The Advantages of Seeking Family Counselling Services

We all have heard of counselling and therapy for individuals and couples. We have heard of career counselling, relationship counselling, etc. But did you know that there is a concept such as family counselling as well? Family counselling services aim to address behavioural, emotional, and psychological issues that cause trouble or dispute in a family. The family members work with a therapist so that they can develop and maintain healthy relationships within the family.

About Family Counselling

Family counselling is designed to help develop functional family relationships. The aim is to find and address underlying issues in the family. The reason for the dispute can be behavioural, emotional, or psychological. There are many approaches to family therapy. This is an indication that families work in systems instead of a group of people that act independently. As per the family systems theory, if there are changes in one family member, it will influence changes in other parts of the family.

Benefits of Family Counselling

The advantages of counselling differ from one family to another. This includes:

• Offers strength and coping tools to the family.
• Learning to develop healthy boundaries.
• Defining someone’s role within the family.
• Improving communication.
• Addressing dysfunctional interactions.
• Improving family’s problem-solving abilities.
• Improving family dynamics and relationships.

Family therapy effectively addresses issues with children as well, such as:

• Offending behaviour
• Conduct disorders
• Depression
• Substance addictions

Family counselling can help people facing mental health issues such as:

• Adapting to a significant change
• Difficulty in communicating or expressing emotions
• Inconsistency in parenting
• Marital problems
• Conflicts between siblings
• Developing functional and healthy relationships after a divorce
• Dealing with chronic illness or death in the family.

Is Family Therapy Effective?

There is evidence that shows that family therapy is an effective form of counselling. As per studies, family counselling and other approaches such as parent training and programs were found to be effective in different situations such as:

• Behavioural conditions
• Sleep, feeding, and attachment problems in infancy
• Disordered eating
• Recovery from child abuse and child neglect

Family therapy is also effective for adolescents facing mental health conditions irrespective of gender. Parents have expressed that they have learned more effective parenting methods and also felt that the family feels closer. Some studies also state that female parent is more likely to benefit as compared to male parents.

Types of Family Counselling

Some family counsellors also offer home visits or sessions online. This might offer families more comfort than sessions conducted at centres. On the other hand, some families might prefer counselling outside the home environment. Here’s a look at types of family counselling:

• Functional family therapy

This therapy focuses on families with a child or adolescent with behavioural problems or complex emotional issues. The child and parents might need to attend 8 to 30 weekly sessions. These sessions help families in learning strategies for dealing with a child’s behaviour and improve family bonding.

• Multisystemic therapy

The therapy focuses on behavioural and emotional issues of children and adolescents. Multisystemic therapy focuses on broader issues pertaining to a child’s behaviour. It aims to improve their interaction in schools and neighbourhoods.

• Transgenerational

This type of therapy involves a therapist who analyses the interactions across generations, such as children and parents. The aim of the therapy is to understand how these communications lead to issues in the family. The therapy is useful when the behaviour patterns persist across generations.

• Brief strategic family therapy

The therapy aims to change the pattern of interaction between family members. The therapy lasts for 12 to 16 sessions. Research suggests that the therapy has benefits in the long run. The therapy is more effective than the treatment. The therapy targets family issues leading to problematic symptoms in youth.

• Structural therapy

Structural therapy manages issues that arise due to family structure. The therapy aims to achieve a functioning and balanced family hierarchy with suitable boundaries between the members. Structural therapy focuses on the structure rather than specific behaviour, which leads to problems.

What Happens During Family Therapy?

During family therapy sessions, therapists talk to the family as a group, individuals, or a combination of both. The therapy sessions last for 45 to 60 minutes once a week. The family must find a therapist they feel comfortable with.

If you are looking for family or relationship counselling, make sure you choose a reputed centre with experienced therapists. This will ensure positive results. You can find family counselling services online or ask for references from friends, colleagues, and family. Just make sure you choose the right therapy centre. Family therapy can help you and your family in several ways. It can resolve underlying issues and improve bonding among the family members.