Therapy can be helpful in any family situation that leads to conflict, grief, or isolation.
For example, therapy might help members of a family resolve issues such as mourning or finances, or deal with the impact of one person’s substance abuse, mental health condition, or criminal behavior on the whole group. Families may pursue therapy in conjunction with individual treatment for anyone who needs it. Someone affected by trauma might receive individual counseling and attend family sessions to learn how to better support each other.
Why Family Therapy works so well
Families often share a common set of values and beliefs, such as religion, politics, work ethic, and sense of community. They also share similar ways of interacting with each other, including how they communicate, what they eat together, and how they spend leisure time. However, families differ in how much they value these shared experiences. Some families emphasize the importance of having fun together, while others focus on being productive and working hard. In addition, some families are very close knit, while others are more distant.
Families are complex
The work of confronting challenging, or complex issues can be made easier when guided by a professional who can set limits, offer new perspectives, help families think differently about an individual, or issue, and encourage them to do so. The safety and privacy of the therapeutic environment allows families to vent their most challenging feelings without entering into destructive arguments without resolution. Through therapy, families can learn to communicate more empathically, listen more compassionately, and utilize better coping strategies to deal with challenging dynamics in their lives.
