Family Therapy and Couples Therapy often have many parallels. They both work on increasing effective communication. Family therapy differs from couples therapy in that we are working to discern the most effective way for a family to process emotional struggles, manage behaviors, and work together to create sustainable change that will aid all those involved. When working with parents who have young children, the focus often is helping the parents understand where their child is coming from as well as to help restore or adjust existing family patterns and/or structure. Family Therapy with adult family also focuses on communication and helping those understand different perspectives. However, the focus is often different.
Family Therapy with children and teens can include:
- Discussing differences in co-parenting styles
- Managing children splitting their parents
- Helping children process their emotions connected to behavioral concerns
- Determining different resources needed to improve family relationships
- Changing family patterns which are not effective
- Working to discern appropriate rules and structure
- Helping parents work to support their children through behavioral change
- Processing coming out concerns
Family Therapy with adult parents and adult children can include:
- Discussing differences in generational experiences
- Processing differences in family values
- Processing trauma from past family concerns and/or points of conflict
- Working on differentiation (being able to be independent) for both parent and adult child
- Allowing all parties to talk of their feelings regarding the family dynamics
- Changing homeostatic patterns in the family
- Processing coming out concerns