The purpose of family counseling, also known as family therapy, is to address mental, behavioral, and emotional issues that contribute to conflicts within families. To cultivate and sustain healthy relationships, individual members of the family will work with a therapist or counselor.
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Family counseling, also known as family therapy, is a method that can be used to foster and sustain family relationships that are both healthy and functional. The mission is to analyze and solve the issues that arise within the family. These problems may be of an emotional, psychological, or behavioral nature.
Family systems theory is the foundation for several different approaches to family therapy. This would imply that families are more like interconnected systems than they are collections of individuals who operate independently of one another.
According to the theory of family systems, changes that occur in one member of the family will inevitably result in changes in other aspects of the family.
It is common practice to use the phrases “family therapy” and “family counseling” interchangeably. Conversation is typically used in both settings to assist individuals and families in resolving conflicts, overcoming obstacles, or addressing mental health concerns.
On the other hand, a therapist may have a different set of qualifications than a counselor. A counselor typically needs only a bachelor’s degree to practice, and they can offer general support to their clients. To work as a therapist, you need to have a master’s degree and a license.
Counselors typically work with clients who are dealing with issues related to substance abuse, for instance. In most instances, a therapist will be the type of clinician who provides family counseling services.
The best way to find out what services a professional in family mental health provides as well as what qualifications they have is to inquire about both of these things. Families have the opportunity to ask questions about the specific counseling or psychological approach that is taken during the meet and greet.
Advantages of seeking counseling for your family
Different families will derive different benefits from counseling, but some of those benefits include the following:
- Establishing appropriate limits and boundaries.
- Enhancing family communication and determining each member’s place.
- Enhancing the dynamics of the family and its relationships.
- Providing family members with the support and the coping mechanisms they need to address dysfunction.
- Enhancing the family’s ability to find solutions to problems.
- Child conduct disorders.
- Addictions to various substances.
- Generally offensive behavior.
- Depression.
Psychotherapy with one’s family has been shown to lower the risk of certain mental health conditions in adolescents. According to research from the year 2020, families may find that therapy helps address the following issues:
- Difficulty conveying one’s feelings through speech or in writing.
- Disagreements between brothers and sisters.
- Inconsistent parenting.
- Marital problems.
- Forming healthy and functional relationships in the aftermath of a divorce.
- Adjusting to significant life changes.
- Coping with the effects of a family member’s terminal illness or passing.
There is mounting evidence to suggest that family therapy is one of the most beneficial types of counseling. A literature review conducted in 2018 found that family counseling and other family-based approaches, such as parent training and programs, are effective in treating a variety of conditions, including:
- Sleep, feeding, and attachment issues in infants.
- Recovery from the behavioral conditions brought on by child abuse and child neglect.
- Disordered eating.
In addition, research suggests that family therapy is beneficial for adolescents of either gender who are struggling with issues related to their mental health. After receiving therapy, the adolescents in this study reported having fewer internal and external problems. The authors of this study note this finding.
Parents reported feeling closer to their families and learning more effective parenting techniques as a result of the program. According to the findings of the study, however, female parents are more likely to find family counseling helpful than their male counterparts.
Some family counselors provide services in the client’s home or via the internet. These may provide a more comfortable environment for individuals’ families than office-based meetings. However, some households feel more comfortable receiving counseling in an outside setting.
Approaches to counseling families.
Functional family therapy
Typically, this is directed toward families who have a child or adolescent member who is struggling with a variety of complex emotional or behavioral issues.
The child can attend between 8 and 30 weekly sessions with their parents or other caregivers. The sessions will assist families in learning strategies to deal with the child’s behavior and will improve the functioning of the family as a whole.
Multisystemic therapy
This is done to address any behavioral and emotional issues that may be present in children and adolescents. Additionally, multisystemic therapy emphasizes more general concerns regarding the child’s behavior. For instance, the goal might be to enhance their interaction with social systems like schools or neighborhoods.
Transgenerational therapy
A therapist will examine interactions between different generations, such as those that take place between parents or other caregivers and their children. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of how previous responses to challenges have influenced the family’s current interactions or problems.
When problems and patterns of behavior are passed down from one generation to the next, transgenerational therapy can be helpful. Because past behavior is a reliable indicator of future behavior, this can also help in determining how problems may evolve in the foreseeable future.
Brief strategic family therapy
This therapy intends to alter the typical ways in which members of the family communicate with one another. It is an intervention with a limited time frame that focuses on family issues that can lead to problematic symptoms in children and adolescents. The majority of short-term strategic therapies for families will last from 12-16 sessions.
According to the findings of recent studies, this type of treatment is beneficial over the long term. The researchers concluded that brief strategic family therapy was more effective than the usual treatments (such as group therapy and parent training groups) at lowering the number of arrests and incarcerations, both in the short term and in the long term.
Structural therapy
Problems that are caused by the structure of the family can be managed through structural therapy. The end goal is to have a family hierarchy that is functional and well-balanced, with clear boundaries between each member of the family. The primary distinction between structural therapies and other approaches is the emphasis placed on structure rather than particular problematic behaviors.
With Christian counseling in Grapevine, Texas, a session of family therapy may consist of the therapist speaking with members of the family in either a group setting, an individual setting, or a combination of the two.
The session of therapy typically lasts for about half an hour and occurs once per week. In the beginning, people may have difficulty discussing concerns, so the family must locate a therapist with whom they are at ease. It may take several attempts for a family to find one who is a good fit for all of their requirements.
According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT), family therapists offer a variety of services, including the following:
- Diagnostic evaluation and treatment of emotional and mental health conditions
- Preparations for treatment
- Individual, couple, and family therapy for children and adolescents
- Counseling for couples, groups, and families
The number of sessions required for family counseling is determined by many factors, including the reason a family decides to seek assistance and whether or not family members actively participate in therapy sessions.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
(469) 333-6163