Family Therapy
All families have conflicts. Happy families have many different conflicts during the course of the family lifecycle. Unhappy families have the same conflicts over and over without resolution.
At Family Psychology Associates, we are experts at helping you resolve conflicts, no matter what phase of life you are experiencing. Our fourteen licensed mental health practitioners have extensive post-graduate training to help families remain connected while adapting to change in the world around us.
Healthy families require a balance between authority and closeness.
For a family to function effectively, parents need to establish a sense of order and routine. At the same time, parents must prepare their children to participate in a democracy. Citizenship requires the ability to express an opinion clearly, while respecting the opinion of others. Parents who want their children to be effective problem solvers must teach their children how to view the world from the perspective of others. Such flexibility helps children adapt to a rapidly changing world.
At the same time, families require rituals and traditions to bind members together.
This can be especially important in families that experience divorce and remarriage. Our family therapists teach parents and children how to listen to each other in order to communicate more effectively. We help loved ones learn to listen for the feelings and the relationship messages that are imbedded in family discussions. One of the solutions that we recommend is to schedule regular family meetings, in order to give children a voice in decision making and peaceful conflict resolution.
Here are some resources for your family:
The Seven Habits of Highy Effective Families. Stephen Covey and Sandra Covey, 1998.
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, 2012.
Siblings without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together so You Can Live Too. Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, 2012.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work. John Gottman and Nan Silver, 2002.
Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. John Gottman and Joan DeClaire, 1997.
