What Are Family Counselling Services?
Family counselling is a type of therapy that focuses on family relationship issues. Family therapy sessions can help you and your family members to communicate more effectively, solve problems together, and better understand and support one another.
Family therapists are counsellors trained to help resolve family conflicts, as well as to identify and treat mental health issues within the family unit. At Counseling Perspective, our therapists work with family members of all ages, from children as young as three to seniors in their eighties.
Family therapy may involve both individual and group sessions. Sometimes family counselling sessions might be between a parent and child, or between two or more siblings. Other times, the entire family may be at the same counselling session.
In most cases, family counselling is a short-term commitment. It usually takes place over a period of no more than twelve weeks, but this can be shorter or longer depending on the needs of your family.
Why Do People Go to Family Therapy Sessions?
The reasons why families might seek therapy are as diverse as families themselves.
Some of the most common family conflict scenarios we encounter include disagreements over money, child-rearing, in-laws, and differences in lifestyle.
Conflicts within couples and families can also commonly arise during times of transition or stress. Some examples include:
- Children growing into teenagers
- Adult children getting married or moving overseas
- The arrival of new family members (e.g. babies or step-relatives)
- Divorce, illness, or the death of a family member
- A family member developing a mental health issue (e.g. depression)
- "Trailing spouse" anxieties causing tension within expat families
Whatever the situation, a licensed therapist can provide counselling to help you and your family members strengthen relationships and achieve positive change.
How Should We Prepare for Family Therapy?
Before beginning family counselling, you and your family members should discuss together why you're seeking therapy and what you all hope to achieve. This can help everyone involved to feel that their opinions and feelings are respected, and create more openness to the idea of going to a family therapist.
Make sure that these goals are realistic. Family counselling is not a silver bullet for all your family's issues – especially if problems and resentment have been building up for years. What it can do is help family members to better understand one another, begin to heal from past wounds, and be better equipped to face future challenges.
Resolve to Be Honest with your Family
Being honest with your therapist will help them to tailor the course of therapy to you and your family's needs, giving you the greatest benefit from your counselling sessions. Whatever topics are discussed, your therapist will keep all conversations strictly confidential.
However, if a family member is unwilling to discuss a certain subject, then they should establish this boundary before therapy commences. Other members of the family should respect any boundaries set. While we don't recommend keeping back any relevant information during family counselling, we understand that some may be unwilling to attend therapy otherwise.
Be Ready to Actively Participate
Family therapy is a process and success comes from active participation. Great family counselling sessions happen when all attending family members come in with open minds, ready to work toward common goals that you have discussed together and agreed upon beforehand.
Be prepared that your family therapist may make requests that you may find uncomfortable or challenging. For example, you may be asked to engage in deep personal reflection, participate in roleplay exercises to help you understand the perspectives of other family members, and/or complete homework in between therapy sessions.
Other Counselling Services for Family Members
Sometimes, the individual adults, teens and/or children who make up a family can benefit from other types of counselling, instead of or in addition to family therapy sessions. Read more about some of the other counselling services we offer below.
