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 Eden Prairie, MN 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 Eden Prairie, MN 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?
The licensed family therapists at Thriveworks in Eden Prairie, MN can help family members identify strengths and weaknesses in their bonds. They can help family members attain critical insights about their communication styles and how they can be improved for more meaningful interactions.
And they can help family members find ways to achieve their happiness goals. If you’re ready to work with a provider at Thriveworks Eden Prairie, simply call us at (651) 376-2802 to get started today.
When Is It Time to See a Family Therapist?
Some of the issues that bring families to a Thriveworks family therapist include:
- Marital problems
- Financial struggles
- Emotional abuse
- Chronic illness
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bullying
- Grief
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Blended family difficulties
- Cultural differences
- Growing apart or estrangement
- Long-lasting grudges
What Do You Do in a Family Counseling Session?
If you’ve ever been in an individual counseling session, you probably have a basic idea of what you can expect from a family counseling session–though the focus won’t just be on you anymore. Your family therapist at Thriveworks in Eden Prairie, MN may begin a session by asking every individual family member about their goals for therapy. Do they have a specific issue they want to address, like someone’s alcoholism and the impact it has on the family, or do they just have a vague sense that something is wrong? In family therapy at Thriveworks, your therapist may gently and adeptly elicit information about the following:
- Your family’s strengths and weaknesses
- Unspoken rules and codes of behavior
- Everyone’s communication styles
- Everyone’s roles within the family
Through evidence-based therapy techniques and exercises, you and your family members may learn some of the following skills:
- How to be honest without being hurtful
- How to reduce tension in the family
- How to forgive, or ask for forgiveness
- How to reinforce your family’s strengths
- How to manage your anger
- How to emphasize with family members
- How to nurture an environment where everyone is safe and supported
Family therapists at Thriveworks help families achieve these goals by listening to and understanding everyone’s perspective, not taking sides or assigning blame.
What Are the Different Clinical Approaches to Family Therapy?
Every family therapist at Thriveworks in Eden Prairie, MN has their toolbox of therapeutic techniques, but the primary modalities of family therapy include the following:
- Structural, which looks at variables like structure and hierarchy that make up the family unit
- Strategic, which starts with observation and ends with task-setting
- Narrative, which uses storytelling to enhance understanding
- Bowenian, which focuses on self-differentiation
- Systemic, which treats the family as an interconnected unit
- Psychoeducation, which teaches families about mental conditions and how they might affect family dynamics
Meet Your Exceptional Family Therapist at Thriveworks in Eden Prairie, MN
The experienced, highly qualified, and fully licensed family therapists at Thriveworks in Eden Prairie, MN can help your family achieve its ultimate potential. They accomplish this through evidence-based, solution-focused, top-rated therapies that can enhance the existing bonds between family members. Your family therapist at Thriveworks can meet you and your loved ones in-person at the Thriveworks office, or online at your convenience. The online option works especially well for family members who might be estranged. All they need is a reliable internet connection to do the rewarding work of therapy.
We look forward to helping you and your family members strengthen your connection. Call the Thriveworks office today at (651) 376-2802, and meet with your therapist as early as tomorrow. We look forward to hearing from you and your loved ones!
