Family Counselling Services in High River, AB.

My family therapy practice centers around helping teens be understood by their parents and family and with couples and parents who have lost their connection to their children. I often find that the best way to help teens is by helping them to be understood by their parents and so I often work with teens doing some sessions individually and regularly incorporate a session with the parent(s). With couples work, one parent might not approve of how the other parent's parenting style, so helping the children, and both parents be heard and understood can go a long way towards repairing relationships that have become strained.

People exist in relation and within relationships; change affects everyone and can sometimes be uncomfortable. Where appropriate, I welcome and invite families in to avoid common pitfalls and create better environments of success for therapy. I create a non-judging atmosphere where each persons view is respected and heard. Family members often have great insight and perspective on the problem.

Shift family therapy or family counseling is designed to address specific trauma or issues affecting the health and functioning of a family and individuals within it. It can be used to help the family through a difficult period of time, a major transition, or mental or behavioral health problems in family members. We often break family members up into individual sessions to target are beliefs that we hold about ourselves and the world that become part of our identity.

Every family has their own way of doing things and although there can be moments of harmony, sometimes bonds can be disrupted and people require help to become reconnected. In family therapy, clients will learn to explore their own needs while strengthening and maintaining connections to family members. Much of this work includes acceptance, release, listening and awareness.

Relationships in general are complex. We experience family in different ways depending on the relationship and connection we have. Family may be described as a family of origin, blended family, found family, or estranged. Regardless of what it means for you, we can work to address the concerns that are distressing you. If you are seeking support with understanding communication, hobbies, trauma, influence, or even ways to strengthen your family system, give us a call and we can help you out. We do not just focus on one relationship, we look at how roles, expectations and history influence all members of the family system.

Goals in my approach to Family Therapy are to open communication between parents and children, reduce conflict at home, foster understanding between family members, develop effective coping strategies for life transitions. Family Therapy may address, step-parenting, blended Families, coping with teenagers, difficulties with communication, family, conflict and parent­-child relationships.

Cory has had over 15 years of practice doing family therapy using many different models including systemic theory, structural theory and strategic models... To name only a few. Not only has Cory been working with families for an extensive period of time but has been able to apply many of these skills to his own family/children. Cory's general belief is that although the complete family is preferred, family therapy can be done with only one or two individuals as long as we can impact change from just one source.

Despite the best intentions of ourselves and our family members, we are often tangled in patterns of invalidation, rejection, frustration and blame. It can feel so messy that we operate in a constant state of fear and a crippling sense of unworthiness. In 2008 I started my counselling career as a family therapist. A combination of individual and joint sessions will take place to allow the space for all voices to be respectfully heard, while helping to identify bigger ‘systems’ patterns that keep you stuck in pain and finger-pointing. I will help to smooth out communication, make room for wants and needs and to heal the old wounds holding you back from having a healthier relationship.

Being a young person is hard, being the parent to a young person can be even harder – if your family is overwhelmed with conflict or if you believe that your family would benefit from extra support, family counselling services in Calgary are available. Conflict and stress are common within the home. When this happens many adolescents and parents tend to run away from each other. However, this can be a confusing time for both parents and their children. We can assist by encouraging open communication with each other.

Creating healthy patterns of communication and setting effective boundaries within a family structure (biological family, blended family, extended family) can greatly reduce conflict and create a stronger connection between members. I work as an impartial observer and can assist families with the tools to reduce unhealthy conflict and increase respectful dialogue.

My job as a family therapist is to help families to get along and resolve conflicts. This allows for clarity in communication and closer relationships. My work is grounded in many family therapy methods such as Systems theory, Bowen therapy, Narrative family therapy and EMDR for families. We all need to feel safe and loving by the people we love. If you have tried to solve it by yourselves that are getting nowhere give us a call. We can help you navigate these difficult conversations.

It is not surprising that conflicts often arise in families when many people with various personalities, communication styles, needs and ages try to co-exist. Very often one or several people within a family can feel misunderstood, disrespected or simply not connected to the others. I have passionately worked with youth and their families for over ten years. I work to support families to "see" the intentions behind each other’s often misunderstood actions so that conflicts can be resolved and relationships strengthened.

Healthy communication and regulation skills foster positive and healthy family relationships. In session, we can explore and build on a family's communication skills, ability to navigate conflict or family crisis, and improve family coping styles. Together, we can build positive practices to provide a safe and supportive environment for you and your family.