Parent & Family Counseling
Are you feeling misunderstood or hurt in one of your family relationships? Maybe you walk on eggshells around someone in your home to avoid the blow-up. Or perhaps you’re facing rejection from a person that matters so much to you. You could be surrounded by people you are familiar with, yet you’re still feeling alone. Or its your children, in whom you’ve invested so much time and energy, yet they seem to have written you off and show mostly disrespect or disinterest your way.
Signs & Symptoms of Parenting & Family Conflict
Family can be a beautiful thing. It’s where we’re supposed to find relational refuge, emotional safety, empowerment for healthy development and growth to become our best self. John Donne famously wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself,” and more recently Sue Johnson remarked, “Our deepest instinct all through life is to seek out and stay close to a few precious loved ones.” As human beings, we are wired for relationships, and these desires ultimately take root in our family relationships. Yet, because families consist of the people we care for the most, the family system frequently becomes the context for our greatest pains and emotional struggles.
Pain within a family system is typically incredibly profound. I think it’s because we want the best for our loved ones, and our connection with them is so important to us. We have higher hopes and expectations for how life goes in our family. While these high standards are ultimately a good thing, they can also contribute to the fear you may have when your teen or child is struggling, or you as parents feel lost, inadequate, or on different teams.
Parent or Family Counseling can help
The good news is that these frustrations, while common among families, do not have remain unchanged. Families have the power to adjust and modify to a healthier dynamic, and decades of research has shown that parent and family counseling can help.
What to expect from Parent or Family Counseling
Parents often wonder what the best course of action is to bring needed change to children, themselves or the whole family dynamic. It could look like one person participating in individual counseling, or parents beginning marriage counseling or attending parent education sessions, or beginning counseling with the entire family. Regardless of the approach taken, we think it makes sense to first sit-down with the most motivated person in the family. Usually, this means beginning with parents before we start anywhere else, because you are the “key ingredients” in helping your family move in a better direction.
Whatever course is taken, our counselors always keep your deepest relationships in mind. When possible, we love continuing to meet with parents to bring about systemic change that affects the entire family. Our team of skilled counselors hold certifications in parenting approaches such as S.T.E.P. (Systematic Training for Effective Parenting), and Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). We also seek to foster “effective dependence” on one another, as healthy connections bring greater security and strength to all individuals.
Begin Parent & Family Counseling in Greenville SC
If you are curious as to whether counseling could help your family, please reach out today to speak with someone from our Greenville, SC counseling clinic. We’d love to hear about your family’s story and goals, as well as connect you with one of our expert counselors to determine the best place to begin.
