Family Counseling

Parenting

Parenting is one of the hardest endeavors one could undertake in this life. There are many challenges parents face; and those challenges differ from family to family based on many factors. There are two sides to parenting – the relational side and the structural side. The structural side involves aspects of parenting such as discipline, instruction, and boundary setting. The relational side of parenting is highly important, but often neglected. For different reasons, parents often become over concerned with discipline and instruction, and not so much with building trust, respect, and a strong parent-child bond. Is this the case for you? Do you feel like your relationship with your child is suffering? Whether you have adult children or children still living in the home, as long as you are a parent, it is never too late to make changes. If you desire to have a better relationship with your children; or, if you need help in areas such as discipline and boundary setting, then please do not hesitate to call me to set up your first appointment.

Boundaries

Defining and/or clarifying boundaries are extremely important for a family to function well. Each member of a family not only needs to come to a better understanding of his/her role and expectations, but he/she also needs a clearer picture of others’ roles and expectations. Healthy boundaries are important in all family forms, which include, but not limited to, nuclear, step, blended, and extended. Please call if you think your family would benefit from establishing healthy boundaries.

Divorce

As a marriage counselor, I am very much pro-marriage. I believe there are fewer life experiences more gratifying that a healthy and thriving marriage. However, marriage is hard work. It requires both individuals in the marital relationship to put out the necessary effort to keep it alive and healthy. Sadly, not all marriages are able to survive for a variety of different reasons. Despite the reason a marriage dissolves, the reality is that divorce is hard, not just for the couple, but also for the loved ones. If divorce has affected your family and you and/or your family is in need of healing, coping, and overall assistance with adjustment, then divorce counseling is a healthy option.

Step & Blended Families

Did you grow up in blended family? Are you a stepparent? Is your spouse a stepparent? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you are probably very familiar with the unique challenges that blended families face on a day-to-day basis. Blended families, when functioning healthily, can be such a rewarding experience. However, when a blended family isn’t functioning well, it can become a nightmare for all those involved. If you are a part of a blended family and are wondering if your family might benefit from family counseling, please ask yourself the following:

• Do I feel disconnected from my spouse and/or my spouse’s kids?
• Does my home seem too chaotic? too rigid?
• Do I feel like my kids are being treated unfairly by my spouse?
• Are my new in-laws interfering with the family functioning?
• Do I feel lost when it comes to enforcing discipline with my stepchildren?

If you answered in the affirmative to any of these questions, then you might consider family therapy as an option to help your [blended] family grow closer to one another and acquire a healthy level of functioning.