Family Therapy
in Orange County

Residential Mental Health Treatment

Family Comes First

No longer does family only mean blood relations. Now, there are many different types of families, including DNA, legal connections, and other close relationships. However, all types of families can benefit from family therapy services.

As they say, the closest people in your life often have the most impact. Sometimes, family therapy can help your own physical and mental health difficulties. Or, your family may all need support after a specific event.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about family therapy in Orange County.

What Is Family Therapy?

Family therapy services are for the whole family. You seek family counseling together as a group, although it does not have to be for every family member. Usually, you will receive a recommendation from the support service on how to approach your family counseling sessions.

Family therapy aims to improve communication and support interactions between family members. The focus is on changing the framework of family communication, not pointing the blame at specific individuals.

There are several different types of family therapy, including:

Structural therapy
Systemic
Strategic

Structural therapy focuses on strengthening the family system through observation and talk therapy. In contrast, systematic treatment focuses on exploring reasons for specific communication and behaviors. Strategic therapy focuses on assignments and assessments to assist family communications.

What To Expect From a Family Therapy Session

The main goals of family therapy are to help heal the family unit by addressing any issues causing division. The therapist aims to improve the home environment by improving communication skills, solving family issues, and helping each family member manage the situation.

There are several things you can expect from family therapy. For example, sessions are usually between 45 minutes and an hour once or twice a week. Family therapy usually lasts for a set amount of time, based on the therapist’s assessment, such as twelve sessions.

During a family therapy session, you will:

Explore family roles and rules
Be honest with each other
Identify behavior patterns and evaluate boundaries
Express thoughts and feelings in a safe space
Receive guidance to communicate and listen to each other
Identify family strengths and weaknesses, such as communication

Family therapy is a personal process tailored to your specific needs. The main goals for your family therapy sessions will depend on your family’s needs. However, the general structure of sessions may be structured in the following way.

Treatment Program

During the first appointment, you will sit together and discuss the reasons for attending family therapy. Each person will have an opportunity to talk and share their feelings about the situation. Your therapist will also discuss the rules for therapy sessions, such as talking time.

During the subsequent few sessions, your therapist will begin to assess your family therapy needs. They will ask about your family unit, including:

Family roles
Coping and support techniques
Family history
Discipline approaches

You may be assigned homework to reflect on family roles and give your therapist a more in-depth picture of your family unit. As the sessions progress, your therapist will formulate a therapy plan to structure your sessions. The focus will be on helping solve problems and finding the best way to help your family move forward.

Your Recovery Starts Here

Contact our specialists to find how we can help treat your needs.

Benefits of Family Therapy

So, why attend family therapy? It can feel uncomfortable to be vulnerable with loved ones. However, family therapy offers many benefits to you and your family unit. Some of the top benefits include:

Understand and resolve the reasons for family conflict
Create deeper bonds
Provides a safe space to heal
Establish healthy boundaries
Improve communication, trust, and empathy
Support all family members

Family therapists are impartial and can create the safe space your family needs to heal. There are various benefits for all family members, but changes do not happen overnight.

It is essential to have patience when it comes to family therapy. While there will be some instant benefits, such as tools to improve communication and understand specific problems, family therapy also takes work. Often you are undoing patterns of communication and behavior that could have been around for generations.

However, with persistence, an open mind, and commitment to the therapy process, you will reap the benefits of family therapy. Family therapy is an evidence-based therapeutic approach, with many studies supporting its effectiveness. Reputable family therapy services keep up to date with research in the field to provide the best possible treatment options for your family.

Family Therapy Program In Orange County

There are many different reasons for attending family therapy. One of these reasons is if a family member is in a social rehabilitation treatment plan. First Light Recovery provides support for those with mild, moderate, and chronic psychiatric impairment.

One of our services is family therapy, which can be an essential part of an individual’s recovery. We have experienced staff on hand to provide family therapy as part of our treatment programs.

Do you or your loved one need mental health support? Contact us today to learn more about our programs and family therapy services.

Family Therapyin Orange County