Families function more as a “system” or an “institution”. Family counseling is designed for when your family has trouble resolving conflict, unable to make important decisions, difficulty setting agreeable rules and boundaries, had a major crisis, and/or has difficulty functioning day to day.
Some examples of situations where it is helpful for us to provide family therapy are:
- After the death of a close family member
- loss of job or unemployment
- an affair
- misuse of alcohol or drugs (or any significant addition)
- caring for aging parents, and/or
During family counseling, the therapist has the primary goal is the mental health of the family “system”. The difference lies more in the implementation of therapy, but the outcome feels much different for the clients. The therapist’s role is to advocate for the family.