Family Therapy
Family Therapy at Menachem Psychotherapy Group
How Family Therapy Can Help
The hardest part is being too close to the problem. This makes it hard for you to see the issues clearly. This is where a family therapist can help. Family therapy helps families learn to communicate better and also to understand each other on a deeper level. Your family therapist can help you and your family see how their behavior influences the behavior of those around them. It’s often very difficult to see your own behavior and methods of communication. You may not realize that it may be causing the exact behaviors from other family members that you don’t like.
Unfortunately, sometimes one member of the family ends up the scapegoat for the whole family’s problems. In family therapy, your therapist will focus on the entire family system and all the dynamic complexities therein. Instead of only focusing on the problems of one member, we take a look at how the whole family system needs healing. Family therapy can restore your family’s feelings of peace and closeness.
Principles of Family Therapy
Family therapy employs the following ideas and principles to facilitate treatment by a trained therapist:
- Families are unique social systems with communication patterns that are determined by a variety of factors. Some of these patterns include the beliefs and values of the parents and the influence of extended family members. Families thus build their own personalities that influence every member.
- One problematic family member may indicate larger problems within the family unit. Treating only that problematic member is similar to treating only one symptom of a disease. The entire family system must be treated.
- Changes affect the whole family as well as individuals. Your therapist will consider the entire system during family therapy. A problem in one member is often a symptom of conflict in the whole group.
The Purpose of a Family Therapist
The goal of a family therapist is to help family members understand how the system functions. They can also help you work on the following issues:
- Improving troubled relationships among members
- Focusing more on your whole family vs. the scapegoat member
- Strengthen all members of the family
- Identify underlying conflicts and provide resolution strategies
- Teach family members the skills to handle conflict
- Develop communication skills among members to deepen understanding and connection
Treatment With Family Therapy
- Parental relationship conflicts like marital or financial
- Parent and child conflicts
- Behavioral problems in children
- Siblings who can't get along
- Family members with chronic illness or substance abuse issues
- Major changes such as divorce or family blending
What Your Family Therapist Will Focus On
Your therapist will direct your focus during family therapy to some of the following areas:
- Solving problems and communicating effectively
- Family roles and conflicts
- Recognizing problematic patterns and learning techniques to break the patterns
- Strengths and weaknesses of the family unit
- Difficulties in communication
- Family rules and taboos
Menachem Psychotherapy Group specializes in counseling for individuals, couples, families and groups. If your family is struggling through various problems and you want to find relief, contact Menachem Psychotherapy Group to find out more about how family therapy can help.
