Family Therapy

Your daughter is in her room.

She’s ALWAYS in her room.

Her door is closed. You don’t know what she’s doing in there.

All you know is she won’t talk to you.

Well, she will occasionally. But when she does, she’s usually yelling.

It’s been like this for a while. You are so worried about her. Your eyes well up with tears. You want her to be okay. You want her to talk to you. You’re at your wits’ end and don’t know what to do.

Family therapy can help.

Amazing, dramatic, rapid change can come about when a family comes together to support a family member who is struggling. Each family member can be a resource to help solve the problem, as they each have their own unique perspective to add. This approach is often much more effective and efficient than individual therapy alone.

I recognize it can be difficult to look outside of your family or friends for help. It can be useful to think about it like going to the doctor, dentist, or even the mechanic. None of us are experts in all things, and it’s always helpful to consult an expert when we have a problem we haven’t been able to solve on our own.

How does family therapy work?

Initially, I like to meet with your entire family. After the first meeting, I will have a better sense of who will need to be present on an ongoing basis. The mix of family members who come to the session may change at times, depending on what the current needs are. Family therapy is unique and flexible in this way. Your whole family will have the experience of being supported by me, either all together or in smaller clusters.

To bring about change, we will look together at the current interaction patterns between your family members. We will figure out what’s working and what’s not. We will see if anyone in the family has unmet needs (and let’s be honest, we ALL have unmet needs sometimes). The goal is not to assign blame, but rather to come to a greater understanding of all the facets of the current problem.

Once we have a sense of that, we will work together to come up with ideas about how each family member can interact more effectively. You will all try out some new things and let me know what is successful and what isn’t. We will adjust accordingly. I will encourage you to be honest with each other about the emotions that are underneath your actions. That can be vulnerable and scary, I know. I will be there to support you.

At the end of a successful family therapy, your family will be communicating and interacting in much healthier ways. There will be way less tension. As a family, you will be happier and closer, and individual family members will feel better as well.

Who can family therapy help?

Most families who come in for family therapy have a teen or young adult child who is struggling, but family therapy can be useful to help with family relationships at any point in the lifespan. It can also be very helpful for blended families as they navigate their new lives together.

Why should we see you?

In me, you will find a calm, solid, well-trained family therapist who absolutely LOVES to do this work and does it well. There are few things in life that make me happier than seeing the transformations families go through in therapy. Your relationships with your family members have such a huge impact on your wellbeing. Strengthening them is something that is worth your time and energy.

Call me at (805) 664-1177 for a free phone consultation about how I can help your family.