Family therapy can help families pinpoint specific concerns and assess how the family is handling these issues. Guided by the therapist, each family member will learn new ways to interact and overcome old problems.
Family therapy is a form of psychotherapy that focuses on changes within a family and recognizes that family relationships have an impact on the feelings, behavior, and psychological adjustment of every family member. Family therapy can involve the entire family or several family members, all meeting with a therapist. In blended families, this may include step-parents, step-siblings and half-siblings.
Family therapy is indicated when a change is desired in the way a family functions. Typically, a family may enter treatment due to concerns they have about a particular family member. One family member may be displaying specific symptoms or behavioral problems that are of concern to the family. Family therapy is based on the idea that the family is a living organism that is more than the sum of its individual members.
Family therapy evaluates family members in terms of their position or role within the family system and the process that occurs between members of the family. Family therapy examines the family’s ability to solve problems and express thoughts and emotions. Therapy may explore family roles, rules and behavior patterns in order to spot issues that contribute to conflict. Family therapy may help families identify their strengths and weaknesses. Problems are treated by changing the way the system works rather than trying to “fix” a specific member.
At Petrus Psychology our therapists work to change the homeostasis of the family and to differentiate enmeshed relationships.
