Family Counseling Archives | Valencia Christian Counseling

When You Should Seek a Family Counselor

When You Should Seek a Family Counselor

Melissa Plantz2026-10-30T07:34:42+00:00October 30th, 2026|Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

Family counseling is an option for families striving for a loving and cohesive relationship and environment. People choose a family counselor for various reasons. Why Families Choose a Family Counselor Communication is one of the most frequently discussed topics with a family counselor. Miscommunication causes more problems within the four walls of a home than straightforward insults. Families choose a Christian family counselor for the following reasons: They need to learn skills as a family, such as communication and problem-solving skills. They want an unbiased party. They want techniques from evidence-based psychological therapies. They need a safe space to discuss personal matters. They want therapy through a Christian lens. The topics discussed with a family counselor are numerous and can address an individual or the impact of one person’s actions on the family. Topics Addressed in Family Counseling If you are concerned that the topics your family will discuss with a family counselor will be embarrassing or humiliating, please remember that every family faces issues. The family works as a unit. When one person is hurt, it affects others. Christian counselors are trained to remain professional and unbiased, and to work in the light of Christ’s love and grace. There is no taboo topic in counseling. Counseling can help your family through the roughest waters. The following are several topics addressed in family counseling. Disagreements in Parenting Parents have disagreements, but when these arguments interfere with their ability to raise their children or cause riffs in the relationship, they may need professional help. Parents need to be able to reach agreements on discipline, curfews, allowances, wardrobe, toys, devices, and more. When these issues affect the parental relationship, it can lead to emotional distance. In some families, children can learn to manipulate parents into working against each other for the [...]

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The First Year of Marriage: Managing the In-laws and Setting Boundaries with Love

The First Year of Marriage: Managing the In-laws and Setting Boundaries with Love

Stephanie Kramer2025-10-31T06:40:15+00:00October 31st, 2025|Family Counseling, Featured, Marriage Counseling, Relationship Issues|

The first year of marriage is often described as a whirlwind of love, discovery, and building a life together. But amid the excitement of blending two lives together, there’s one challenge that can test even the strongest of bonds: managing the in-laws. We’ve all seen movies that make light of the overly involved in-laws who seem to have an opinion on everything from your home décor to your dinner plans. But the reality is, this relatable and humorous plotline is no laughing matter when the in-law’s involvement in your marriage becomes an unexpected layer of complexity and tension to your newlywed bliss. What can go wrong when the in-laws get overly involved? Unfortunately, a lot. Let’s look at some common scenarios and learn how to navigate them with humor, grace, and maybe a decaf caramel macchiato. The Unannounced Visits You’re enjoying a quiet Saturday morning, sipping coffee in your pajamas, when suddenly – ding-dong! Your in-laws arrive at the door with a dozen bagels and a desire to “spend time together.” While their intentions are sweet, the lack of notice can be jarring, especially if you were planning a lazy day or had other plans. How to Handle It Set boundaries early on in your relationship but do so with kindness. Let them know how much you appreciate their visits but that you’d love a heads-up beforehand to make sure you’re available to enjoy their company. You might say, “We love spending time with you! Can we plan a get-together next weekend so we can make sure we’re ready to host properly?” Try to show compassion for your in-laws. It’s likely they have good intentions and just want to be a part of your lives. They may feel a sense of loss as their child has moved onto another [...]

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Why Building Self-Esteem is Important

Why Building Self-Esteem is Important

Kate Motaung2025-03-11T17:52:38+00:00September 30th, 2024|Depression, Family Counseling, Featured, Personal Development|

Self-esteem may seem like something we all have, and there is little we can do to change it. The facts of who we are determine how we see ourselves, and there is no changing those, right? Don’t be so sure. The reality is our perception of ourselves is often subjective and influenced by our circumstances. For example, how do you feel after spending time chatting with those you love, versus spending time scrolling social media? You will likely feel comfortable and happy after a meaningful, edifying conversation rather than considering the advantages of others who are enjoying and living their best life. Valencia Christian Counseling can help shift your focus toward healthier self-perception and fulfillment. Maintaining and building self-esteem is important as it can be the reason you feel good and take care of yourself, versus feeling like you just cannot be bothered. The messages and advice many have heard throughout their lives are to believe in themselves and to love themselves. These may feel motivational, but how can they last and what is their application to daily life? After all, the advantages of having high self-esteem far outweigh the significant disadvantages attached to a low view of yourself. To get a handle on why building self-esteem is important, consider the definition that self-esteem is how we evaluate and understand ourselves. It's based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves. These opinions can feel difficult to change. Self-confidence is another way of thinking about self-esteem. Therefore, admiring and respecting yourself is a key part of having healthy self-esteem. But why building self-esteem is important goes beyond that. It is coupled with ascribing to yourself admiration, respect, dignity, and love. In believing in yourself, you unlock the capacity to learn and contribute to the world around you as well as [...]

