“Being a family means you are a part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life.”

–Lisa Weed

Were your hopes and dreams realized? Is this what you expected?

The realities of family life are often very different than what we were thinking they would be like.

Being a parent in today’s world can be very chaotic. We are all trying to provide the best lives for our children and ourselves.

Sometimes, though, the responsibilities are too great; and we end up feeling like we are letting ourselves and our families down. We are trying too hard to do a balancing act between work and family. Often, we also have the responsibility of caring for our own parents, as well.

How do we do all of this while at the same time nurturing our romantic relationship and having time for ourselves? It probably seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get things done.

When you brought your first baby home to your family, it seemed like it would be so easy.

When did it get so hard?

Today’s families often struggle with the various activities, responsibilities, and stress that take them away from bonding time of the past.

Gone are the days where a family would play outside by day and come together by night to spend quality time.

While technology has undoubtedly provided us many luxuries and connections to others, much conflict and worry has ensued because of electronics. Parents and teenagers have a hard time relating to each other and forget how to interact. This becomes problematic when issues arise, and parents are unaware of what is occurring in their home, under their roof.

With the increase in anxiety, depression, and coping issues in children, families are feeling distressed.

While parents are the most appropriate people to help understand and address emotional problems, they are often the ones who are being pushed away.

So many pains have been getting in the way of the harmony you dreamt about.

It can also be a source of pain and disappointment.

Do you lack the connection you had with your children when they were younger?

Does communication among family members look more like a game of walking on eggshells?

Are the people living in your home starting to feel like strangers… more focused on their phones, tablets, and computers than spending time with each other?

Are you clashing with your older children, as they start to become more independent and express themselves and their options?

Is your adult child causing a shift in your family dynamics you weren’t prepared for?

Do you try to express your feelings to your spouse or children but find yourself misunderstood?

Common Family Changes

• New business opportunity
• New job or career
• Purchase of a home
• Moving
• Marriage
• Birth of a child
• Child entering school
• Child entering adolescence
• Child leaving for university
• Child launching into adulthood
• Birth of grandchild
• Retirement

Common Family Challenges

• Relocation of households
• Loss of a business or job
• Change in social-economic status
• A major accident with injuries
• Parental Illness
• Disability
• Natural Disaster
• Miscarriage
• Marital separation
• Divorce
• Death of a child, parent and/or spouse

Do any of these sound familiar?

If one member of the family is having problems, the entire family is at risk.

Life’s many twists and turns can cause havoc in the family system.

Have you ever heard the saying, “a family is only as happy as their unhappiest child?” This could not be truer.

Having a family member, whether parent or child, who is experiencing distress creates unbalance in the family system.

Once the family addresses these individual and collective issues, the family will have the opportunity to restore balance.

Families often need to turn to outside help.

Taking the first step and realizing you cannot help your family dynamic alone is a difficult thing to admit. It makes sense that you would want your family business to stay private. Unfortunately, this can only continue the negative interactions and may lead to a lifetime of troubling family dynamics.

Families need each other, in good times and bad. Acknowledging there is dysfunction and taking steps to try and improve dynamics can be a life lesson to all family members. By restoring balance in the family, parents and children can use each other to lean on in the future rather than being a continued source of stress.

Like snowflakes, no two families are the same…

But no matter the composition, families are delicate, intricate, and worth protecting. At SMPG we provide therapy for families with all sorts of configurations: adult families, teens, children, adopted children, aging parents, divorce, blended families, sibling rivalry and issues, and families working through substance abuse issues.

No matter your family type, your therapist is trained in helping you figure out how to get all relevant family members involved and engaged in the sessions, but this is not always easy to do!

The thought of sitting in a room with your family to talk about distressing topics, despite the goal of healing the family, can be pretty scary. Usually some family members will feel more comfortable talking and sharing, while others feel more comfortable listening. Family therapy can involve the whole family or various parts of the family, depending on the need and the availability and willingness for members to attend. The most important step is making that first appointment, and your therapist will help guide you through the rest.

To guide the family toward a healthy life, our family therapists join with you to help improve communication, solve family problems, heal past traumas, and create a healthier home environment.

Through family therapy sessions, family members can find their voice and express their emotions about some of the things that have been occurring in the family system.

Family therapy can help validate your family’s struggles and bolster the individual members to handle shared difficult family issues during the stages of life.

In family therapy, many interactions and communication are evaluated and addressed.

Miscommunication is often the reason why family members have increased levels of conflict. With that in mind, one of the most important aspects of family therapy includes practicing new forms of communication where family members feel heard and understood.

Family therapy aims to help reconnect members with the positive qualities and experiences they have shared over the years. This aids in increasing overall family happiness and not only concentrating on the things that are going wrong.

Just imagine…

… finding that invisible string that ties you together, giving you all a deeper sense of connection and trust with one another.

… feeling like you are not alone in this world and that your family really gets you.

… learning how to communicate effectively about the tough parts of life.

… having fun together again.

… being able to problem-solve and grow together when approached with challenges.

… reducing conflict through better anger-management skills.

… enjoying a sense of harmony restored in your home.

Given the right tools and support, a family can survive even the most challenging situations.

Your family is one of a kind. Give them the gift of learning new ways to relate to each other, so everyone can feel emotionally and physically safe.

Let’s talk about how to get your family back on track. Give us a call today: (305) 662-2686