3 Times When It's Important To Attend A Family Therapy Clinic

Family therapy is counseling that includes the entire family, instead of just individual counseling or marriage therapy. Family therapy not only addresses individual patterns of behavior but also looks at the overall family dynamic. The right family therapist will be able to help you improve communication within your family, de-escalate conflict, and reduce friction. While family therapy is usually helpful, it's especially important during these three situations.

When You're Going Through a Divorce

Going through a divorce is disruptive, sad, and stressful, not only for the two people getting divorced but for their kids as well. Experts have found that parents who manage to co-parent in a cooperative, collaborative way during and after divorce help their kids to recover from the emotional effects much sooner.

Family therapy is the ideal format for figuring out how to do this. It allows a neutral third party who is skilled at conflict resolution to help you come up with co-parenting solutions that work for everyone. Family therapy also allows your children to voice their true feelings and any fear they're experiencing about the divorce in a safe environment.

When You're Blending Families

Another time when the expertise of a family therapist is valuable is when two divorced people with children are marrying each other. Blending families needs to be done carefully and with sensitivity. Your family therapy appointments will be a chance to strategize ways to combine your family without any of the kids feeling overwhelmed or overlooked.

You will also learn effective new ways to communicate with each other so that everyone in your family feels hears and valued.

When One Child Is Struggling

Whether a child is struggling at school, is depressed, is dealing with disordered eating, or is having angry outbursts, family therapy is a great addition to their individual therapy. In some cases, one child struggling means the other children feel like they don't get enough attention since the struggling child may need more of your time.

In other cases, aspects of your family's dynamic may be contributing to your child's struggles, and these can be remedied with the help of a skilled family therapist. Your struggling child, as well as the rest of your family, will begin to thrive under the care of a family therapist.

As you can see, attending sessions at a family therapy clinic is a wise decision any time your family is experiencing turmoil, but especially in these specific situations. 

To learn more, contact a family therapy clinic.

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