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.
The Harts are a picture-perfect family that live in a small town. Both of the Hart daughters are extremely talented athletes and their parents were outgoing, involved, and had somehow found the time to go to both daughters’ sports games every weekend, even if they overlapped. They could basically be on the cover of Family Magazine. That was, however, until their whole world flipped upside down. Essentially overnight, their family broke up and the whole town was talking about it. Mr. Hart packed his things and filed for divorce with seemingly no reason to do so. It left both daughters and their mom broken, confused, and ashamed. To help her and her daughters rebuild from this major life change, Ms. Hart decided to seek out the help of a family therapist.
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.” – Chinese Proverb
The Hart family’s situation is tough. Learning to work through our sadness, anger, annoyance, or disappointment due to our family members can be extremely hard. So can resolving arguments and offering forgiveness. Fortunately, there are mental health professionals who specialize in helping people succeed in doing so. The licensed marriage and family therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk Counseling have the experience, training, and skills to help families like the Harts, and yours, get through the challenges that stand in your way. If you and your loved ones are struggling to push past the ups and downs and need a little extra unbiased support, consider reaching out to our office today. We’d love to help you as soon as possible.
Anger, Trust, and Lies: Can Family Therapy Help Us?
One of the main goals of family therapy, or family counseling, is to help your family unit get back to a healthier, happier state of living. There are many challenges that families go through, both on an individual and group level. The mental health professionals at Thriveworks Norfolk Counseling have helped many families in the past with common issues including:
- Divorce or separation
- Marriages that lack connection
- Unforeseen crises such as a family death, job loss, or loss of home
- Problematic parenting that has led to disobedient children
- Hormonal changes in children that is causing conflict
- Uncontrollable children
- A family member with unmet needs
- Addiction and/or substance abuse within a family member
- Unresolved tension in family relationships
- Lack of proper communication and active listening
- A family member, or members, battling a mental illness
If your family is going through one or more of these challenges, family therapy could be the right option for you. Sometimes it can be hard to see eye to eye, especially when there are feelings of anger and sadness involved. Our team of psychologists can help you and your family resolve these issues.
What to Expect During Family Therapy
In the list of challenges above, you may have thought that a lot of the problems existed on an individual level. Which is true. Sometimes the root cause of issues within a family stems from one specific family member. With the Hart family, for example, when Mr. Hart decided to leave the family for his own reasons, it left the rest of the family in shock and denial. Another example would be if a child is experiencing extreme anxiety that is affecting the whole family unit because of the stress and worry. Whatever the reason, your family therapist will meet with each individual family member to better understand their specific needs and goals in order to create a treatment plan that is unique to the whole family.
Family therapy is often short-term, meaning it can be completed in as little as nine sessions. We understand that every family and their needs are different, so don’t feel discouraged if you need more than nine meetings. The methods and techniques used during your therapy session can range depending on the topics being discussed and the family members in attendance. Regardless, our counselors want to help you and your loved ones improve communication, learn tools to articulate your needs, provide guidance on how to support each other, learn coping mechanisms, and effective problem-solving techniques. Within time, you and those closest to you can be living the healthy and full life you’ve been wanting for some time. We can help you get there.
Schedule a Family Therapy Session at Thriveworks Norfolk, VA Today
Are you ready to get your family back on track? We offer a safe space for families to work together and communicate openly to reach a common goal. At Thriveworks Norfolk Counseling, we can get you started as soon as tomorrow. When you’re ready, visit our online booking portal or give us a call at (757) 317-4315. One of our scheduling specialists can set you up with a trusted counselor at a time that fits your schedule. In addition to our regular daytime hours, we offer our clients evening and weekend sessions. No matter how busy your schedule is, we have something that works.
Let us help you and your family members resolve conflict and feel better again. We’re here and ready when you are.
