Family therapy represents a type of therapy that helps members of a family improve relationships by resolving conflicts. A licensed therapist with the professional credentials recognized by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) typically oversees family therapy sessions.
Therapy sessions involving family members are short-term interventions that involve every family member or just family members that need to resolve a conflict. Making the decision to participate in family therapy requires a considerable amount of reflection. Some of the benefits of family therapy include learning new ways to communicate effectively and figuring out how to solve difficult problems.
When Should a Family Undergo Therapy?
Knowing when to seek help is often discovered by easy to detect signs of family dysfunction. Family members that experience intense emotions such as fear, anger, and sadness benefit from interacting with other family members during informal therapeutic sessions. Significant breakdowns in communication represent another reason to resolve conflicts by attending family therapy sessions. Disruption of communications often forces one or more family members to withdraw from the rest of the family.
Sometimes, it is not easy to notice that a family member needs emotional support to interact with one or more family members. Some family members have difficulty completing family routines such as attending a Sunday dinner or holiday event. They feel physically and emotionally drained just spending time with family members in familiar settings. Interacting with family members during informal therapy sessions can help someone close to you describe the feelings of hopelessness felt during family member interactions.
The most obvious signs of the need for family therapy include threats and/or displays of violence between two family members, as well as easy-to-notice changes in the behavior of a family member during social gatherings. Obvious signs of family discontent can demand the implementation of therapy tactics based on acting with a sense of urgency.
How Does Trauma Play a Role in Family Therapy?
Many families that experience a traumatic event benefit from the emotional support provided during therapy sessions. Instead of resolving conflict, a family bonds together to get through a mutually difficult time in the lives of family members. Whether it is the death of a loved one or the legal separation of two spouses, certain life events require family members to lean on each other for emotional support. Trauma can lead to a family getting together to work out emotional issues, as well as lead to children receiving the support they need to understand complex family issues.
The decision to participate in family therapy sessions can dramatically improve the interactions you have with other family members. If you believe a better approach will help you cope with emotional obstacles, another type of therapy service might be the best option for your unique case.
