The family is a traditional institution where we find love, affiliation, and emotional belonging; however, even in most loving families, difficulties and conflicts occasionally emerge, which can cause further deterioration of relationships and stress. Family counselling or family therapy becomes a hopeful signpost that leads a struggling family to a constructive therapy space where they can go through the storm and grow together.
Family counselling, which is often nicknamed “family therapy,” is an interactive intervention method that is designed to heal and strengthen the bond between family members. This strengthening is done by finding and addressing underlying challenges in the family that demand the family to make changes or alter communication patterns as well to build a deeper understanding of each family member.
It is vital that families work together to recognize their myriad of interlinked different dynamics, and endorse positive changes, ultimately strengthening the family system.
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What is Family Counselling, and What Does it Include?
Families partake in family counselling with a trained professional to work on family problems by improving understanding and communication. Here are some of the things that happen during family counselling:
Talking About Problems
Problems often come with strong emotions. Talking through problems in the counselling office provides a space to hear the problem without interruption by the emotions. A skilled therapist helps communicate each individuals thoughts and perceptions to discuss the issues affecting them. A counsellor helps family members recognize and conceptualize the differences and to foster a better understanding.
Learning to Listen
Families are supported in discussing the topic they desire to discuss without anger or irritation. Each family member is given an opportunity to share their perceptions and experiences so each person feels like they are seen and heard, and are a participant in the conversation.
Understanding Each Other
During sessions, everyone becomes more aware of the reason for their emotions and how others are influenced by their actions. This knowledge allows the therapist to assist the family in solving problems together effectively. This type of bonding through repair creates a loving atmosphere.
Building Stronger Bonds
Through counselling, the families grow, and strengthen the bonds. Trust, understanding, and respect emerges between family members. The family engages in ongoing growth in the relationship by learning to support each other in the good times and bad.
Finding Solutions
Following the discussion, families can develop mechanisms to solve their problems. With the therapists support, both parties can reach acceptable outcomes.
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Who Needs Family Counselling?
Family counselling is designed especially for those who think that their families experience difficulties in relationships or do not quite get along. It’s for those families who work towards improving their connections and seeking good communication methods. It is also for families that feel stuck and not sure what to do. Sometimes, therapy can help members to accept each of us as we are and how to move forward with renewed knowledge (Varghese et al., 2020).
Here are some reasons why people might seek family counselling:
Communication Problems
When communication between family members is the only problem or family members don’t know how to address others’ feelings correctly, it can only escalate the situation, leading to conflicts and an uncomfortable atmosphere in a family.
Parent-Child Conflicts
Parents and children might have difficulty building relationships or disagree about big-picture ideas, such as rules, discipline, or planning for the future. Family counselling can support parents to understand the ages and stages of child development and behaviours that facilitate growth, resilience, and strength.
Blended Family Challenges
Families like step-parents, step-siblings, or other relations may incur challenges of a different kind and, hence, will find it hard to stabilize their new societal composition. Therapy can support the adaptation to the varying family dynamics.
Substance Abuse or Addiction
When there is a family member involved in substance abuse or addiction, it will bring stress to the relationship, and somehow, the whole family will experience the effect of the problem. Working with a therapist can aid compassion, understanding and appropriate boundaries as the navigates substance misuse.
Mental Health Issues
Families who experience mental problems like depression, anxiety, and trauma may be advised to seek counselling as they learn ways of dealing with the issues and how best the family can support each other.
Grief and Loss
Families of a person who died can find comfort and healing through counselling as they process their complicated feelings and cope with the loss of their loved one while adjusting to life even without them.
Chronic Illness or Disability
Families, including the elderly and people with chronic illnesses, are exposed to a lot of uncertainties regarding this problem that the government needs help and support in coping with. Counselling can support individuals through the grieving process to adapt to the emotional, mental and psychological experience of grief.
What Makes Family Counselling Important
Family counselling is very important because it allows families to have a dialogue about their difficulties together and reduces tension. Counselling benefits families because it helps them foster understanding and cooperation among members, with each parent playing a more helpful role.
This will save them problems in the future, especially those resulting from fights and disagreements, and this would make their relationships all the more solid.
Counselling allows everyone in the family to learn and demonstrate empathy and cooperation, which is so critical to every family life. It is far more than finding a solution; it is learning to understand one another’s emotions and intentions. Furthermore, the family gets better at mutually working as a team even when the uninvited circumstances come with it.
One of the most important parts of family counselling is that it delivers a frame that helps families bounce back during difficult times. It is not easy to be a family sometimes, but with counselling support, families are in a better position to not only deal with challenges but stand as one group. Overall, family counselling is useful for learning how to be a stronger family.
How Family Counselling Helps
Due to its multitude of advisory services, family counselling is particularly beneficial for families confronting difficulties. Therefore, it is an indispensable tool for these families.
Counselling teaches families methods of communicating effectively, listening to each other’s perspectives, and healthily expressing their own feelings. This, in turn, results in a peaceful family environment and less disagreement among people at home. Family counselling also helps participants to find acceptance when personalities differ and seem impossible to change.
Resolving Conflict
Families that come to counselling identify a win-win situation to learn how to prevent conflicts and find solutions that benefit everyone. By resolving the core causes of disputes and developing the skill of compromise, they can prevent the situation from escalating to a destructive relationship phase.
The counselling process helps improve family relationships by enhancing communication, inspiring ideas, and seeing each other’s abilities. During such an experience, families see the a valuable side of each other’s strengths, and then they support each other, becoming closer and happier.
The families can utilize the counselling experience to practice good problem-solving approaches and apply them to daily situations. This helps them identify problems, generate solutions, and make agreements in teamwork, thus strengthening their resilience and flexibility.
Counselling also aids families in adjusting to major life changes. For instance, when a family separates, goes through divorce, remarrys, trans-locate, or a new birth child. By offering assistance and guidance during these critical changes, counselling serves the function of helping the family grapple with the change and remain stable.
Promoting Individual Growth through Family Counselling
The family counselling process confers beneficial outcomes for the whole family and for individual growth and development. Family members can take notes about themselves, explore new coping approaches, and develop the ability to face stressful situations and overcome challenges.
Family counselling is not a place to change people to make your life better, but a place to learn about each other and find ways to support the enhancement of each individual’s developing self.
Furthermore, family counselling deals with the root cause that underlies family problems, such as unresolved trauma, drug or alcohol addiction, or some mental disorder. Families will experience healing and harmonious relationships by responding to these stressors directly.
Conclusion
Family counselling provides families with tools to overcome their problems, improve their relationships, and live happier and healthier lives.
It gives insight into life’s journey and lays down a foundation for overcoming life’s difficulties, practising adaptability, and achieving improvements and benefits for all household members.
To learn more about family counselling, book a free consultation with a skilled clinician at Boomerang Counselling Centre where we offer services in-person and online. You can book your appointment online here
Varghese, M. Kirpekar, V., Loganathan, S. (2020). Family interventions: Basic principles and techniques. Indian Journal of Psychiatry 62(2), 192-S200. https://doi.10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_770_19
