Family Therapy

Therapy for grief, divorce, family conflicts, parenting problems, chemical dependency and abuse.



Family therapy is different from individual therapy and uses special techniques to help family members cope with many problems and situations. Family therapy can be helpful in dealing with mental illness, chemical dependency, chronic illness, terminal illness, bereavement, abuse, behavioral problems, family conflict, divorce and family restructuring upon remarriage. Mental illness and chemical dependency affect twenty percent of all families in the U.S. While one family member may be identified as "having the problem," the entire family feels the vibrations. Family members may organize their lives around the problem so that to "let go" of the problem requires learning new ways of being in the family. Most families find it difficult to change. Family therapy can help both the family members and the one who is the "identified patient."

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY FROM A FAMILY PERSPECTIVE

As a family therapist, psychologist and nurse, I will help you consider symptoms that you may have from different perspectives. If your life is compromised by feelings of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or fear of intimacy, I will help you discover the nature of your problem and work with you to identify how to have the highest quality of life possible. My approaches include examining the roots of your problem: Is it your family history? Is it the way you think? Is it your current situation? Is it a chemical imbalance? A variety of ways of helping yourself will be considered including life style changes, learning to think and talk to your self differently, challenging old beliefs, adopting new ways of interacting with others and referral for medications when appropriate. When a family member dies, the loss goes beyond individual grief. Its concentric circles encompass all the living members of a family and even alter interactions within that family. Families cope differently with death, but each must come to terms with their grief and make sense of death.