When thinking about going to therapy, many people think about individual therapy. They have the image of one person sitting in the room with a therapist. However, therapy is not just for individuals! If you are thinking about bringing your adolescent or teen to therapy, you might consider pursuing family therapy. Wisdom Within Counseling has therapists to help you get started with family therapy in Canton, CT.
How is Family Therapy Different?
When you begin family therapy, your therapist will be looking at the entire family unit, not just the individual with concerns. Your therapist will want to meet with family members individually to get to know everyone’s unique needs and concerns. Also, your therapist will meet with you as an entire family. This helps the therapist become familiar with patterns in your family because they can see you interact with one another.
What Does Family Therapy Look Like?
Family therapy looks different for each family depending on their needs and concerns. Family therapy is often a combination of individual sessions and family sessions. Additionally, your therapist might choose to have parent-only sessions, children-only sessions, or have a session with one specific child and parent. Your therapist will likely request certain family members come to certain sessions, and this is likely to change each week.
To begin, click the button below to schedule a phone consult and get matched with a family therapist!
Reasons to Consider Trying Family Therapy in Canton, CT
1. When one member of the family is struggling, it can affect the entire family.
Families are units. When one member of the family is going through a difficult time, it can affect everyone in the family unit. This impacts everyone as circumstances change and each family members tries to cope. Also, the family unit might begin to change. Family routines, like dinners or game nights, might change as a parent changes a job or a child struggles with depression. As these changes occur, you might notice yourself become more easily agitated. Additionally, you might notice your other children display higher levels of anxiety and isolating from their friends.
Family therapy can help address the dynamics and patterns within your family. While it is important that the individual who is struggling gets help, it is also important that your entire family is supported during this time. A family therapist can ensure that everyone’s needs are being met because the focus is on the whole family, not just the individual.
2. Your child might not make progress in individual therapy.
What happens when your child is struggling with anxiety, depression, or behavior issues and they don’t make progress in individual therapy? You may start to think that your child is stubborn and will never change. Or maybe you think that they need to find a therapist they like better. Also, you may start to believe that the situation is hopeless and give up trying to find help.
Often the answer can be found in the family unit. Your child does not live alone, so why should they go to therapy alone? Your child might have learned to isolate from others by watching a parent or sibling. Maybe one child has behavioral issues tied to a family member moving out of the house. Maybe your teen is depressed because they overhear their parents arguing about finances. In all of these cases, individual therapy alone might not solve the issue. You may need to address these issues as a family to notice real and lasting change.
3. Family therapy allows multiple people access to therapy.
Trying to send everyone in a family to their own individual therapy can be difficult! Trying to find an individual therapist for each member of your family can be a huge task! Also, managing multiple schedules can lead to more stress. That’s not to mention the financial burden of working with multiple therapists.
When you work with a family therapist, everyone in the family has access to the therapy they need. Everyone can have individual sessions if that’s what is best. Additionally, you can trust that your partner or child is safe with that therapist as you have built a trusting relationship with them as well. Finally, your therapist may have a better understanding of individual needs or struggles after learning about you family as a whole.
Working with one family therapist also makes scheduling easier and can lessen the financial burden on a family. You can set up your weekly appointment and, working with your therapist, decide the best way to use that time each week. Everyone in your family can benefit without the chaos of working with multiple therapists.
How does confidentiality work in family therapy?
Each therapist will work a little differently in terms of confidentiality. Of course, if someone shares a threat of harm to themselves or others, the therapist will take action as they would with any client. But, depending on your family’s needs, your therapist will set boundaries around what gets shared with the family.
For example, your family and therapist may decide that what is said in individual sessions is confidential and not to be discussed in a family session unless the individual chooses to share. On the other hand, it may be best for your family to have looser boundaries. Working with your family therapist, you can determine what boundaries will be most helpful for your family in therapy.
What are the potential benefits of family therapy in Canton, CT?
Families who attend therapy together often benefit as individuals and as a family unit. Your therapist can help your family work on communication skills, vulnerability, and boundary setting. Also, family therapy is a great space to work on understanding another person’s perspectives. Family therapy can help build trust between parents and children. Also, family therapy can be a place to navigate life transitions, like moving or a divorce. Additionally, family therapy might be the best place to process difficult experiences like a death in the family or a loved one diagnosed with a chronic illness.
To begin family therapy in Canton, CT, click the button below to schedule a free phone consult!
At Wisdom Within Counseling, our specialized therapists love working with families!
Our team at Wisdom Within Counseling is LGBTQIA+ affirming. Our therapists work with individuals of all ages, along with couples and families.
