Family Therapy

Hello and welcome back to the Center Street Psychology blog! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season and a hopeful start to your new year. We will be starting a new series on family therapy, learning  more about what it is and how it may help you and your loved ones. Perhaps you will want to consider this for yourself after learning more!

Family therapy is unique as it can be conducted with almost any family configuration. It could involve two parents and their children, one parent and one child, and blended families. It may also could include grandparents, stepparents, cousins or even people that are not within your bloodline (ever thought of doing family therapy with your roommates?...  it might help!). The main goal is to create healthy dynamics within the family system. Couples therapy is a variation of family therapy focusing on improving a stronger romantic connection, conflict resolution skills, or communication skills.

There are several different ways of conducting family therapy. A few of the many counselling goals may include:

·         a focus on improving communication

·         identifying dynamics and changing them if problematic

·         conflict resolution and viewing the family as a “system”

·         decreasing co-dependency, enmeshment dynamics

·         restructuring the family as some family members have a disproportionate amount of power compared to other family members

What is a “family system”?  In family systems theory, the family is viewed as a system composed of interrelated parts, such that a problem for any member of a family has an effect on all others, and changes in any member result in adaptations among all other family members. One person’s role within the family has the potential to influence other family members, even if there isn’t direct interaction. The therapist would help conceptualize what your “system” looks like to be able to increase awareness within the family system of the various dynamics at play within your family system.  

Whether you have a family like “The Simpsons” with all sorts of quirks and conflicts, a blended family who is trying to navigate the “step” relationships, or a tight knit family that spends a lot of time together, family therapy could be beneficial and a way to learn more about what makes your family operate the way it does!

Please reach out to us at Center Street Psychology if you would like to discuss more about our services. We provide support for many needs, including family therapy. We provide a collaborative approach and are happy to provide you with a complimentary consultation to help potential “fit” with one of our counsellors. We are an inclusive clinic, located in Calgary, Alberta, providing in-person, virtual or hybrid services within Alberta and across Canada. Please call 403-399-5120 to speak with our Director of Client Care, Amy, who will gently guide you through the counselling process.