When You Should Seek a Family Counselor

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 children’s benefit, causing an imbalance in family dynamics.

Rivalry Between Siblings

Sibling rivalry doesn’t just arise in blended families. Full siblings can become jealous of one another. One child may feel that parents favor another child over the rest. Siblings with significant age gaps may vie for the parents’ attention, trying to figure out how to compete with a newborn. Children born close together may feel overlooked.

Issues Adapting to a Blended Family

Blended families face unique challenges arising from two families uniting. This is especially true if each spouse has children of their own. New siblings can face rivalry, jealousy, personality clashes, age gap issues, and stepparenting authority issues. Parents may feel pitted against their own children or spouse. Communication problems with ex-spouses can also cause drama in the household.

Grief and Loss

Death, grief, and loss affect families profoundly. Losses such as a parent, child, sibling, or grandparent can cause family members to develop anxiety and depression. Loss can also result from an eviction, loss of home, or job loss.

Although there is no set time in the grieving process, people can get stuck in a phase. For example, people struggling with complicated grief may experience the depression stage for weeks or months to the point that it interferes with their daily life.

Addiction

Substance abuse and other addictions can destroy a family. Although one person may carry an addiction, the consequences of their actions can be felt by everyone. Some families experience abuse, fear, theft, betrayal, and lies when addiction takes hold of a family member. In some cases, addiction carries into the next generation, raising the risk of grown children developing the same behaviors.

Mental Health Issues

Mental health issues, such as anxiety and depression, create an unstable environment. Children may not know how to manage parents struggling with mental health disorders. Parents may be at a loss about what to do about a teen engaging in self-harm or having suicidal thoughts. Children who lash out may have underlying and undiagnosed mental health conditions that require treatment.

Major Life Events

Not all major life events are negative. Of course, a family may face the loss of a loved one or an eviction. But for many families, major life events that offer promising opportunities can also trigger stress and insecurity. Moving to a new city or state, the birth of a baby, the remarriage of a parent, or the first week at a new school can cause upheaval in the household.

Trauma

Trauma can include past abuse or experience from a traumatic event, like a natural disaster or witnessing a violent act. The family member may develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with flashbacks and panic attacks. Children who have experienced trauma may cling to one another and have trust issues with adults.

Seeking a Family Counselor?

Are you in need of a family counselor? Contact our Christian counseling center today to be matched with a family counselor specializing in your needs. We would love to work with you and your family.