Why You Don't Need to Wait for a Crisis to Seek Family Counseling

Many people associate family counseling with crisis management: learning techniques and strategies to de-escalate serious issues and major conflicts that threaten a family’s dynamics and relationships. 

While family counseling can definitely help in these instances, many people don’t know that it is also incredibly helpful in less stressful times, strengthening families and preventing smaller problems from getting worse.

Conduit Behavioral Health is a leading provider of family counseling for patients in Baltimore, Maryland, and remotely via telehealth. In this post, Temika Heyward, PhD, FNP, CRNP, PMH, explains the important role of family counseling and how proactive therapy can help improve mental wellness and relationships with loved ones.

Family counseling as preventive care

Most people know that regular physical exams are one of the best ways to prevent serious medical issues. Physical exams identify potential problems in their earliest stages, allowing us to take steps to stay healthy.

But what many of us don’t know is that our mental health benefits from the same approach. Instead of waiting until a major problem occurs, proactive family counseling treatment helps you take important steps to avoid serious issues while promoting stronger relationships through better communication and other key skills.

In a preventive setting, family counseling allows all family members to work through small problems before they grow into serious conflicts. Depending on your unique needs, family counseling can help with:

• Behavioral issues
• Communication problems
• Problems with emotional regulation, coping, and anxiety
• Marital difficulties
• Parent-child conflicts
• Blended family issues
• Grief and loss
• Substance misuse issues
• Personal boundary issues

Preventive counseling also gives you and your family members a chance to learn and model healthy behaviors constructively, making it easier to demonstrate those qualities in your “real” life.

Basics of family counseling

Families are, by nature, complex. After all, a family includes multiple people, and every person has their values, beliefs, goals, and priorities, as well as their approach to life. Personal characteristics can change, too, especially as we get older or experience new challenges or changes.

Assessment and goals

Family counseling begins with an assessment “visit,” which provides Dr. Heyward and her team with an opportunity to evaluate and understand your concerns and reasons for seeking counseling. 

Establishing goals takes into account individual and group concerns. These early steps help lay out a “roadmap” for future sessions while developing a deeper understanding of interpersonal relationships, communication, expectations, and other factors that influence family dynamics.

Counseling can also help with external issues, such as moving to a new neighborhood, changes in income, adjusting to a new school, or blending two families. 

Sessions and homework

Regular therapy sessions, including family counseling, form the backbone of any counseling program. Once again, depending on your family’s needs and goals, sessions may include all family members, some members, or even individuals. 

Throughout each session, you’ll work on communication skills, discuss concerns in depth, and practice problem-solving strategies. Between sessions, you may have “homework” assignments that enable you to practice strategies and skills in your day-to-day life, reporting your results during subsequent sessions so your plan can be adjusted over time.

Put your family first

Even families that seem to communicate well can still have concerns or challenges that can become bigger problems over time. Family counseling can help uncover problems that affect your family’s dynamics in subtle ways. It provides real-life strategies that strengthen bonds and improve interpersonal connections, promoting greater empathy and harmony over time.

Making family counseling part of your family’s wellness plan empowers you and your family members to explore, grow, and form deeper connections over time. To learn more about family counseling and how it can help your family, request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Heyward and the team at Conduit Behavioral Health in Baltimore, Maryland, today.