|
|
|
"Helping families, children and adolescents
grow well."
Family Therapy
What can you expect from family therapy?
People seek family therapy for a variety of reasons...which often involve intense emotions,
trauma, and painful relationships. Family therapy provides a safe place to:
- express feelings safely
- support personal change, and
- grow and strengthen healthy relationships
Who comes to family therapy?
I work with children, adolescents, and adults individually
or together in family therapy. As a family therapist, I help individuals understand how their behavior affects
other family members, and how personal changes can improve the family as a whole. Much like a mobile suspended in the air, when one piece of the mobile moves, every piece of the mobile changes position.
Families are helped the most when all family members attend therapy. But if that is not possible, I will work with the individual(s) who are most interested in change to help them help themselves and their family.
How long does family therapy last?
Some individuals and families come to me for a brief amount of time because they need effective new techniques for resolving problems such as power struggles, child discipline, or communication issues.
Some individuals and families work with me for long-term healing from trauma, grief, or other emotional distress. Every individual and family is unique, and I work collaboratively with each one to plan and achieve his or her therapeutic goals.
How do you decide what to work on in family therapy?
As a family therapist, I see my clients as essentially capable individuals and families. When we work together collaboratively to plan treatment goals, I draw upon my client's existing strengths and skills as the foundation to build upon.
What happens in a family therapy session?
I use a variety of therapeutic approaches, in
response to the unique needs of each individual and family. Therapy sessions usually include talking, and may also
be combined with drawing or clay art, role-plays, and other therapeutic games such as puppet play, board or
active games, sand-tray, and story telling.
For children especially, words are often not enough.
I often use play therapy techniques to actively
engage every member of the family in therapy. What the family learns about playing together in the therapy session can then be used at home to continue making progress.
|
