Individual therapy can be incredibly helpful if you or a loved one is going through a difficult time. However, family therapy programs are sometimes necessary to help understand the full scope of interpersonal issues. Relationships are vital to understanding our psychological states, and many families find family therapy necessary in maintaining complex relationships or undergoing difficult times.
In Seattle, family therapy is a widely recognized and utilized treatment option for addiction and mental health issues. According to a survey conducted by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, over 90 percent of respondents in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area reported that they had received family therapy at some point in their lives.1 Additionally, studies have shown that family therapy can improve patient and family outcomes, including increased communication, decreased conflict, and reduced relapse rates.
Northpoint Seattle offers family counseling in Seattle, WA, and is prepared to help you and your loved one with anything you may be experiencing. Finding family therapy in Seattle, WA, has never been easier with our help. If you believe a family therapy program would benefit you and your loved ones, contact us via 888.483.6031 today.
What Is Family Therapy?
A family should be a support system in which everybody uplifts each other. However, families are rarely perfect, and many balances must be maintained. The family unit is a community in which the actions of an individual affect the emotional state of everybody involved. For example, if a family member is suffering from a substance use disorder, it does not only affect them but the rest of the family as well. To find this balance, many people find family therapy to be an effective solution.
Family therapy, while effective, should not be considered a solution over individual therapy or substance abuse treatment. Instead, it’s a therapy that can be highly effective when combined with other individual treatments. Family therapy is meant to promote collaboration within a family and to solve the problems of an individual or more than one individual. With the help of a licensed counselor, family therapy can help people understand one another better and learn healthy coping skills to support each other.
Northpoint Seattle’s outpatient facility offers family therapy near Seattle, WA, and serves all of Washington state. Located in the Northgate Meridian Building, we are prepared to help you and your family find healthy solutions to your problems.
How Family Therapy Works
Family therapy, also known as family counseling or systemic therapy, is a form of psychotherapy that involves working with families and couples to nurture change and development. The primary focus is understanding and addressing relationships and family dynamics. Some key concepts addressed in family therapy include:
- Holistic approaches – The family is a whole system, where each member’s behavior influences and is influenced by the entire family’s dynamics.
- Interconnectedness – Counselors emphasize the interconnectedness of family members and how changes in one part of the system can impact the whole.
- Communication styles – Family therapists examine communication within the family, including verbal and nonverbal communication.
- Circular causality – Family therapists consider circular causality, where family members are seen as both influencing and being influenced by each other in a continuous loop.
- Family roles and rules – Family dynamics can be affected by different roles that individuals have within the family, as well as explicit rules and interactions. Family therapists can help identify and modify these rules and roles if necessary.
Family therapists will consider the family’s life cycle and significant transitions such as marriage, childbirth, adolescence, and empty nesting. Your counselor will help you adapt to changes and challenges in a healthy and flexible manner.
Start Family Counseling in Seattle, WA, at Northpoint Seattle
Before looking for family therapy in Seattle, WA, it’s essential to have goals for family therapy. Your therapist might also be able to help you identify these goals. If your family is going through a difficult time, contact our Northpoint Seattle team today by calling 888.483.6031 or completing our online form to discuss our family therapy program.
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