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4 Fun Tips to Help Kids Enjoy Moving into a New House

4 Fun Tips to Help Kids Enjoy Moving into a New House

Grace Mavindidze2025-03-13T06:57:23+00:00August 22nd, 2024|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

Moving into a new house, a new state, or a new country is always challenging, and even more so for children. It is easy for kids to experience social anxiety due to the loss of familiarity and security that kids associate with home. One of the best ways to combat any anxiety associated with relocation is by restoring that sense of joy, peace, stability, and familiarity that they get from the home in other ways as they make the transition. Valencia Christian Counseling can provide support and guidance to help navigate this change with faith and confidence. The truth is that the family itself is the greatest source of familiarity a child has, rather than the physical structure of the house. However, it is harder for children to understand this and adapt to a new town and new home. Although moving means leaving loved ones behind, it’s important to keep your kids focused on the future and how much moving into a new house can be an exciting adventure! Handy hacks to make moving into a new house fun Use technology to paint a picture of where you’re going One of the best ways to catch the interest of kids these days is by using the one word they understand the most: technology. There are now hundreds of apps and sites that can help you paint a creative picture of your new house even before you move. For example, one of the coolest apps is Google Earth, a 3D program for visualizing Earth through satellite imagery. It allows you to zoom down to a street-level view of any place in the world in real time! Imagine the fun kids can have exploring their new home as if they were in their own video game. Help each kid create their [...]

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4 Issues Commonly Addressed in Family Counseling

4 Issues Commonly Addressed in Family Counseling

Kate Motaung2025-03-13T08:48:36+00:00January 4th, 2024|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured|

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. Valencia Christian Counseling offers faith-based family counseling to help restore harmony and strengthen relationships. 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. [...]

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Three Common Teenage Problems

Three Common Teenage Problems

Jennifer Kooshian2025-03-13T09:02:01+00:00November 20th, 2023|Christian Counseling For Teens, Family Counseling, Featured, Individual Counseling|

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since most of us were teenagers. Time, technology, and culture have moved on, and while some teenage problems have not changed, many of them have. Three common teenage problems parents need to understand. A teenager’s stage of life is often characterized by the changes in their body and mind as they mature from childhood into adulthood. This brings several physical and psychological changes that the teenager needs to navigate. While teenagers want independence from their parents and families it is not realistic to expect that they can decouple themselves from the necessary support of their parents and family unit. However, even supported by parents and siblings who love them, various teenage problems are almost unavoidable. Valencia Christian Counseling offers guidance to help families navigate the challenges of adolescence with faith and understanding. Peer pressure. Having a personal device means that the content that is sent to the teen, or that they access, is immediately accessible at any time. Take sexting for example. While research is ongoing in this field, some researchers have found that there are primarily four reasons why adolescents become involved in sexting: flirting to attract a potential partner, expressing their sexuality with their romantic partner, experimenting with sexuality and identity, as well as a reaction to pressure from either their romantic partner or friends to conform to perceived normal behavior. Many teens do not understand the possible life-long impact of sharing explicit photos of themselves. It is the responsibility of parents to equip children with the skills to make healthy choices in these common situations. School problems. Did you know that in the US one in twenty-five high school students drop out each year? Researchers find that a high school dropout has a high likelihood of earning [...]

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5 Signs of Depression in Children

5 Signs of Depression in Children

Kate Motaung2025-03-15T06:08:05+00:00May 25th, 2023|Christian Counseling for Children, Christian Counseling For Teens, Depression, Family Counseling, Featured|

It surely is a sign of sad times that depression affects 1.9 million (3.2%) children and teenagers between the ages of 3 and 17 in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). In many instances, children with depression also have another coexisting condition, for example, anxiety, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). All too often, the signs of depression in children are missed by parents, caregivers, or teachers, as they can be mistaken for normal childhood moods. Depression, however, is pervasive as a mood disorder and is not something that children can “snap out of” through distraction. Valencia Christian Counseling offers compassionate, faith-based support to help children and families navigate the challenges of childhood depression. Signs of depression in children Children are also not able to express their feelings easily and would typically find it very difficult to describe the kind of symptoms that depression presents. Here are five signs of depression in children to not ignore. Loss of interest in activities. Just as with adults, one of the most common signs of depression in children is a loss of interest in activities that previously brought enjoyment. Children do tend to turn their attention from one hobby to another, and this may not necessarily reflect depression. But if you notice that things that he or she always previously took pleasure in doing (reading, for example, or walking the dog) have fallen away, it could be worth paying closer attention to your child’s emotional state. Extreme reactions. Teenagers are renowned for being emotional and moody. However, one of the signs of depression in children to look out for is a constant state of fluctuating emotion over some time. You might notice that a child cries more frequently, seems to explode [...]

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