When to start family therapy?
When there are difficulties or challenges in the family relationship between parents and children or among siblings, at any stage of life: childhood, adolescence, empty nest, later in adult life or in families with elderly parents.
When the parents or caregivers are willing to actively engage in helping their children to overcome some of the common difficulties in childhood or adolescence: emotional development, school adjustment and performance, peer relationships, behavioral problems, family habits and rules, parent-child relationships, jealousy or rivalry with siblings, insecurities, anxiety, fears, social phobia, risk behaviors in adolescence, rebelliousness, climate of tension and confrontation at home, etc.
When there are obstacles for parents to work as a team regarding the education or relationship with their children, and this has a negative impact on the family.
When it is hard for young adults to become more autonomous from their families and develop their own life project. This may be due to an excessive or distorted sense of family loyalty, insecurities, problematic behaviors, extreme dependency and/or conflict in the relationship with parents, or parental problems that directly or indirectly have an impact on the children´s wellbeing.
Family therapy is based on the premise that the family is a relational system with very powerful ties, values, myths, past events, shared stories, expectations, emotions, relational styles, etc., that have an influence in every family member. Family systems need to maintain a stability and yet be able to adapt to changes, crises, and the different stages of the family life cycle.
When the evolution of the system is hampered, or there are problems affecting one family member or the family as a whole, the participation of the whole family in therapy is the most powerful and effective impulse for change. The goal of the therapy is to support the family in strengthening its emotional ties, develop new ways of mutual support, facilitate a sense of connection and respect for individuality, face external or internal crises, and co-create a shared vision of their relationship.