Understanding Family Therapy
For many people, family is at the core of everything they do. Family defines their lives—they live and breathe for them; they’re willing to do anything for them.
Because of this, family is one of the strongest bonds we can have in this world. Despite this, even the closest of families can have communication problems. These problems can last for a long period of time and seem impossible to overcome due to unspoken tension between individual members. Therefore, you may need a professional in order to restore peace to your home.
Family therapy in Salt Lake City can be beneficial in many situations where familial dynamics and relationships affect your mental and physical health.
What is Family Therapy?
Family therapy in Salt Lake City is a form of psychotherapy that aims to reduce conflict and distress by improving the interactions among family members.
Instead of focusing solely on the role played by one individual, like normal one-on-one counseling, family therapy focuses on patterns or systems that need to be changed for the family unit as a whole.
Family therapists in Salt Lake City recognize that these existing patterns need to be changed in order for stronger relationships to come to fruition. Strong relationships within families are crucial to each member’s mental health. Stronger relationships will make a positive impact, reduce conflict, and improve communication.
How Does Family Therapy Work?
In family therapy, you will work with a Salt Lake City professional to improve the relationship you have with each member of your family.
It’s important to remember that, like all types of therapy, family therapy isn’t this one-size-fits-all approach. Each therapy experience is personalized and unique, just like each family is.
The goal of a Salt Lake City family therapist is to work with families to help them achieve a better home life. This includes helping members learn new ways of communicating, improving their interactions with one another, and how to deal with difficult situations together—as a family.
Because family therapy is extremely personalized, how each session looks will vary depending on where you go. However, you can typically expect each therapy session to be held once a week and last about 60 minutes. In most cases, family therapy in Salt Lake City usually lasts 12 sessions. Of course, the frequency, duration, and number of sessions will be determined by the individual needs of each family.
Reasons To Seek Therapy as a Family
There are many different reasons why someone would want to attend therapy as a family in Salt Lake City.
For example, going to family therapy might be helpful if you are concerned about your child. Regardless of age and life transitions, parents will worry about their kids—especially if they’re doing poorly in school, have potential issues with drug abuse, an eating disorder, or mental illness. Sometimes, it’s hard to facilitate conversations between parent and child; this is where family therapy can come in handy.
Another good reason to attend therapy is If there has been a major change or trauma that has affected the whole family. Trauma is difficult to talk about and unpack. An example of possible trauma could be moving, a natural disaster, the unexpected loss of someone in the family, domestic violence, divorce, or adjustment to a new member of the family—like a child’s birth or a grandparent moving into the house.
Many things happen unexpectedly, and it’s okay to recognize that this sudden change or situation is traumatizing. Going to family therapy is beneficial in discovering coping strategies and different ways to talk about difficult situations.
What Can Someone Expect from Family Therapy?
You can expect that Salt Lake City family therapy might change your life; however, you must welcome it. In order for a family to truly benefit from therapy, it’ll be important to have similar goals and expectations.
For example, a goal could be to identify and improve any unhealthy communication patterns within the family system. Exploring family dynamics in this sense is important because tackling these issues head-on is the only way to become better. And having good communication is the basis of every relationship. Communication helps us to understand each other and feel understood as well.
Additionally, another goal could be to utilize your family’s strengths and resources fully. It’s important to recognize the things that make each person unique because that’s where their true strength lies.
Photo by Kevin Delvecchio on Unsplash
Benefit from Family Therapy Today
Even the most complicated of families can benefit from speaking to a therapist.
Family therapy can help families create a more peaceful and connected home by strengthening family relationships, improving communication, and managing stressful situations.
Therapy can do wonders—by helping family members navigate through life changes, issues with behavioral patterns, mental health issues, and every conflict in between.