Family Therapy in Mill Creek

Gathering family members together is a potent process. Families are resilient and complex, and adept at devising ways to cope. We all want to feel balanced and to have our loved ones be happy and thrive. A family is like a historic building: over time many things can weaken it to the point of collapse. When something threatens a family’s ability to effectively cope, it may be a signal that the family has reached their capacity to help themselves. I help families put pieces back into their foundation to build strength and a strong identity as they go about the job of helping each other grow and thrive. Education is a part of this process, and may include reading new information or simply learning new ideas in the counseling session. 

My counseling approach is strength-based and solution-focused. I use a collaborative approach to instill hope in family members and increase their awareness of their capabilities and strengths. If it is the first time in a while that everyone has gathered face-to-face in a room, members may feel a lot of anticipation, wondering how the therapist will help the family. Sitting together and engaging in a conversation is the first step to identify (and learn from) past events and discuss current challenges. Uncovering alliances, discussing themes, identifying strengths, and clarifying roles help enable the family to identify what has contributed to problematic interactions.

The therapist’s role as witness-facilitator is to guide the family into a conversation that increases insight and awareness of one another. The thoughts and feelings that percolate after a family counseling session are valuable results that contribute to changing the nature of the family dialogue and interactions going forward. Therapy tasks done at home can bring to life ideas discussed in therapy and empower members to work through difficulties at home and discuss outcomes in the counseling session.

Families affected by addiction and other coping problems are often entangled in a blurry and confusing mass of emotions, roles, lines of authority, and responsibility. If there is an addicted or mentally ill spouse, partner, or family member who is not yet ready to come to a multi-bodied therapy session, a family member or concerned person can initiate an intervention process by meeting with me to get help assessing their loved one’s level of severity and then determine if a family-based intervention is an appropriate course of action, or if a referral to a more assertive intervention is needed. Families are powerful catalysts for change. I am here to help you repair and heal your family.