What is Family Counseling?
Engaging in family counseling is often an important part of the recovery process. Since family can be the biggest support in navigating any challenges in life, it is important to seek effective family counseling Hayward options.
Family counseling is a type of psychotherapy that is focused on improving relationships among family members. The aim is to repair and strengthen relationships and improve behaviors within the family.1
Who is Involved in Family Counseling?
This type of counseling can consist of many different combinations of loved ones, including:
- Parents
- Siblings
- Children
- Grandparents
- Aunts/uncles
- Cousins
- Chosen family
Goals of Family Counseling
The family and the counselor will decide, together, the goals of the sessions. Typically, the main goals of this counseling include:
- Improving communication
- Learning to express thoughts and feelings
- Developing healthy boundaries
Achieving Goals in Family Counseling
During family counseling, achieving family goals is accomplished by:
- Focusing on and improving the family’s ability to problem solve
- Learning to identify both individual and family strengths
- Exploring behavior patterns that contribute to conflict
- Developing skills and strategies to express thoughts and emotions
Types of Family Counseling
When you begin researching “family counseling Hayward treatment opportunities,” you may become overwhelmed by the sheer number of options that you might encounter. Some of the most common types of family counseling include:
- Family systems therapy: This focuses on helping people use the strengths of their relationships to overcome mental health concerns.2
- Functional family therapy: This form of counseling focuses on families with children that have emotional disturbances or complex behavioral challenges.3
- Structural therapy: Structural counseling focuses on the interactions between family members. It treats the family as a system and works to improve communication between family members and make adjustments to how the family functions.4
- Psychoeducation: This focuses on educating family members on understanding mental health and substance misuse and treatment options for the individual in treatment.
How to Know Which Type of Family Counseling is Best For You and Your Loved Ones
It is important to meet with a mental health professional to determine which form of counseling would be best for your family.
Features of Effective Family Counseling
Treatment or counseling may not always be effective. The most important factors that contribute to the effectiveness of family counseling are desire, willingness, and personal preferences
Willingness
Family counseling is a collaborative process. In order for it to be productive and successful, everyone in the family must be willing to give it a chance.
Finding the Right Therapist
Finding a therapist that best fits the family’s preferences and style is another important aspect for the counseling to be effective. Finding a therapist you feel comfortable with and who can navigate the dynamics in the relationship is important in getting the most out of the counseling.
Maximizing Effectiveness of Family Counseling
There are some other ways you can make family counseling more effective. Achieving desired results from your search for family counseling Hayward may require:5
- Preparing questions or issues you want to discuss before the session
- Speaking in a calm manner
- Always using “I” statements when discussing your feelings
- Trying to avoid unnecessary arguing or picking fights
- Being open to listening and remaining respectful
What to Expect From Family Counseling
Family counseling usually brings family members together for the sessions. However, there may be instances where someone sees a family counselor on an individual basis. This may be due to the unwillingness from the other family member or members.
During this counseling, the counselor may meet with family members as a group, on an individual basis, or a combination of both. A typical session is about fifty minutes long for about twelve sessions.6
Relevant Questions the Family Counselor May Ask
At the initial family counseling sessions, the family counselor will likely be asking:
- Questions to determine each person’s view of the problem
- Where the concern started
- How the family has managed problems in the past
From there, the family will work with the counselor on creating a treatment plan. This plan will have specific goals the family wishes to achieve while in counseling. The concerns and treatment plan goals may determine the amount of sessions.
What Are the Benefits of Family Counseling?
This type of counseling can have many benefits for both the individual and family as a whole. Since one of the main goals of this type of counseling is addressing communication, the family will learn how to better resolve conflicts and communicate their thoughts and feelings.
Family counseling also focuses on building and strengthening the support within the family system. Support is a very important aspect of an individual’s mental health and substance use disorder recovery journey. So, a benefit of this type of counseling is to strengthen that healthy support system.
Family Counseling Hayward: Additional Benefits
Another benefit to searching for “family counseling Hayward” is the education and understanding it can help provide. When dealing with mental health and substance use disorder, family members may lack awareness on how to help or even be able to understand the symptoms of addiction.
This type of counseling can help the family learn and better understand the person who is struggling with substance use disorder (SUD) and learn how to support them in their recovery.
Who Should Attend Family Counseling?
The short answer is: any family that is struggling with problems that may be having a negative impact on their relationships should attend family counseling. Also, any family member that went through Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) that are still impacting their communication and coping skills would benefit from family counseling.
Most often, the people involved in this form of treatment are immediate family members. However, there are times when it may be helpful to include other family members as well.
If you find yourself searching for “family counseling Hayward” and wondering if your family could benefit, know that it is not required for a family member to have a severe issue or problem to receive counseling. People can seek family counseling to help to improve the communication styles and boundaries within the family system.
Family Counseling Hayward: Horizon Treatment Services
If you find yourself searching for “family counseling Hayward,” Horizon Treatment Services is here to help. Horizon Treatment Services in Hayward, California makes it our mission to provide treatment and education in a safe and supportive environment.
Our team of compassionate professionals focuses on the individual person while utilizing the latest evidenced-based treatment to create a comfortable, client-centered program to benefit the entire family.
At Horizon Treatment Services, we believe that the best outcomes come from the most support. That is why we strive to give you the best results when searching for “family counseling Hayward.”
Reach Out and Learn More
For more information about family counseling Hayward, California or other treatment options may be right for you, contact Horizon Services at 510.582.2100 or contact@hsimail.org.
Resources
1https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24454-family-therapy
4https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/structural-family-therapy
5https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/November-2018/Tips-for-Successful-Family-Therapy
6https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/family-counseling
