The goal of every family is to create a happy and healthy familial environment. This overall objective often means finding and maintaining stability, but the stresses of everyday life can get in the way of this stability. Some of the most common stressors put on a family include work-life imbalance, a family crisis, mental health challenges, financial stress, and the differing ages and growing stages of children in the home.
There may be other stresses and outside influences that can disrupt the family foundation. You may need to seek marriage and family counseling to learn to better deal with certain stressors. This can be a big decision since it affects the entire family.
When to Seek Help
Before you begin finding a marriage and family therapist, you need to determine when to seek help. There are a few indications that suggest that marriage and family counseling is the right fit for you. Look for these signs:
- Extreme emotional reactions from family members
- Member cannot function to their normal capacity
- Significant communication breakdown
- Family members are withdrawing from the rest of the family
- Threats of violence to other members or theirself
- Expressions of helplessness or hopelessness
- Children behavioral changes in school
- Substance abuse problems
- A traumatic experience has occurred and you are unable to cope
These are signs that it may be time for counseling. You will also need to figure out the kind of counseling that is appropriate for your family.
Difference of Marriage and Family Counseling
Marriage and family counseling is about the family structure, even if only one person comes in for an interview. The therapist will work to improve the whole family dynamic. Therapy is brief and solution-focused with attainable goals. It is designed with that end in mind. Seeking therapy is not a waste of time as some people think. Therapists in marriage and family counseling can treat the following:
- Anxiety
- Marital problems
- Depression
- Child-parent problems
- Grief or loss
- Separation or divorce
- Individual psychological problems
Therapists practice short-term therapy, which typically consists of 12 sessions, with the most being 50 sessions in some instances. There is a combination of treatments that can be used depending on the needs of your family.
Why You Should Use a Marriage and Family Therapist
It has been shown that marriage and family therapy is effective in treating a full range of emotional and mental disorders and health problems. Clients are often delighted with the outcome of their time in treatment. Marriage and family therapists look at the entire picture of the family dynamic instead of one individual concern.
A marriage and family therapist can treat individuals, couples, and families alike. This also helps to get to the root of the problem and hear all perspectives of the issues instead of only hearing that an individual. There may come a time when you will need different forms of therapy instead of family counseling; you or another family member may need individual counseling. Having a therapist who can do both expedites things and avoids the need to find a new therapist and rehash all the work you have already done.
Marriage Couples Counseling is Here for Your Relationship Needs
There are various ways that you can find marriage and family counseling. You can ask your doctor, look at online referrals, or get personal recommendations. Your best bet, though, is to contact Marriage Couples Counseling online or by phone at 212-673-4618.
