You wake up in the morning to your family. You go home at night to your family. You eat with them, talk with them, and make big life decisions with them. For better or for worse, we learn how to communicate, love, and function with other people partly through the teachings and dynamic of our family.
But what if that family doesn’t run quite as smooth as you wish it would?
No family will ever be perfect. Family dysfunction is apparent on some level in every family. It’s part of what being a family is- working through all the arguments, loving even when we hurt each other, and fighting bad habits together. All families can be like this, whether biological, adopted, foster, stepfamily, and everything else!
Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) family therapy wants to help the time you spend with your family be one full of love, growth, and support. Chaos will always exist in a household. But a happy and healthy family unit is more than possible!
What Is Family Therapy?
Sometimes life throws us things we can’t anticipate. Life can quickly feel like it’s out of your control, and in many ways, it is!
Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) understands that being a family means working through the frustration and fear with love. That’s not always an easy task, especially when the problems you are facing are painful or exhausting. Our Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) family therapists have years of experience and tools that we can practice to improve communication, problem solving, and planning for the future.
Every session will be different based on what your family wants to address, your future goals, and of course, the unique personality of your family! Some families decide they want to meet individually with a counselor before jumping into a group session. Others decide sitting down as a big, family unit is just what they need. Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) is here to help you reach your goals, and we are more than happy to work with you to get there. It’s our job to support, encourage, and guide.
The overarching goal of family therapy will always be to rebuild and strengthen the family. We want to help you get to the place where you don’t have to come to counseling and are thriving on your own. To do this, we are here to help you work through all the problems- big and small.
There are some common ideas usually addressed in a family therapy session with Thriveworks at our convenient Polaris office near Westerville, Worthington, and most all of Central Ohio. These include:
- Strengthen communication
- Work through individual concerns (e.g. mental illness, personal stress, fears, etc.)
- Identify roles
- Build on strengths
- Learn to handle conflict in a healthy manner
Your family didn’t choose conflict. But you can choose healing and growth. Going to family therapy does not mean you family can’t function on its own or is somehow bad or destructive. There’s nothing wrong with feeling like everything is spiraling out of control or heading down a path you don’t like. Life is crazy and sometimes these things happen. The important part is we are finding a solution for it and growing in a way you do want to go.
Could Your Family Benefit from Family Therapy?
So, if fighting and stress is prevalent in all families, where do we draw the line and decide to reach out for outside help?
First of all, no problem is too small. Thriveworks Columbus/Polaris wants to help you work through whatever it is you’re facing. Second, instead of asking yourself: “Do we need counseling?” Ask: “Are we as happy as we can be right now?”
The first question suggests something is broken and unfixable without a counselor. This isn’t true! Your family is never broken. It might just need a little extra support in some areas. The second question suggests you are ready to put in the time and effort to improve your family from wherever they are now. It’s a growth mindset, and that is very beneficial in counseling.
Some other common situations that might be helped by Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) include:
- The loss of a loved one
- A career loss or shift
- Divorce
- Diagnosis of a chronic illness
- Empty nest
- Welcoming a new member
- Substance abuse
- Academic problems
- Financial strain
- Mental health disorder
- Overworked members
No family is perfect, so everyone could benefit from family therapy. It may seem impossible to have a calm, rested home, but with some hard work and perseverance, it is within reach. Rough patches are inevitable, Thriveworks Columbus, OH (Polaris) is here to make sure you and your family are prepared for when they do. You all deserve the best. Together, we can make that a reality.
