Family therapy can help strengthen the family by incorporating various forms of therapeutic interventions that helps to improve the family’s overall level of functioning as a family unit. Each family has their own set of rules, responsibilities and roles for each individual family member. As a family therapy specialist, I like to incorporate various techniques and strategies to help identify these individualized roles within the family and help bridge the gap of communication.
Communication has a major role in how people interact with one another. It’s not just about what is said and/or heard, but rather what one perceives. It’s not only the words used to communicate that’s important, but also one’s tone and attitude when speaking that has a huge impact on how the message is received. I will often hear parents say, “he doesn’t listen when I tell him to do something”; and my young client replies, “well they don’t tell me, they yell”. One of my favorite books that I often refer to when working with families is “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk” by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish.
Parents will often ask for help with their child who may be struggling with depression, anxiety, school related issues or a recent devastating diagnosis. I will often suggest family therapy as a form of treatment when working with children, as I find it most effective to treat the entire family and strongly believe the benefits are endless. It’s easy to identify the problem, but the real challenge is working together to come to a solution.