What is family therapy?
Family therapy helps families resolve conflicts and strengthen their relationships. It is led by qualified mental health professionals like psychologists, licensed professional counselors (LPCs), and licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) who have extensive training in family dynamics and group communication.
How does family therapy work?
Thriveworks family therapists in Colorado Springs, CO usually begin by asking what everyone’s goals are for family counseling. Family members may need help with very specific issues or with general relationship functioning. But there are three main purposes in family counseling: to educate, to counsel, and to strengthen. Thriveworks also offers online family therapy and in-person services, so you may all meet in an office together or join a video call from your home depending on everyone’s location and availability.
What is the most effective family therapy?
The most effective form of Family therapy will often depend on the family itself, as there are many types of family therapy for therapists to use as they see fit in order to best meet the needs of their clients. However, one of the most commonly used types of family therapy is structural family therapy (SFT). SFT focuses specifically on family dynamics and interactions, looking at how they shape the relationships and structure present in the family. It can be effectively used to treat a variety of concerns.
How do I know if my family needs therapy?
This answer often looks different to each family that starts family therapy. However, some signs that your family might need to consider family counseling include frequent fights or misunderstandings, constant tension, experiencing loss, behavioral issues, marital issues, divorce, and blended family issues, among others.
What is included in family therapy?
In family therapy, therapists will often start by asking questions and assessing individual and family dynamics. From there, they may employ therapeutic techniques such as structured family therapy, CBT, strategic family therapy, and more depending on the present concerns and conflicts. From there, a therapist will work to open lines of communication between family members and facilitate emotional healing and growth.
What is the success rate of family therapy?
Family therapy can be incredibly successful, with some studies reporting a success rate of almost 90% for improving participants’ emotional and mental health, and around 66% for improving their physical health.
Is family therapy conducted in person or online?
Thriveworks therapists in Colorado Springs, CO offer both online family therapy and in-person family therapy. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.
How long does family therapy last?
Family therapy is usually short term and solution-focused, with most families accomplishing their goals in 12 sessions or fewer. However, it can also last for longer if the probles at hand are more complex — and that’s okay, too.
Need more help deciding?
Our family – biological family, foster family, adopted family, step family, and the family we acquire throughout life – has a major influence in every aspect of our life. We view our life through a lens that is formed by our family’s values, habits and culture. Many of the ways we think and act are learned patterns of behavior from our family.
Our first relationships are often with our family. These relationships teach us how to love, communicate and function with others. Some of us were born into a dysfunctional family which struggles with connection, communication and boundaries. The truth is that family dysfunction is on a spectrum and we are all on this spectrum at some point. No family is immune – we all struggle at times.
The good news is that family therapy or family counseling can minimize the dysfunction by working with individual roles and communication within the family. We will always have conflicts that arise in our families. It’s how we handle the conflicts that can be altered – to be handled in a healthy manner. Learning key skills can transform high level dysfunction into a healthy and productive family.
Who needs family therapy?
A family going through a transition:
- Empty nest
- Addition of a baby
- Career change
- Diagnosis of a chronic illness
- Loss of a family member
Or, possibly one family member is struggling:
- Addiction
- Mental health disorder
- Working 50+ hours per week
- Poor academic performance
- Financial strain
Sometimes there is a disagreement or conflict that creates strife within the family. These transitions, personal difficulties or conflicts effect the entire family. For example, many times a child will have behavioral or emotional problems that are the initial symptoms of family dysfunction.
Thriveworks Colorado Springs counselors work with families to strengthen communication, identify roles, build strengths and learn to handle conflict in a healthy manner. No family chooses conflict. Instead, we want love, respect and support from our families. If your family is spiraling down, developing unhealthy habits, you can benefit from meeting with one our professionals. We help many families in distress get back on track. Your family can too.
Why Choose Colorado Springs Family Therapy?
Our therapists are supportive and nonjudgmental. They have extensive experience working with many types of family dynamics. When you give us the opportunity to support your family, you and your family will be able to strengthen the relationship bonds and enjoy being together once again. Family life is key to our mental health and well-being. Call today to schedule: 719-266-3919
Additional resource:
https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/family-therapy/
