What to Expect from Family Therapy in Houston

You’ve decided that your family could use some help solving problems and improving communication. You’ve researched Houston family therapists (here are some tips for finding the right fit), found some you like, and asked them good questions (some ideas for that are here). Now you’re booked and ready to go. What next? How do you and your family know what will happen when you visit your Houston family therapist? 

Here are some ideas about what to expect from your family therapy session:

First, you’ve probably experienced some conflict, difficulty, or struggle in your family that have caused you to seek out a family therapist in Houston. Family therapy is a great way to get all family members in the same room with a qualified mental health professional and discuss your concerns, figure out what’s causing them, and arrive at some ideas that might help.

You might be nervous to talk about hard things like fights, a relative’s addiction or mental illness, or a serious problem your family’s been through— but that’s why you’re there. Having someone with your family to help you through the discussion can offer you new ideas about each other’s viewpoints and ways to solve problems.

When you go to family therapy in Houston: the basics

Your family therapist will let you know what to expect about who will go to your first appointment. It might be all members of the family at once, or your therapist may want different members to come separately, so everyone gets a chance to talk about what’s on their mind.

Usually, each family therapy session lasts about 50 minutes and happens once a week. Your therapist will let you know what to expect as they know more about your family and what would help things go better.

What will we do?

Your therapist will help your family talk about what’s going on and ask questions of everyone who wants to participate. They really want to know the truth, so they can understand and come up with ideas about how to help.

Once they have a good idea about what’s going on, your family therapist will recommend actions you can take to make things better. Some might be about coming in for more family therapy sessions, and some might be some things you can do at home to make it better.

Is family therapy only for adults?

You might think kids can’t participate very easily in family therapy, because they don’t pay enough attention or don’t really know what’s happening anyway. But some Houston family therapists offer family play therapy, where activities and games help even really little kids to be a part of the process. 

Young children can’t always verbally express how they’re feeling, but we know without a doubt that they are deeply affected by difficulties in the family. Some parent struggles even happen about how to handle the kids, and that causes even more behavior problems. When children are appropriately included in family therapy using play, the process can be powerful and resolve some difficult issues.

Example: Family Play Therapy to help after the death of a grandparent

It can be hard to know exactly how a session might look, so here’s an example that might give you some ideas about family therapy.

Say a family has struggled after the sudden death of the mother’s father. Mom is sad and having trouble concentrating. Dad is also sad and is trying to comfort Mom and take on some responsibilities that Mom typically handles. The older child is 12 and is probably sad, but won’t talk about it and just goes in their room with the door closed most of the time. The family’s younger child is six and was very close to their grandfather. They are not crying or acting sad, though. Instead, they’re not sleeping through the night anymore. They won’t go to bed when it’s time--they get up over and over. If they wake up in the middle of the night, they go into Mom & Dad’s bed. Nobody is getting very much sleep. Tensions are high, and irritability and yelling are much more common than before. Mom & Dad think the six-year-old is “misbehaving,” and just want them to go back to the easy kid they were before.

The first meeting with the family therapist might include giving each member of the family some private time to talk about what’s happening for them. A family play therapist will give the six-year-old some toys or games to play with to give them a way to express their feelings and concerns through play like the older members do verbally.

The next meeting might include all family members and use a game that the family can play that helps them express their feelings. When everyone feels comfortable, they’re more able to recognize and say what’s been bothering them--so family play therapy can help older kids and adults to relax and be open, too. The family therapist is there to help family members listen to each other, express their feelings and make suggestions about what would help. As everyone starts to understand each other’s viewpoint better, they may be less angry or frustrated.

When do things get better?

A huge part of what makes family therapy successful is how well members follow recommendations about communicating and interacting--during sessions and when they go home. If everyone is on the same page about wanting their family to work better, they’re likely to make progress quickly!

Learning new things can be hard, so your family therapist will be there to help you practice and come up with ways that work so your family is fighting less and enjoying each other more.

In Houston and want more info about family therapy?

Give us a call at 713-936-0633 to or contact us here, and we can tell you more about what to expect from family therapy. We’re here for you.