Family Counseling Services in Bell Gardens, CA.

In working with families, we will collaborate on addressing the couple's need to be in charge. Family rules and boundaries are sometimes unclear to children. We will work together to communicate your expectations. When acting out, underachievement, conduct problems, defiant or oppositional behaviors present in the children, the the parents need to be on the same page. Your family will learn, insession, preferred communicatin styles; empathic listening, group problem solving skills, tolerance, respect and acceptance of each other. Family members will learn to interact without anger, resentment, sarcasm or disrespect. Parents need to be authoritative without being authoritarian.

Every family has some sort of dysfunction since individuals are not perfect. I have worked for over ten years with youth and their families. I believe family therapy is essential when working with youth since children and adolescents have limited insight and need structure, guidance, and discipline from parents/caregivers. I begin the initial session meeting with the parents/caregivers to identify and discuss problems and confidentiality. I then meet with the youth/children with the parents to work on agreed treatment goals. The ultimate goal of family therapy is to increase open and respectful communication and improve parent/child relationships.

Abby offers family therapy to support healthier communication, stronger relationships, and greater understanding among family members. Using a collaborative, trauma-informed approach, she helps families navigate conflict, life transitions, and emotional challenges in a safe, structured environment. Her work focuses on repairing connection, enhancing empathy, and building practical tools for managing stress and improving dynamics. Whether addressing parenting struggles, sibling conflict, or intergenerational patterns, Abby guides families toward more cohesive and supportive relationships.

I use a family systems approach when working with families. I work with families in intimate relationships to nurture change and development. It is suggested that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit. By working with families we can see patterns that are sometimes dysfunctional. Families who are able to see their dysfunction are able to make the changes that bring about healthy relationships within their unit.

When working with families, I create a safe and supportive space where each member feels heard and understood. Together, we’ll explore the patterns, roles, and unspoken dynamics that may be causing conflict or distance. I help families improve communication, repair trust, and navigate challenges such as generational trauma, parenting struggles, or life transitions. My goal is to support your family in building stronger connections, fostering empathy, and creating a healthier, more balanced home environment.

As a family therapist, I facilitate fair discussions, offer suggestions for changes, teach communication skills and new ways of coping. This helps with understanding each other and finding solutions. I look at the whole family to see whether certain patterns or traits were learned from the previous generation without realizing that some of them may have been ineffective or harmful, even though they seemed familiar and "normal.” Since parents are the heads of the family, they need to work together, not against each other. It's important to make sure that boundaries between the family members are clear, visible, and consistent. This all can improve your family life considerably.

I offer family therapy for families who have young children and/or adolescents. This is a speciality! I have three therapists who have different specialtes with family therapy! One is a teen and teen parenting specialists, another specializes in families with young children and another specializes in difficult families, families and trauma and another still with single parent families or blended families (families coming together with other families). I specifically work with families and parents of teens and alterative families (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families - either parents are GLBT or families who have a GLBT child). Call me and one of us will be the perfect match!

Looking for Family Therapy? Are you wanting to improve your relationships in your family? Family therapy is often a great support to someone who is being seen in individual therapy. I help families become emotionally connected. I am passionate about empowering family members understand each other, feel heard and respected, improve communication, work through conflicts, and learn new, positive coping skills. My goal in family therapy is to help family members to create a shared vision and great relationships. Call, click or text (949)791-7127 or (310)729-7971 for a free 20 minute phone consultation.

A family is a unit composed of several individuals, that form its dynamic, communication style, interaction, needs and desires, and sometimes these ‘clash’ or do not go hand in hand or in great harmony, to say the least! When working with families it is important to know that each person and each family is unique and has its own style, challenges and differences in character and personality. Our primary aim will be to explore, with each of you, as well as together, the concerns and challenges and guide you to create a more harmonious and balanced family relationships.

Do you find yourself overwhelmed and frustrated with your daily family routines? Do conversations often lead to arguments and hurt feelings? Would you like a more enjoyable fun-loving family relationship? If so, I can help. I provide support with managing daily challenges & helping you reach family goals. I believe in a systemic approach, so sessions can include you, your child, your spouse or any combination of family members. During sessions we can address specific issues like: staying calm during disagreements or tantrums, establishing routines, decreasing arguments & improving communication. We can also work on broader goals like bringing more fun & cohesiveness to your family unit.

Let me guess. One partner feels alone and like they don't matter and the other feels they are always being criticized and can't get anything right. The more one asks for the other to show up, the more the partner disappears physically and emotionally. You both bicker and fight and the idea of sitting and just hanging out seems elusive, if not impossible. Something like this? Often we crave connection but are blocked by the pain and the history that gets in the way. Small fights about little things become battles that highlight our struggle to have our basic relational needs met. I can help you get under the bickering to the parts crying out for connection- to an enriching relationship.

Most family therapists inadvertently create more chaos through their well-intentioned efforts to assist a family move through a change process. Why? Brains are inherently dysregulated (all of us, may I add) and most talking and dialoguing misses brain-centric problems that need more intensive help. Many times the emotional trauma created by years of solving problems ineffectively can wreak havoc on the brain's parasympathetic nervous system, not ever giving the family a break from flight or fight thinking. Contact us for an innovative neuroscience solution to family dystunction. Kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161

Many of our struggles are not just individually focused; they are shaped by and affect the family system around us. I have a passion for helping family relationships heal in places where they are broken, and thrive in places that are stagnant. I especially love journeying with parents and their children, strengthening bonds and decreasing family conflict. My training has predominantly been in family psychology, and I love to watch families transform together -- as individuals and as whole units.