Family Therapy
Support for your biological or chosen family
Family therapy can support members in achieving more desired ways of engaging with each other, fostering stability, and coping with hardship. I pay attention to generational influences, emotions & attachment bonds, interaction patterns, and can help you identify how, if possible, members can exist in ways that honour both the family bond and personal authenticity.
As a systemic therapist, I work from the concept of "linked lives" and consider how your experiences in the family and as individuals:
- interact and influence that of each other
- influence members show up in the relationship
- shape patterns of interactions among members.
I attune to how context (e.g. values, culture, society; past and present) influences experience.
In my work with clients, the problem is the problem; it is not who one person is but instead, is something the family unit is teaming up against. The relationship is viewed as a system, which means everyone engaging in therapy has a responsibility to work towards therapeutic change.
Please note that currently, I do not have any capacity to work with clients who are at high risk. That is, those experiencing recent (in the last 3 months) or current Intimate partner violence and/or domestic violence, current active suicidal ideation/attempts.
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My Approach
The basics
I work collaboratively with you to identify and understand:
- where your family relationship currently is, and how this came to be
- where you want your family relationship to be: how you want to experience yourselves and each other in the family
- what might be getting in the way, and IF and how you can navigate these challenges in alignment with your personal and family values
An important note.
A common misconception is that therapy is and should be a "last resort".
Subsequently, many people do themselves and the relationship system a disservice by waiting until things have "blown up" to seek therapy. At this point, they react out of a place of desperation and urgency and hope that therapy will be a quick, saving grace.
Favorable outcomes are correlated with therapy for the purposes of proactivity and maintenance.
This is not to say that family therapy cannot be helpful even if it is a last resort. With that, what you should know is:
Family therapy is a PROCESS that requires commitment, time, and patience.