5 Benefits of Family Counseling

The more you understand the world around you, the more you realize that the functional family — the one where everyone gets along and no one disrupts the unit with their issues — is rare.

Though most families have their challenges, they still form important foundations and when cracks start to form, family counseling can prove invaluable.

The team of highly experienced mental, emotional, and behavioral health experts here at Northern Virginia Psychiatric Group understands all too well how the family unit can come under fire. More importantly, we understand how to help families move forward through family counseling.

Here are just five of the many benefits of this approach to mental, emotional, and behavioral wellness across the family.

1. Resolving family conflict

As much as families are sources of love and support, they can also be hotbeds of conflict. For example, the slightly more than 2 million marriages in the United States each year are offset by the nearly 675,000 divorces.

Although challenging under the best circumstances, divorces can quickly become contentious, and everyone suffers. Through family counseling, we use techniques to resolve conflict and encourage healthier communication during family splits.

And we apply these same techniques to resolve any conflicts within the family, not just spousal ones. For example, we often resolve conflicts between siblings or those between a parent and a child.

2. Dealing with substance use disorders in the family

One person’s substance use disorder can wreak havoc on a family and, unfortunately, they’re common — 48.5 million Americans struggled with a substance use disorder within the past year.

Not only can we use individual therapy to help the family member who is struggling, but we can also help put the family back together to help them move forward.

3. Tackling behavioral issues inside the family

If one family member has a behavioral issue that’s disrupting the family, we can work toward solutions in a family counseling setting in which all members of the family can be heard.

Discussing family issues that stem from behavioral issues in a controlled setting in which there are boundaries and professional oversight can be helpful and productive.

4. Processing trauma together

If your family has been through a traumatic event together, we can help everyone process the event together through family counseling.

Or, if one member has experienced trauma and can benefit from family support, we can work on this during family counseling to make sure their needs are met.

5. Navigating challenging transitions

Family upheaval, such as moving to a new area or welcoming a new addition, can be tricky to navigate. Through family counseling, we provide a space in which family members can discuss their concerns to open up healthy communication.

And this is where we’ll end — on the word communication. Ultimately, family counseling is designed to promote communication between family members that can minimize conflict, confusion, and resentment.

To explore whether family counseling might be a good avenue for your loved ones, we invite you to call our office in Fairfax, Virginia, at 571-748-4588, or contact us online to schedule your appointment today.