Family Therapy

Family therapy is a process where families work with a trained therapist to process address a variety of issues. Issues can include stress, conflict, trauma, financial issues, family disruption, losses, communication issues, or addictions. Therapy happens in a safe and confidential environment. My therapy style is client centered with a systems perspective. I believe that each person’s actions/reactions impact the relationship, so success is more likely when family members are active participants in the process. My goal is to help families identify and reach their goals.

Family therapy sessions are generally 45-50 minutes in length. Generally all family members are in the first session, and then the family and therapist determine the family’s needs. This is a place for family members to explore their feelings, beliefs, or behaviors, work through challenging or influential memories, identify aspects of their lives that they would like to change, better understand themselves and others, set goals, and work toward desired change.

In the first session I ask lots of questions and do an assessment of the family. This gives me a good idea of each family member, including strengths, needs, and desired outcome. I like to get feedback from family members about what they think would be helpful and together we decide what direction to go. Sometimes that is continuing family therapy, other times it may be adding a referral for another service (ie individual therapy, substance abuse assessment, etc.). Once families identify the goals to work on in therapy, we work to determine how often session should be and evaluate if they need to continue. Some clients may only come for 1-2 sessions and find relief and others may come regularly for several years. Every family is different, and again, there is not one right or wrong way to do therapy. It is also important to note that you may not feel like I am a good fit for you and that’s OK. My goal is for the individuals who come to my office to find what works for them.

 What to Expect

 Frequently Asked Questions