Everything to Know Before Family Therapy

Your family contributes largely to who you are; both positively and negatively. It is within the family unit that we acquire our customs, habits, and beliefs. Family members teach us the art of love, relationships, and social interactions. When the family unit is thriving, its members are likely to do well too. In case your family is struggling to connect, or there is a lot of friction between its members, you can change the situation through family therapy

What is family therapy?

It is a type of counseling that addresses how family functions. The counseling is vital for families who are dealing with a difficult period in their lives such as mental, psychological and behavioral issues. The therapist seeks to understand how the family operates and how that influences the members.

What is the essence of family therapy?

The family is the primary administrative unit. When families are functioning well, the community will thrive and eventually, the nation will be in order. For a family do work flawlessly, there is a need to cultivate personal life, which the members should do together. Family counseling involves the therapist working together with the family members to heal psychological, emotional and mental problems that could be tearing your family apart.

The expected outcomes from family counseling

• Better communication among the members
  
• Deeper empathy
  
• A clearer understanding of what healthy boundaries are and the family dynamics and patterns
  
• Reduced conflict
  
• Improved anger management skills
  

How to prepare for family therapy

The first step is for the family to agree that they require the services of a therapist. You can ask your physician to recommend a good therapist. If you know friends or relatives who have been through similar counseling sessions, you can ask for their advice too. To determine whether the counselor is a good fit, consider his or her education, experience, availability, fees, and location.

What to expect

If you have never been to a family therapy session, you might be nervous because you do not know what to expect. However, family therapy is just like individual therapy, so, there is no need to feel resistant. After settling in, the counselor will brief you what to expect so that everyone understands how it works.

Family therapy usually brings family members together for therapy sessions. Sessions take 50 minutes to an hour. You may require ten or more sessions. Typically, the period required depends on when the issue is resolved or after the therapist feels that you are ready to deal with the problem without the assistance of a third-party.

What issues are addressed in family therapy?

During therapy, you may:

• Examine your family behavior patterns, rules and roles. Spot the problems that lead to conflict and work on them.
  
• Scrutinize your family’s ability to solve issues, and express emotions productively.
  
• Explore your family’s strengths and weaknesses and look into how they contribute to conflict or unity.
  

Honesty is vital

For the family to experience the full benefits of therapy, everyone should be honest and committed to the process. All the family members should be attentive during the sessions and make actionable steps towards trusting their family members and the therapist. They should also be open to the techniques in use. Just like in any other form of counseling, the individuals are supposed to share their thoughts and emotions openly. They should also understand the roles they played towards the family’s state of conflict.

What to do after family therapy

At some point, you will stop going to therapy. By this time, you will have worked through the steps you should tale towards healing with the help of a therapist. For the counseling to have value, the entire family must be willing to integrate the lessons and insights they learnt in the sessions into their daily life.

The therapist might have assigned some task for each member to work on. The tasks may include situations where family members should use conflict resolution skills.

Parents or guardians should be keen on ensuring that grudges do not pile up. A method of promoting peace in a home is holding regular family meetings to address coping strategies and conflicts. Learning to solve issues with love and empathy will help bring families closer.