Miriam has a secret that she’s too afraid to tell. Last year, her first year in high school, she was bullied by the girls in her class. It started out with small things, like taking her pens and notebooks, but it quickly turned into online harassment, name-calling, and stalking.
She thought of telling her parents when it first happened but they were stressed enough. The grocery store they own isn’t doing so well since a chain store moved in a few blocks down. Her school is expensive, and Miriam believes the time and money it took to get her in would go to waste if she asked to leave.
She stays silent. During the first half of sophomore year, she tries to ignore the constant harassment. She deletes her social media accounts and hides away under the bleachers during lunch. That’s where her teacher finds her. She calls Miriam’s parents and Miriam makes the decision to tell them about her harassers. Her parents are confused and angry but they don’t know what to do. Online harassment wasn’t a thing when they were Miriam’s age.
The teacher suggests they visit a family counselor for guidance. Miriam’s parents make the call and the three of them attend their very first therapy session. Together, they’re ready to do whatever it takes to improve Miriam’s school life and rebuild her self-esteem.
Family systems encounter different challenges, from constant bickering to school bullying. To strengthen your family’s relationship and resolve its problems, set up an appointment with a counselor or therapist at Thriveworks in Amarillo, TX. No matter what issue your family is going through, our family therapists can use their expertise to create long-term solutions that work for everyone involved.
When To Work With a Family Therapist
The families on TV sitcoms often resolve problems in a single episode with lighthearted jabs and quick chats. Real-life families, however, often have to take different, more long-term approaches to resolve behavioral problems, miscommunication, and other concerns that come up from time to time.
Families pursue counseling for different reasons. But some of the most common reasons to seek the help of a mental health professional include:
- Changes in finances
- Divorce and/or separation
- Blended families
- Bullying
- Physical and psychological abuse
- Identity acceptance issues
- Mental and physical illnesses
- Substance abuse and addiction
- Child behavioral problems
- Differing viewpoints (on politics, child-rearing, and other topics)
Strong family relationships take time, commitment, and hard work. Counselors, therapists, psychologists, and the other licensed professionals at Thriveworks can offer the resources you need to continue to grow together.
Therapeutic Techniques: How Family Therapy Can Help
Managing relationships is tough work but it can be done effectively and purposefully. Family counseling addresses the needs of the individual as well as the needs of the whole family unit. It recognizes that how we feel on an individual level can impact how we engage with others, especially those with whom we share close bonds.
Therapy is designed to help you work through relationship issues in a respectful, civil manner. To help you and your family reach your relationship goals, your provider might try one or more forms of therapy, such as:
- Structural family therapy, which examines family hierarchies and looks for areas of improvement.
- Narrative therapy, which uses storytelling techniques to get participants to take ownership of their individual stories (and thus their lives).
- Milan systemic family therapy, which recognizes hurtful family patterns and designs ways to combat them.
Your therapist may use these and other techniques to address your family’s unique concerns. Regardless of which techniques are used, you and your loved ones will receive expert care in the hands of your provider. To get started, please call us to schedule a session with a therapist or counselor at Thriveworks in Amarillo, TX.
Schedule an Appointment With a Family Therapist at Thriveworks in Amarillo, TX
For most of us, our family members are the first people we see in the morning and the last people we see at night. Because we spend so much time with our caregivers, siblings, and other relatives, our interactions can sometimes become soured by miscommunication or disagreements.
But no matter what challenge you face, a family therapist can help you and your family get back on the right track.
At Thriveworks, our counselors and therapists offer online sessions via phone or video chat and weekend and evening appointment times to accommodate different schedules. We also offer an online message board and online Q&A life coaching services. We offer a generous cancellation policy, accept various insurance policies, and can often accommodate same-day or next-day appointments for new clients.
Family relationships are important. If you and your family are undergoing problems or want to improve your relationship, please contact Thriveworks in Amarillo, TX to get started today.
