Family Therapy

What is Family Therapy?

Family therapy is a form of therapy that helps a family, rather than an individual or couple, understand and change dysfunctional familial dynamics, interaction patterns, and communication styles. Family therapy engages the entire family (whatever the configuration may be) in sessions to uncover unhealthy dynamics, while simultaneously supporting and strengthening a family’s healthy dynamics.

Family therapy helps alleviate emotional pain within a family dynamic by working with the family as a complex relational system, and avoids blaming one family member as the origin of the family’s problems.

What kind of help does a family therapist offer?

A family therapist helps and supports families by:

  • Collaboratively working with family members to identify the emotional strategies they can use to cope with difficult emotional transitions, such as divorce, separation, loss of a family member, and trauma.
  • Identifying the familial roles, rules, and patterns that family members have followed consciously or unconsciously, and its contribution to their current problems.
  • Improving communication between family members.
  • Dissolving old wounds, and resentments that get in the way of developing healthy relational patterns.
  • Helping families to heal deep-seated wounds due to “family secrets”.
  • Evaluating acculturation, immigration, multi-cultural, and diversity issues that may influence the ability of the family to function properly.
  • Helping step-families and blended families adapt and grow as a family unit.

Can we receive family therapy while members of my family are in individual or couples therapy?

Absolutely! At The Psychology Practice of Michael G. Selders, Ph.D., PLLC, families have the advantage of working with a community of therapists with different theoretical backgrounds and a variety of experiences located in the same building. This enables a family to have their family sessions with one therapist, while individual family members can see another therapist.

To learn more about family therapy services available at The Psychology Practice of Michael G. Selders, Ph.D., PLLC please call 214.553.7730 and we will be happy to answer any questions you might have.