Most individual therapy is all about helping someone overcome their personal struggles. In order for them to achieve stability, improve overall mood, and grow toward healing. So what is family counseling and how is it different? Family Therapy is a specialty form of treatment that incorporates the entire family system. Compared to focusing on just one person and their individual experiences.
Families will meet privately with a specially-trained Marriage and Family Therapist to have safe and open conversations. These sessions usually start by discussing the reasons the family is seeking treatment. San Diego Family Therapists listen for underlying themes, notice patterns of communication, and identify the roles that different family members may take on. These insights are then used collaboratively and compassionately to help the family. By encouraging the whole family to work on developing effective solutions for alleviating dysfunction as a team in a way that avoids shaming and blaming individual members.
Effective Family Counseling often takes time and investment from the group. Often, Marriage and Family Therapists will also give some sort of at-home assignments do between sessions. These are designed to promote growth through practice in “real world” situations.