Family Counseling Therapist
If you have issues that are affecting your family’s relationship, it may be worth seeing a therapist. Whether it’s divorce, the death of a loved one, or behavioral issues that you are dealing with, you can turn to a trusted and qualified therapist for help. However, before you go through with family counseling, you should know helpful tips and mistakes to avoid. This will be beneficial to you, your family and therapist. It will allow the sessions to go more smoothly and be more productive. As a Bethesda family counseling therapist like one at Lindsey Hoskins & Associates knows, knowing this key information will help you make the most of your counseling sessions.
Write down topics and questions
Starting any kind of counseling session for the first time can be stressful and you may not know what to expect. When it involves a therapy session with one or more family members, the idea may be an even more overwhelming experience. One of the things that you can do to prepare for the session is to write down any topics of interest or questions that you want to bring to the therapist. This will make the session less intimidating, and you have specific points that can be addressed.
Don’t use critical language
A session can quickly turn sour and get out of hand once someone uses harsh or overly critical language. Avoid language that attempts to assign blame and defensive language. Do not use profanity and inappropriate words that attack your relatives. Be mindful about your words and do not weaponize them for the sake of putting down your relative.
Give every person the space to discuss their feelings
Counseling sessions are meant to be a time and place where every patient is free to share their genuine experience and feelings. You should allow your relatives to express themselves without criticism or retaliation during your counseling session. If you feel like you need to interrupt and provide your response to something your relative said, you should remain respectful when you are countering with your side. Do not be the one to talk over everyone else. Everyone should feel like they are being heard and not invalidated.
Check in with your family
After each session, you should have open discussions with your family members about what’s on their mind or any topic that they want to talk about. Establishing a time to have these honest conversations can help to mitigate conflicts before they get too intense. It will give everyone a chance to speak on their feelings, and everyone can work through their concerns or issues in a healthy manner.
Starting out therapy sessions with your family may seem like it is guaranteed not to go well, but it can be the solution that you are seeking. Whether your family has had issues for years or have just recently experienced a problem, meeting with a licensed and trained therapist can help. Learn more about how you can receive family counseling by scheduling a consultation now.
