A Safe Place to Share
Family therapy creates a safe place where multiple voices, points of view, experiences, hopes, and wishes can be shared between family members.
Family problems do not have to be severe to warrant therapy. When working with a counsellor, families can expect to learn to understand one another better, communicate more effectively, and work proactively to disrupt unhealthy patterns.
Every family goes through ups and downs in life
Family problems can manifest in the healthiest of families, resulting in challenging, frustrating, and painful interactions among family members. From little irritations to buried resentments, from dramatic arguments to feelings of guilt, disconnection, helplessness, hopelessness, disappointment, and anger that we did not even know we had. Our families often bring out the most intense emotions we experience, for better or worse.
The Impact of Family
Ideally, our families are those whom we can always rely on for support, from whom we draw strength and feedback, for whom we feel love and concern, and with whom we feel close and comfortable; openly sharing thoughts and feelings. In reality, few families meet this expectation 100% of the time, and in some cases, a person’s family is far from ideal. From our family of origin, we develop our expectations of others, communication skills, outlook on life, our ability to give and receive love, and coping skills, among myriad other traits. Chronic family problems can have lasting effects.
Whether your family is struggling with relational concerns, communication difficulties, behavioural problems, divorce/separation, grief/loss, depression/anxiety, addiction, parenting/co-parenting concerns, or a combination of stressors, family therapy can help.