health of your family. Family therapy addresses issues in your families such as substance abuse, divorce, and mental health conditions that may be impacting your family. Family therapy is solution-focused and short-term with a focus on solving the problems of one or more people in your family. Family therapy can help you improve troubled relationships with your partner, children, or other family members. You may address specific issues such as marital or financial problems, a conflict between parents and children, or the impact of substance abuse or a mental illness on the entire family.

Benefits of Family Therapy

• Develop healthy boundaries 
• Improve communication between family members
• Improved relationships within the family
• Deal with family conflict
• Increase family problem solving 
• Defining roles within the family
• Reduce conflict anger management 
• Develop active listening skills

Common Types of Family Therapy

• Systems Family Therapy Dr Murray Bowen, developed a model of family therapy that looks at the family as a system where each member is impacted by the other family members anxiety. Systems thinking, is focused on the big picture and how it relates to a family members presenting issue within the family.This approach helps people accept their role within the system as they focus on how their emotions affect the family as a whole. Systems theory always looks at the presenting problem as a problem for the family to work out.
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques attempt to change the ways people think or behave in order to reduce or eliminate the problem. The therapist may assign each individual family member with homework tasks to complete or specific behavioral programs might be drawn up.
• Psychodynamic ideas used in family therapy explores the individual’s  subconscious mind. This type of therapy attempts to reduce problems by uncovering the underlying problems. It is the hope of many therapists who use this method that, by providing the individuals with the real reasons for conflict, family members will be able to deal with and work through their difficulties more successfully.

Taking the steps to understand how your family can have greater communication and increased respect for each member can be life-changing. Contact us today for a free consultation to see if family therapy is right for you.