Family Therapy Services
About Our Family Therapy Services
We all start this life with a family, whether that family is composed of blood relatives, adopted parents, a close-knit neighborhood, or a foster family. The family that we acquire when we are born influences every aspect of our lives, from our first moments to our last.
Our family affects who we are and whom we become, for better and for worse. We learn our vocabulary, our habits, our customs and rituals, and how to view and observe the world around us. We also learn how to love and how to interact with others from these first important relationships. Nearly all families deal with some sort of dysfunction at one time or another, yet most families retain or regain a sense of wholeness and happiness.
In Family therapy, the focus is on the relationship between the family members and on the family unit as a whole. Family problems can manifest in the healthiest of families, resulting in challenging interactions that can lead to buried resentments, dramatic arguments, and feelings of guilt, anger, and disappointment. Families can bring up the most intense emotional reactions we can experience – whether good or bad.
Through our work together, new opportunities for dialogue will present themselves, and you and your family members will be able to express yourselves in a positive manner. In turn, your family will be able to work collaboratively together in repairing the conflicts and problems. This can lead to being able to create meaningful solutions for those problems from a stance of compassion and love.
Common Types of Family Therapy
Bowenian
Bowenian therapy is best suited for situations in which individuals cannot or do not want to involve other family members in the treatment. It focuses on reducing chronic anxiety and increasing individual "differentiation" (separating thoughts from feelings and self from others) to improve family functioning. It examines multi-generational patterns of emotional fusion, triangulation, and cut-offs to foster healthier relationships.
Structural
Structural therapy focuses on adjusting and strengthening the family system to ensure that the parents are in control (hierarchical system) and that both children and adults set appropriate boundaries. This method focuses on the family as a whole vs the individual. It is commonly used for adolescent behavioral issues, eating disorders, and blended family adjustments.
Systemic
The Systemic model refers to the type of therapy that focuses on the unconscious communications and meanings behind family members’ behaviors. Key concepts include Interconnectedness (a change in one family member affects everyone, and the system’s stability influences individuals), Focus on Interaction (what happens between people, not just within one person) and Family Roles & Rules (unspoken roles (e.g., the caretaker, the rebel) and rules that maintain stability, even if they are dysfunctional).
Strategic
This form of therapy is briefer and more direct than the others, in which the therapist focuses on solving specific family problems by changing, rather than analyzing, unhealthy communication patterns and behaviors. Homework is also assigned to the family. This homework is intended to change the way family members interact by assessing and adjusting the way the family communicates and makes decisions.
Our goal is to help families lower their overall stress due to the change and regain their ability to communicate effectively with one another.
Whether your family needs counseling on specific issues or guidance in navigating through family dynamics and relationships, Thriving Lives Counseling LLC can help. Licensed members of our team can help your family move past issues in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment. We will guide the journey as your family works towards empathy, understanding, and decreased conflict.