Francis Chiappa, Ph.D.
In family therapy, two or more family members meet with a therapist to talk about problems and solutions in any area of family life. Sometimes it’s a child with a problem, sometimes it’s an adult, sometimes it’s a difficult life transition or situation and sometimes people may just not be getting along.
In the first session, we ask about the situation that brings the family to therapy, we talk about family history, and begin to discuss possible solutions. In this session, you can expect to be able to discuss some things that may be difficult to talk about at home. Over time, you can also expect changes in family communication, which will help with the problem. Basically, the family therapist tries to help the family use its own resources better, to help itself. Sessions usually last 50 minutes. Family therapy tends to be short-term - most families require just a few sessions.
For younger children, family therapy is often is the best way to help them. Young children depend on their families so much and are strongly influenced by them. Stresses in the family can affect a child’s adjustment. But the family can be a very powerful and positive force to help a child. Often, resolving differences over parenting styles can make all the difference for the child and the parents.
Teenagers present different problems, because of their growing independence. Some teenagers refuse to go for individual therapy, and forcing them to go does not work. But family therapy can help then become more responsible members of the family. Because they live with their family, parents can justify insisting that the teenager attend meetings which are designed to help everyone get along better.
Many adult problems can be addressed with family therapy. These include disputes and disagreements of all kinds, tensions with in laws, adult children having difficulty with independence and the various stresses related to medical problems, chronic illness, aging, sexuality, family violence and abuse, alcohol and drug issues, mental health problems, divorce, remarriage and "blended" families and more.
For more serious problems, family therapy may not be the primary treatment, but it still can be helpful in conjunction with individual therapy and/or psychiatric care.
If you have any questions about whether family therapy might be helpful in your situation, e-mail me, or give us a call, at 440-845-9011.
