Is There A Lack Of Connection In Your Family?

Does your family struggle to maintain structure and communication? Do the same old fights rear their ugly heads day after day? Maybe there’s a lack of oversight and discipline with your children, and your partner leaves you to do most of the child-rearing alone. Or perhaps the dysfunction runs deeper—in the form of long-held resentment between family members.

Over time, resentment and bitterness always make relationships more toxic. Conflicts in the family can affect your productivity at work, your performance in school, and your ability to take care of daily routines. Family stress can lead to depression, anxiety, and even panic attacks. You might find yourself unable to focus, because you’re constantly replaying old arguments in your head. Or maybe you or your partner withdraw from conflict altogether, only to find it creates more tension and distance.

If you and your family are struggling to find peace with each other, SM Psychotherapy & Counseling can help you ease tension, reconcile differences, and renew the unbreakable bonds that make the love of a family so special.

Humility Is The First Step To Healing Any Relationship

Most relationships experience some form of dysfunction. And since a family is made up of many different relationships, it’s only natural for families to run into disagreements. Finances, work, school, and other demands can exert pressure from the outside, causing you and your loved ones to feel like you’re walking on eggshells with each other. Sometimes the dysfunction stems from cultural reasons. For instance, if you and your spouse come from different ethnic backgrounds, you may have disagreements about how to raise children.

Ultimately, most of us struggle to resolve tension in the family on our own. We tend to assume we’re always right. We don’t like letting go of our pride, and we don’t like admitting we’re part of the conflict. What’s more, it’s often hard to understand exactly how our actions contribute to conflict. It’s easy for us to point out what’s wrong with others’ behaviors, but it’s harder for us to do the same for ourselves. Only by acknowledging our role in a disagreement, however, can we help to solve it. Humility is the first step to healing any relationship; it’s a matter of coming before others in a state of openness, vulnerability, and love.

Here at SMPsychotherapy & Counseling, we recognize cultivating love and humility isn’t always easy. However, with the help of an unbiased third party, we’re confident you and your family can identify negative behaviors, solve communication issues, and learn to love each other despite your differences.

Therapy Can Help You Find Peace, Healing, And Acceptance In Your Family

SMPsychotherapy & Counseling provides a safe space to explore your family’s dynamics and break down the barriers that keep you from seeing eye to eye. This is a time for you and your loved ones to be heard, seen, and accepted without judgment. Being honest isn’t always easy—especially when other family members are right in the room with you—but our staff is specifically trained to maintain peace in our sessions. Our goal is to help you express yourself in a healthy, loving manner while still speaking your mind.

In our first session, we will sit down with you and your loved ones and co-create a treatment plan. The plan will address each individual’s needs and seek to unify them into a whole. This way, the goals your family sets won’t be at odds with each other, and you can all work as a unit. We will update the plan every 90 days (or even sooner if you desire). How many members participate in therapy is entirely dependent on your needs; we may have the whole family involved, or we may pursue father-son counseling, mother-daughter counseling, or any combination that speaks to your needs.

In our sessions, you can expect to learn deep listening skills, conflict resolution strategies, and tips for healthier communication. If you and a loved one keep having the same argument over and over, for instance, we’ll focus not on the argument itself but on how the argument affects both of you. By understanding how the other person feels, you can gain greater empathy, become a better listener, and come to love them in a new way. During conflict, we tend to shout, talk over each other, and do anything but say how we’re feeling. In family therapy, we’ll focus on dissolving tension by getting each of you to focus on how you feel, how those feelings escalate tension, and how they affect your relationships.

Whatever challenges your family is facing, rest assured: anything is possible if you love each other. No matter how deeply entrenched old disagreements feel, there is always room for healing if you’re willing to do the work. Family life may be messy, but if you’re open to sorting through the confusion, you can heal toxic relationships, bring peace to your home, and renew the affection you have for one another.

You may have some questions about family counseling…

How long will my family and I be in therapy?

Because there is no set timetable for how long it takes to heal old wounds, the amount of time your family spends in therapy largely depends on your readiness to work. Although you may benefit from a few sessions of support and guidance, the healing process could take a little longer if there are deeper, underlying issues at play. It all depends on you and your situation. That said, because our practice is heavily solution-focused, most clients see improved relations after only a few sessions.

How will my family do telehealth all together?

At the moment, because of COVID-19, all of our family counseling sessions are being conducted online. Thankfully, the process is extremely straightforward: before each session, we’ll send you and your family a link to a video conference, and you can all connect from whatever device you’re using. The platform we use is 100 percent HIPAA-compliant, ensuring complete privacy and confidentiality on our end.

I’m worried therapy will cost too much time or money.

Yes, family therapy is an investment, but it’s one that can save relationships. It costs time and money, but resolving conflict now ensures you’re protecting your relationships—and everyone involved—for years down the road. In order to find healing, acceptance, and a renewed sense of peace in the home, sometimes we all need to sacrifice a little time and money.

You Can Reconcile Differences With Your Loved Ones

If your family’s struggling to see eye to eye and you’re interested in working with a therapist, we would be honored to help. You can schedule an appointment by calling us at 203.800.9778 or sending us an email here. We look forward to hearing from you!

Due to COVID-19, all our family therapy sessions are online right now.