Seven Truths About Family Therapy in Houston
You know things could be better for your family, and you’ve tried everything you can think of. Something works for a little while, but it doesn’t help long term. Maybe you’ve researched some family therapists in Houston and even think you have some good ideas about who might work for you, but you’re just not sold on the idea.
Here are seven reasons why family therapy might be right for your Houston family.
It helps.
Research shows us family therapy can decrease problem behaviors, increase family feelings of togetherness, help parents feel more effective, and decrease stress between parents. Other studies have shown that family therapy can be less costly and just as effective as other interventions.
It can reduce other problems.
Studies suggest that families who go to family therapy may have lower health care and other medical costs. We know that reducing stress and improving happiness can have positive health benefits. When your family is communicating and getting along better, stress can go down, your ability to cope with problems can go up, and you may find that you are happier AND healthier!
It’s there when problems are big (and small)!
Families struggle through all kinds of issues together. There are big ones, like coping with the effects of natural disasters, the stress of unemployment, the grief about the death of a loved one, and the impact of a family member’s addiction. Other, “smaller” problems also can be hard to handle. A four-year-old’s tantrums can seriously disrupt a family’s whole day and cause parents to be at odds about the best way to handle the situation. Stress levels go up, coping levels go down, and it’s hard to communicate. Being with a family therapist can help every member of your family feel heard, understood, and supported as you learn new ways to problem-solve. Family play therapy can even include young children so they can be a part of the solution.
Family therapy can include anyone important to your family.
We all know that families can form and change in all kinds of ways: through birth, marriage, partnership, adoption, friendship, divorce, community, and choice. A good family therapist is open to including anyone important to YOUR family in therapy sessions. A beloved nanny, for example, may have such an important role in your household that it just makes sense to have them in your family therapy sessions. Co-parents may not be married or living together anymore, but family therapy sessions might make sense for discussing the best way forward for their children.
You get to know each other better.
You’re sure that you know everything about your spouse/partner/brother/sister/child/aunt/best friend/grandparent. But sometimes you don’t, and the things you don’t know can make it hard to communicate. Family therapists can guide your family through activities, games, and conversations that can give you an insight into each other’s perspectives and help you see the world through their eyes. Understanding each other is a huge first step toward more empathizing and less fighting.
You can make rules and decide on roles that work--for YOUR family.
Every family is different, and what works for one might not work for another. Your family therapist can listen to your concerns, help you troubleshoot what’s not working, and help you arrive at guidelines for topics like communicating, chores, schedules, and discipline. An example might be that dinner is reserved for discussing the events of the day, and everyone agrees to focus on that instead of bringing up something that’s bugging them. Maybe co-parents disagree on what their roles should be with their kids. Working with a family therapist can help them decide on how to proceed: maybe you’ll make the plan that one parent always focuses on homework, and the other is in charge of bedtime routines. Knowing the rules and roles can minimize disagreements.
Family therapy can help you address the elephant in the room.
Maybe talking about a big issue in your family makes everybody anxious, tense, angry, or quiet. Finding a family therapist who can help you all feel safe can make it easier to address the big stuff and make your way to solutions that help everybody feel calmer about what’s going on.
Whatever is happening in your family, you can bet it’s occurred for somebody else, too. There’s nothing wrong with seeking a professional who can pave the way for your family to have better communication and happier times together.
If you have any questions about how this might work for you, give us a call at (713) 936-0633. We can set up a free phone consultation, and talk about your family’s unique needs!