Family Therapy in Lafayette, CA
Every family is unique and has strengths that can be called upon while navigating difficulties that arise. It can be helpful to have a professional help identify those strengths while providing guidance and tools. The number of situations associated with parenting and families is endless, but common conflicts can include emotional or behavioral issues in children, extended family disagreements, differences of opinion when it comes to raising children, and even trauma, such as domestic violence, or alcohol and drug abuse. It can be challenging to watch family members struggle, and in most cases, you may not know how to resolve the problem. Seeking support from a mental health professional can help parents and families develop acceptance and skills to repair relationships that may seem unsalvageable.
Other parenting and family issues may include:
- Being a single parent
- Divorce
- Infidelity
- Problems caused by divorced parents entering new relationships
- Fewer opportunities for parents and children to spend time together
- Deployment
Parenting and family issues are oftentimes intertwined. Treatment methods vary and will depend on an individual or family situation. The healing process may focus on improving communication between family members, as well as finding healthy ways of resolving a conflict. Setting clear boundaries and communicating effectively, if you are part of a parental unit, can set a good example for your children. If a child has special needs, behavioral problems, or a mental health condition, it can be helpful to work with a professional. Couples counseling or coparenting therapy is effective at supporting parents who share responsibilities with child-rearing.
You don’t have to face parenting and family challenges alone. Seek help from a qualified therapist or a professional support group to gain some much-needed perspective that will allow you to effectively work through the problems at hand.
Counseling can help with communication, assertiveness, and parental effectiveness. My work in community children's mental health has furthered my competence with multicultural, blended, and divorced families, as well.
I use a client-centered approach that draws on one's inner wisdom and involves mindfulness techniques to improve self-awareness, boundary setting, and build communication skills necessary in healthy relationships. I focus on what is positive and working, while teaching strategies to improve relationships, especially parenting skills. I am relaxed, easy to relate to, and often humorous in my approach.
Let’s take your family’s problems and make them just a chapter in a bigger story of SUCCESS. Call today to discuss your particular needs.
