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How Family Counseling Works

Family counseling is a form of psychotherapy that works on addressing conflicts and issues between family members to improve communication and interactions. In family therapy, all members of the family work with a qualified therapist to build and maintain a strong, healthy relationship.

Family counseling addresses behavioral, emotional, or other issues pertaining to a family’s dynamics. The approach for family therapy is taken from family systems theory, which says that families are units that work in systems, and not independently; it views the issues between the family members as patterns that can be worked on and refined.

Benefits of Family Counseling

Although benefits for family counseling vary, it helps develop healthier boundaries and improves communication between family members. It also leads to a better family dynamic while providing the members with coping mechanisms and strength to go through their issues, leading to an improved family relationship.

It can address issues with children and help those suffering from mental health issues.

Who Can Benefit From Family Counseling?

According to a study conducted in 2020, families with these problems found counseling to be very beneficial:

• Those with communication problems
• Constant conflicts between family members
• Those suffering through marital issues
• Families trying to develop a healthy relationship following a separation or divorce
• Dealing with an illness or death

Types

There are several types of family counseling:

Functional Family Therapy

This type of therapy works for families where a child has intense or complex emotional or behavioral issues. Functional family therapy helps families learn coping strategies on how to deal with the behavior issues to improve functioning.

Systemic Therapy

This therapy addresses family members’ behaviors and aims to improve the emotional and behavioral problems they face, working specifically on their social interactions.

Structural Therapy

Structural therapy works on problems that arise due to a family’s structure. It tries to achieve a balanced family dynamic with established boundaries. Its focus is the family’s structure and not the behaviors causing the issues.

Strategic Therapy

Strategic therapy works toward addressing and changing how family members interact with one another. It targets problems that then lead to behavioral issues in young people.

Trans generational Therapy

It is a specific type of therapy that addresses and examines interactions across people from different generations (like parents and children) to see how miscommunication can cause family problems.

Outcomes of Family Therapy:

Proper family therapy helps families develop and maintain healthy boundaries and fosters good communication between the family members while promoting solutions to problems and understanding of the family dynamic. It also works on the emotions between the family members, building on empathy and leading toward less conflict.

If you are considering getting family therapy, Serene Minds Counseling Services has licensed professionals that conduct family therapy services. We also offer individual counseling in Southern California and Couple Counseling in San Bernardino. You can also book online sessions if you don’t prefer in-person sessions.

Book an appointment with us now.