Benefits of Family Counselling

disability services, aged care support, in home aged care, family counselling

Our family affects who we are, how we interact with others, our vocabulary, habits, our world view, who we are and who we become, for better or for worse.

If you’re born into a family that struggles to maintain health relationships, it’s more likely that you’ll struggle to connect with other people. If you’re family have healthy relationships, your interaction with others will mimic this.

It’s important to understand that if your family does struggle with maintaining healthy relationships, that this situation is not unchangeable. You’re not alone, most families will encounter disfunction, however they work through it to regain happiness.

Family counselling allows you to work on this in a neutral environment, to develop a healthy and functional family.

Benefits of Family Counselling | Family Counselling

What are the benefits of family counselling?

In family counselling, families have the opportunity to work on their problems in a safe and controlled environment, with the guidance of a mental health professional.

Family counselling can enhance skills required for health family functioning. This includes communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving. In family counselling, the focus is on providing all family members with the necessary tools to facilitate healing.

In counselling families can learn:

  • listening skills
  • learn connotative language
  • how to avoid connotative language
  • to recognize triggers
  • to avoid triggers
  • to think before reacting
  • to respect boundaries
  • *conversation skills
  • *communication skills
  • how to express empathy
  • how to have unconditional regard for other family members
  • to clearly define role and identify within the family and as an individual
  • how to help and not hurt those loved
  • anger is not hatred
  • how to dislike actions and still love the actor
  • how to use I vs. you statements to avoid conflict, while still communicating needs and desires
  • how parents can demonstrate respect toward children, and children’s need for space and individuality without giving up a position of authority
  • how body language speaks louder than words
  • how to ask for help
  • how to receive help
Benefits of Family Counselling | Family Counselling

Families and family dynamics are constantly changing. If families fail to communicate and foster healthy relationships through these changes, any change can develop into a negative event for the family. It’s important to understand that families do not, and should not, have to wait for a major event to seek counselling.

Many online counselling services offer flexible communication options, such as email, chat, and video conferencing, as well as flexible fees and payment methods.

Whichever method of counselling works best for you, ensure you seek help before a crisis where possible. Also know that it’s never too late to seek counselling, a bad situation doesn’t mean it is an unchangeable one.

Benefits of Family Counselling | Family Counselling

How to introduce family counselling

If you’re looking for a creative icebreaker to family counselling, the ‘Coloured Candy Go Around’ exercise can be a great way to start. It can engage members of the family and minimise resistance to family counselling.

To engage in this exercise with your family, you’ll need a packet of colourful lollies for example Skittles or M&Ms. Distribute seven pieces to each family member and instruct them to sort their lollies by colour (and not to eat them just yet).

Next, ask a family member to pick a colour and share how many they have. For however many lollies of this colour they have, instruct them to give the same number of responses to the following questions based on the colour:

  • Green – words to describe your family
  • Purple – ways your family has fun
  • Orange – things you would like to improve about your family
  • Red – things you worry about
  • Yellow – favourite memories with your family

When the first family member has given their answers, tell them to choose the next family member to answer the same prompt based on the number of lollies that person has. Once the prompt has been answered, you can eat the lollies.

When all family members have responded to these prompts, initiate a discussion based on the answers provided by the family. The following questions can facilitate discussion:

  1. What did you learn?
  2. What was the most surprising thing you learned about someone else?
  3. How will you work towards making changes/improvements?

It’s a good way to engage your children in talking through family issues. If you’d like to learn more, download the PDF on family therapy written by therapist Liana Lowenstein (this game is on page 3)

Benefits of Family Counselling | Family Counselling

Family Counselling with Connect Ability

If you’d like to reduce sources of tension and stress within the family, and develop a supportive family environment, we offer adolescent and family counselling.

At Jesmond Neighbourhood Centre, we have two experienced, professional counsellors available to see young people aged 9-18 years and their family members. Our counsellors will work with you or your children to identify the issues that are causing distress or disharmony and we will work with you on developing solutions to improve your life. Our counsellors also run parenting skills programs and groups for adolescents to build life skills.

We are available to see young people within school hours or after school hours.

We support people with a wide range of issues including:

  • Conflict at home
  • Family breakdown
  • Homelessness
  • Personal issues
  • Problems at school
  • Challenging/at risk behaviours
  • Drug/Alcohol related problems
  • Mental health issues
  • Relationship difficulties
  • Sexuality issues
  • Abuse
  • Out of home care
  • Restoration

 

Contact us today to find out more about our family counselling services, call us on (02) 4962 1000 or email contact@connectabilityaus.org.au.

 

As with all situations involving mental and physical health, if there is an emergency where a family member’s immediate health or life is in danger, call 000. If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800, Mensline Australia on 1300 789 978 or the Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

 

References:

Ackerman, C. (2018). What is Family Therapy and What Are Its Goals And Benefits?. [online] Positivepsychologyprogram.com. Available at: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/family-therapy/ [Accessed 13 Aug. 2018].

Lowenstein, L. and Sprunk, T. (2010). Creative Family Therapy Techniques: Play and Art-Based Activities to Assess and Treat Families. [ebook] p.3. Available at: http://www.lianalowenstein.com/articleFamilyTherapy.pdf [Accessed 13 Aug. 2018].

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