Family counseling is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to reduce distress and conflict by improving interactions and communication between family members. Family therapists often seek to have all family members affected by the problem attend therapy sessions, but that is not always possible or necessary.
Families can benefit from counseling when they experience any stressful event that may strain family relationships such as financial hardship, divorce, domestic violence, parental conflict, trauma that impacts the family, adjustment to new family member(s) in the home, or the death of a loved one.
Family counseling can be effective in treating mental health concerns that impact the family as a whole, including:
- depression
- substance abuse
- chronic illness
- eating disorders
- communication problems
- interpersonal conflict
- behavioral problems in children and adolescents
Family counseling can help improve troubled relationships with your partner, children, and other family members. Attending family counseling can help family members improve communication, strengthen bonds, develop more effective problem-solving strategies, and identify more productive ways to interact and reestablish satisfying relationships.