Does it seem like you and your family just can’t get along? Do you feel angry, upset, or confused by how your loved ones behave? Would you like to feel closer to them?
A family therapist helps people understand their family members and improve their relationships with them. This therapy can be extremely beneficial for anyone who wants to strengthen how they interact with their loved ones. Let’s get into what you can expect from the process.
Learn Healthier Communication
Communication is the heart of any relationship. Unfortunately, many families struggle with how they talk and relate to each other. Often, people become reactive, defensive, or downright hostile when things don’t go their way.
A family therapist observes how family members interact with one another. They will point out unhealthy patterns, and they will offer proactive solutions to improve them. Solutions may include skills in active listening, validation, and providing nonjudgmental support. Solutions will also consist of identifying and setting healthy boundaries when limits must be implemented.
It’s important to note that family therapists don’t pick sides or assign blame to a single person. It’s not about fixing a single problem or holding one person responsible for all the family’s issues. Instead, they look at the entire family as a unit. As a result, each person has personal accountability towards contributing to overall change.
Support Mental Health Issues
Mental illnesses affect 1 in 4 people. Therefore, there is a good possibility that someone in your family struggles with a condition like anxiety or depression.
Mental health can impact the entire family system. The individual may withdraw from others or engage in dangerous, impulsive behaviors. Loved ones often want to help and show their support, but they also don’t want to say or do the wrong thing.
Family therapy provides education and resources to family systems affected by mental illness. Often, the struggling individual will be referred for individual and group therapy. Likewise, the family will receive tools related to validating their loved one, setting boundaries, and establishing a healthy, loving environment.
Cope With Significant Changes
Death, divorce, change in location- these are all serious life circumstances, and they can have a lasting impact on families. Each family member may cope differently with the situation, and, at times, these differences may cause strain on the system.
During significant changes, families can learn to support one another. While hardships may be inevitable, they don’t have to be completely debilitating.
Therapists teach people how to work together to problem-solve navigating new changes effectively. Likewise, a family therapist can teach practical coping skills for handling stress.
Working With a Family Therapist Near Me
Family therapists have extensive training in understanding and supporting families to strengthen their relationships with one another. No matter what you and your loved ones have endured, therapy can teach you all how to validate and lean on each other.
Are you ready to connect with a family therapist? Contact us today to get started!