4 Issues Commonly Addressed in Family Counseling

The family that we are born into or adopted into affects every aspect of our lives. The nature of the home environment has a significant impact on an individual’s future trajectory. While God designed the family to be a place of unconditional love and support, where children can experience security and emotional closeness, the family unit looks a little different in a fallen world, sometimes making family counseling necessary.

Even the most loving, Christ-centered families will navigate problems, and, regardless of where you find yourself on the continuum, biblical family counseling can be a valuable tool in creating a platform for feelings to be aired and discussed.

4 Issues Commonly Addressed in Family Counseling

For Christian families, biblical family counseling provides a space where a trained counselor can use tried-and-tested counseling techniques with God’s Word as a foundation. There will also be an opportunity to pray and be prayed for. This is a wonderful gift that believers have as they deal with life on this side of heaven. Some common problems addressed in family counseling include:

1. Communication issues.

Communication, being able to speak one’s thoughts, listen to another’s response, and respond appropriately, is an essential skill that can prevent arguments and disagreements from escalating into anger and unproductive interactions. The inability to communicate effectively is one of the primary reasons for marital division. If spouses are unable to master this skill, poor communication likely pervades throughout the family.

Family counseling is an excellent place to help develop more effective ways to talk to one another. God’s Word in James 1:19 reminds us, “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger. This is the starting point for effective communication habits.

2. Financial problems.

Economic hardship or a change in a family’s finances can cause much tension, anxiety, and stress in the home. Children can be extremely sensitive to a parent’s struggle in this regard, and it can lead to confusion and panic in their minds.

Often, a difficult financial situation necessitates a change in family structure or dynamic – a stay-at-home mom, for example, may have to return to full-time work, or a parent might take on an additional role to make ends meet.

Family counseling can help every family member deal better with the circumstances, simply by being able to talk it through and by being taught some anxiety-reducing techniques. A biblical counselor will focus on the truth that God is our provider, and He is also our comfort in difficulty.

3. Anger in the home.

Anger is a feeling that all people experience from time to time, and while anger in itself is not a problem, it is difficult to be angry and not sin. This is likely why the Bible tells us, “In your anger, do not sin.” (Ephesians 4:26, NIV) There is a close connection.

Sadly, many children grow up in homes where uncontrolled outbursts of anger are the norm. This can be spouses directing their anger at each other, parents acting out in anger toward their children, or siblings constantly in a state of anger toward each other. Family counseling can help provide families with healthy ways to deal with their anger, as well as an opportunity to examine the issues giving rise to frequent anger.

4. A traumatic event.

Events like divorce, a death, or a major life change such as a move to a new city or school, can be traumatic for families. Family counseling is helpful and essential for individuals in the family unit to process their grief or trauma experience. None of these events are as they should be, and a biblically trained counselor will be able to debrief the realities of suffering while offering the hope of Jesus Christ.

There are numerous other instances where family counseling can be enormously helpful. If there is an addict in the family, their behavior will have an impact on everyone else in the household. A new stepparent can also take an adjustment period, and a counselor can be an empathetic, objective voice of reason. Sometimes, counseling is just to facilitate a stronger family bond.

If you think that you and your family members could benefit from sessions with a trained counselor in Valencia, do not hesitate to contact our office today at Valencia Christian Counseling to find out more.