A Family Therapists Point of View

When I began this blog I named it "Why therapy?" People ask themselves, why go to talk to someone that they don't know, how can they help me? It's not that you're talking to a stranger. You're talking with a trained professional that is looking at your situation differently then a family member or friend can. As a marriage and family therapist we look at the entire picture, all factors, that contribute to an individual and their situation. As an individual we may not realize the things that may be contributing to our anxiety, or our sadness, such as changes in life, whether they be a death in the family, change of job, tension in the household, or even something that could have happened many years ago. We influence those around us and they influence us as well, which can contribute to our situation. So why therapy? The time with a counselor provides you and your family a time to express your feelings, frustrations and things you may not be able to stay at

I found it very difficult to post this weekend due to the fact that a family friends 16 year old son passed away unexpectedly. It was a shock to everyone. How does a family get through that? It has really brought me to think a lot about my own family, of course, but of those families that could come to counseling One thing then I know & trust, based on experience is the power of group therapy. Sharing your story with others repeatedly is extremely helpful for you and others in the group. As I had heard through a grief and bereavement group that I attended, the facilitator shared that here in the US we do not talk about death. In other countries they may wear black, or an armband signifying that they have had a loss. People will come up to them and ask them about this person and they will have the opportunity to share. Here we never know what to say and many times can say the wrong thing. So the process of group therapy that deals with grief has shown to be very beneficial to thos